3 AEW rumors we hope are true and 1 we hope isn't: Edge held talks with Tony Khan; Ex-WWE Superstar's debut being kept secret; Triple H's offer denied
Welcome to another column on AEW rumors we hope are true and some we hope aren't.
It's been nearly three years since Edge shook the wrestling world with his jaw-dropping return at Royal Rumble in 2020.
In hindsight, it wouldn't have been possible had The Rated-R Superstar signed with All Elite Wrestling.
And speaking of signings, Tony Khan is potentially keeping another former WWE Superstar's arrival a secret.
Meanwhile, two top wrestlers have turned down Triple H's offer for a return to stomping grounds.
In addition to these lead stories, we'll dwell on why the company hasn't pushed the former United States Champion.
(Note: None of these rumors have been ratified by the wrestlers or the promotion. Hence, take the hearsay with a grain of salt.)
#4. Hopefully Not True: Edge came close to signing with AEW
Edge stayed retired from pro wrestling for nearly nine years before WWE finally gave him medical clearance to return to the squared circle in 2020.
However, it seems The Rated-R Superstar kept his options wide open had Vince McMahon and management not cleared him to compete.
Fightful Select recently learned that AEW and Edge reportedly held talks before the latter blew the roof of Minute Maid Park with his shocking comeback a few years ago.
Of course, the talks fizzled out for reasons unknown, and he stayed loyal to his stomping grounds.
We hope this report is not accurate. Edge's return was arguably one of the greatest pro wrestling returns of all time.
There's no way he could have replicated the exact moment with that magnitude in a company like AEW that was striving for a strong foothold.
#3. Hopefully True: Tony Khan is keeping Sasha Banks' AEW arrival a secret
Saraya comments on people speculating Sasha Banks as her mystery partner.
#AEW #SashaBanks #Saraya https://t.co/xfq14kFatA
Sasha Banks' decade-long stint with WWE seems all but over after reports surfaced that she arrived in Japan earlier this week for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.
Her forthcoming NJPW appearance has also fueled the speculation of her possibly signing with AEW.
Dave Meltzer recently reported that Tony Khan might be keeping the six-time women's champion's debut a "secret" from the locker room.
The wrestling journalist weighed in on the possibility of Banks showing up as Saraya's mystery partner for a tag team bout against Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter on the January 11th episode of Dynamite:
"Regarding Sasha Banks, if it’s happening, right now it’s a well kept secret. There’s no indication that it is, but obviously if it was it could be kept secret from almost everyone. Also, if it was, I’d think they’d push the Los Angeles match more each week, as they’ve gone very cold on any mentions of the match on television," Dave Meltzer said.
We hope this report is accurate. Assuming The Boss is officially the hottest free agent today, there couldn't be a bigger name than her to fill the mystery spot in front of a capacity crowd at Kia Forum.
Given Sasha Banks' history with Saraya, the company could explode a lot of storyline possibilities should the two women join forces next year.
#2. Hopefully True: Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland rejected WWE's return offer
Triple H has been on a rampant signing spree since taking over the creative reins from Vince McMahon.
From Bray Wyatt to Emma, he has brought back several former WWE Superstars who were released during the previous regime.
As such, The Game reportedly put feelers out to some AEW stars to gauge their interest.
Among the names WWE reached out to were Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland, who apparently rejected the offer.
Dave Meltzer recently reported that the two men had the chance to jump ship, but they didn't even entertain the offer:
"There’s guys there, Keith Lee and [Swerve] Strickland obviously, they had chances to go back and they didn’t. And they didn’t even entertain it. But a lot of the guys wanted to leave. The guys who sign there, if they’re guys who really want to be [in WWE], and just got fired and everything but can’t wait to get hired back – I don’t know that those guys have been that beneficial." [H/T: WrestleTalk]
We hope this rumor is true because Lee and Strickland would have been lost in the shuffle if they had left WWE.
Not that AEW doesn't hold a bloated roster at the moment, but the former tag team champions have received significant TV time and push in the upper mid-card division lately.
Meanwhile, WWE has already dropped the ball with Lee and Strickland once. They would've jeopardized their futures by switching companies.
#1. Hopefully True: Real reason why Tony Khan isn't keen on bringing back Miro on AEW television
Miro hasn't featured much in AEW programming this year, as he has wrestled in only four matches.
Recent reports suggested that the company came up with a creative pitch for his in-ring return to Full Gear, but the Bulgarian star turned down the idea.
Dave Meltzer noted that Tony Khan probably wouldn't be pushing a guy who has already made up his mind about leaving the promotion.
In Miro's case, his spouse CJ Perry (fka Lana) has teased the former Rusev's eventual return to WWE down the road:
"If I’m Tony Khan at this point, given everything that’s happened, and the wife of one of the wrestlers goes and says, essentially everyone goes back to WWE, it’s kinda like, why waste my time pushing this guy, I’ve got 100 guys on the roster who want to be here, and now you’ve got these guys who wanna be in WWE," Meltzer said. [H/T: WrestleTalk]
We hope this is true because no company would ever propel a wrestler knowing they'd jump ship the first chance they get. The Redeemer is a Triple H guy and could easily thrive under WWE's new regime.
Would you like to see Miro leave AEW for WWE in the future? Sound off in the comments section below.