3 times when WWE stars were openly invited to join AEW
The world of WWE and AEW are well interlinked. There are multiple stars who have worked in both companies and achieved varying levels of success.
Some have gone on to become top stars like Jon Moxley and Cody Rhodes respectively while others like Claudio Castagnoli have been lukewarm. There is a lot of love between the stars of the two companies and at the same time, there is also a lot of rivalry between them.
This comes with the aim to be the best in the wrestling business and rightly so. In this article, we will take a look at three times when WWE stars were openly invited to join AEW.
#3. Wardlow & Brock Lesnar
Wardlow is one of the few big men who can easily go head-to-head with any star in the business today but it felt like he had crossed a line when he invited Brock Lesnar to come to AEW. The Beast is currently not to be seen but there was a time when he was the top dog in WWE.
Wardlow was speaking to NBC Sports Boston when he openly invited Lesnar to come to AEW. He said:
“I invite Brock Lesnar over to AEW anytime he wants. That’s up there on the dream list but, my dreams in AEW, Kenny Omega is at the top of that list, Andrade [El Idolo], PAC, I think those are the top three. In my opinion, those are three of the best wrestlers in the world and I live to be challenged. You know, I like to be challenged, I love to challenge myself. I love to see what I can accomplish, what I can overcome so I would like to step in the ring with those three to really test myself.” [H/T - WrestleTalk]
#2. Will Ospreay & Ricochet
Will Ospreay is one of the best wrestlers in AEW right now and no one can deny that. He had a series of matches with former WWE star Ricochet in the early 2010s that pushed them both into the spotlight.
Ricochet left WWE in June after his contract had expired. Sometime before that happened, Ospreay, who was seemingly aware of what was happening with his former rival, spoke about his situation and remarked that he would be more appreciated in AEW.
Speaking to ComicBook.com, he said:
“I don’t know how much longer he has got in his contract, but I think it might be up soon, man, I don’t know. I want him to know that there are people here that genuinely appreciate his work and I want to wrestle him again. I want him back here.” [H/T - ComicBook]
#1. Tony Khan invites former WWE star Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon is the name on everybody’s lips right now. He met Tony Khan last week and a leaked picture of their meeting went viral on social media. However, that was last week.
In June, Tony Khan was asked about Shane and his reported interest in wanting to come to AEW. Without hesitation, Khan said:
“I heard the rumor he might be interested. I’ve never met Shane, but we have a lot of mutual friends. I have a lot of respect for him as an executive and a professional wrestler. Shane is always welcome in AEW.” [H/T - eWrestlingnews]
This was of course before the two met and things must have changed since. Only time will tell if he decides to join AEW.