With WWE now more open than ever to signing up the best
independent talents in the game, new reports claim that Vince McMahon’s World
Wrestling Entertainment is currently interested in talents that the company previously
turned its nose up at.
Via Dave Meltzer, WWE
has begun negotiations with independent stars who they previously had zero
interest in bringing into the fold.
Of course, the obvious reason for this is that Vinny Mac and
Co. are looking to put a stranglehold on the industry and sign up any talent
who they feel could be of benefit to All Elite Wrestling.
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We’ve already heard how several top indie stars are expected
to sign with WWE before the years is out, and this all comes hot on the heels
of WWE officially signing EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory and longtime indie
favourite Santana Garrett to developmental deals.
For any talent with offers on the table, there’s definitely
a tough decision to be made nowadays. WWE is where so many of these performers
will have dreamed of signing for, and the success of former indie darlings such
as Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe makes a
move to The E a tempting one.
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On the other hand, however, there’s the hope, optimism and
freedom that somewhere like AEW is looking to offer a performer.
Either way, this is the best time in years to be a
professional wrestler due to there being several genuine and viable options as
to where to ply your trade.
Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.
