AEW may have found its Rock
It appears that AEW may have discovered their own Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in rising star EJ Nduka.
Reports surfaced last month that Tony Khan has signed Nduka to the promotion. It was revealed that Nduka, who made his debut in January, has officially inked a contract with AEW. There were rumors of interest from other major wrestling companies, including WWE, as well as organizations in Mexico and Japan.
EJ Nduka is a former WWE star who joined the promotion in 2018 after a bodybuilding career. Though not making it past the Performance Center, he left a lasting impact. In May 2021, he was released after three years in the developmental system with no televised matches on NXT.
However, Nduka's dedication to improvement and relentless work ethic earned him recognition as "the hardest worker in the room," a trait associated with The Rock. During a commercial shoot at the Performance Center, he impressed influential figures like Stephanie McMahon, Vince McMahon, and Triple H.
Considering the high praise from numerous top industry legends, it seems that AEW has potentially found its own version of The Rock in EJ Nduka. While it remains to be seen how his career unfolds in the promotion, matching The Rock won't be an easy task for the 34-year-old. The star will have big boots to fill, especially in terms of promo skills, a quality in which Johnson was one of the best.
AEW recent signee EJ Nduka was seemingly compared to The Rock by Triple H
During a commercial shoot at WWE's Performance Center, Triple H took the opportunity to praise EJ Nduka for his development as a performer.
In an interview with Fightful, Nduka revealed that Triple H compared him to The Rock.
"I'm chopping it up with H, and he said, 'You remind me a lot of DJ [Dwayne Johnson].' I'm having the conversation, and I'm just enamored being able to talk to Triple H because just to be able to talk to Hunter is big. Midway through the conversation, it clicked with me, 'He said DJ; he's talking about Dwayne."
While Nduka is yet to show up for AEW following his reported full-time contract signing, anticipation is already growing surrounding the star. Whether or not he will be able to live up to the expectations remains to be seen.
Do you agree that AEW has found its Rock in EJ Nduka? Sound off in the comments section below.