5 Recently released WWE Superstars who could appear at AEW Worlds End 2023
AEW is looking at its last pay-per-view of the year, Worlds End, and the company's creative will be looking to end the year with a bang. The special already has a big-ticket feel to the pay-per-view, with the final of the Continental Classic Tournament and the World Championship at stake in a match where current champion MJF faces Samoa Joe.
However, to seal the deal, many pay-per-views have something special up their sleeve, that's the return or the debut of a huge and 'organically' over star. We look at the top recently released nxt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">WWE stars who could make their AEW return or debut at Worlds End.
#5. Emma could add that special 'something' to the AEW female roster
It's no secret that Tony Khan should be looking to add a big name to the female roster. And one of the names that instantly crops up in a nostalgic, hardcore wrestling fan speaking about female wrestlers is Emma. Emma has had a stint in WWE; she was also active in ROH as well as Impact Wrestling.
She has had two stints in WWE, with the last one ending in 2023, less than a year after her return. This makes her a name that could get a huge pop at the special. Fans are always waiting to know which wrestler is now trading places on both the company's rosters.
#4 Matt Riddle could add some drama to World End with his efficacious nature
Nobody saw Matt Riddle leaving WWE, especially after the fantastic run that he had with Randy Orton. However, fate had other things in store, and Riddle was out of the Stamford-based company. He is one of the few wrestlers who are 'in' with the audience, if not over. Tony Khan will do well to sign up the guy when he's about to peak.
Riddle should be able to do fantastically in the edgier content that AEW produces. After all, he does have MMA stints behind him. He's challenged and fought against UFC members as well as Bellator. In the Indies, he's faced the likes of Wheeler Yuta and Swerve Strickland, or Shane Strickland, as he was known back then in the Evolve Championship. The Jacksonville-based company should be familiar territory for him.
#3 Shelton Benjamin could be the next Miro for AEW
Several former WWE wrestlers had a whole new run with Tony's company and hit it out of the park. Top of the head, names like Jon Moxley, Swerve Strickland, and Miro come to mind. Shelton Benjamin is another name that could add itself to this list.
Benjamin has it all, a kind of nostalgic value - he was active in the early 2000s - and has a high-flying fighting style that the audience loves. From the looks of it, Benjamin should be a shoo-in for Tony Khan. He's completed two decades in WWE, and there's a cherry on the pie -he has never won a world championship. Now, that's something Tony Khan and his Creative team can churn on for a while.
#2 Mustafa Ali will be out of those 'underrated' lists with an AEW run
Some wrestlers have everything, apart from that one push, and the saying is true for Mustafa Ali. Ali has experience in the Indies, spent more than five years under the WWE brand, and even spent time in NXT.
He even had a match at Wrestlemania in 2018, but that good push never came. He was released by WWE this year, which makes him another talent that AEW could hone and make their own.
#1 Dolph Ziggler could be a whole new revelation in AEW
Ah, the things Ryan Nemeth could do in WWE - and all the accolades he won. Seen as a solid player, it remains a mystery why Ziggler was unceremoniously exited by WWE.
Ziggler has played various on-screen roles in WWE, as the company required - he's been babyface, he's been a heel, he's been the contender and the champion. Given the real-life scenarios in the wrestling world at the moment, all of this can be packaged into an incredible package to create a very interesting storyline.
What do you think? Which other recently released WWE star should shake the halls at Worlds End? Tell us in the comments section.