AEW: 5 Stars who could be 'All Elite' by the end of 2021
With AEW just having celebrated the second anniversary of its debut event, things are looking bright for the buzzworthy promotion.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Tony Khan's company will add a second prime-time television show to its schedule. Beginning in August of this year, AEW Rampage will be broadcast weekly on Friday nights. The new hour-long show will join the company's flagship offering, AEW Dynamite in airing on TNT in the United States.
Assuming that AEW's current output remains the same, the addition of Rampage leaves the company with four shows to produce each week. In addition to Dynamite, the promotion also tapes episodes of AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation for YouTube.
AEW's commitments will become even greater at the turn of the calendar year, when Dynamite and Rampage move to a new American television home. Both shows will make the jump to TBS, although AEW will also produce four special events each year for TNT.
This increased television presence is a major positive for the company. It does, however, mean that more talent might be needed to perform on AEW shows.
Speaking on the AEW Unrestricted podcast ahead of this Sunday's Double or Nothing pay-per-view, Tony Khan acknowledged the need for an expanded roster moving forward.
“There’s gonna be a huge expansion of the company and I think that’s where Double Or Nothing comes in," said Khan. "Our huge signature pay-per-view, we take our quarterly events seriously. I want Double Or Nothing to be one of the great pay-per-views we’ve done and I think the return of crowds is gonna help boost this great card. But I also think that we have to start expanding the roster in AEW and there’s gonna be great moments and great surprises on the show.” said Tony Khan. (H/T - Inside The Ropes)
Luckily for the AEW boss, there are plenty of stars from around the wrestling industry who could join AEW immediately. Plenty of other talented wrestlers could do so over the next few months.
Here are five top performers who could become "All Elite" before the end of 2021.
#5 Former WWE Superstar Andrade is reportedly already in talks with AEW
Ever since his release from WWE was confirmed on March 21 this year, there has been plenty of speculation about the future of Andrade.
Promotions from around the globe have been vying for the signature of the 31-year-old for the last two months.
Although Andrade has recently agreed to a deal for a match with AAA in his home country of Mexico, it seems as if he might debut for AEW first.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Andrade is on the verge of signing with the Jacksonville-based promotion. The plan is reportedly for him to debut as the mystery entrant in the Casino Battle Royale match at this weekend's Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
If these rumors turn out to be accurate, Andrade would be a major catch for AEW. The former NXT Champion could be the first of many new faces fans see in the promotion over the coming months.