AEW News & Rumor Roundup: Former WWE champion is ALL ELITE, Worrying details on Britt Baker, Bobby Lashley's immediate future revealed?
Welcome to another edition of Sportkeeda Wrestling's AEW News and Rumor Roundup, where we will look at some stories involving stars such as Britt Baker, Bobby Lashley, and more.
Dustin Rhodes has shared a massive update regarding his future in AEW. Meanwhile, Ric Flair believes a former WWE star will return to the promotion after eventually leaving All Elite Wrestling. So, without any further ado, let's dive deep into all of these stories.
#5 Former WWE champion is reportedly unlikely to sign with AEW
Tony Khan's All Elite Wrestling has hired many stars after they have left WWE. The Jacksonville-based promotion has been able to recruit the global juggernaut's former champions, such as Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Mercedes Mone, and others.
It seems that the company now has its eyes on another decorated former WWE star. Matt Cardona's AEW status has been uncertain amid rumors of him joining Triple H's promotion to unite with his wife, Chelsea Green.
Fightful Select has now provided an update that there has been no confirmation on Cardona receiving an offer from Tony Khan. The report also stated that The Indy God has seemingly told people that he hadn't signed with AEW yet.
#4 Britt Baker revealed a scary real-life incident amid AEW absence
Former AEW Women's World Champion has disclosed why she decided to put one of her careers on hold. Dr. Britt Baker DMD is one of All Elite Wrestling's top stars but is also a dentist outside of the ring.
In a chat with DDP, Baker revealed that her dentistry career suffered because fans kept coming to meet her all the time. She also discussed a scary incident that occurred at her clinic.
"It was turning into, like a Comic-Con, where people were coming in because you can find me. People were coming in and asking for autographs and pictures. And like, they'd schedule appointments, take up appointments slots. And my staff, they were like 'Whoa, we got to make money. This isn't it, this isn't it Britt.' And then there's just some scary fans. Like, where we had to call the cops, and they were going to come and kill us." [H/T: WrestlingInc.]
Baker has been away from the ring since November 13, 2024. It will be interesting to see when she will make her comeback.
#3 Tony Khan could add a major match featuring former WWE Champion to AEW Worlds End
Reports have surfaced indicating that Tony Khan might add a major match featuring Bobby Lashley to the AEW Worlds End 2024 card.
Bobby Lashley arrived in All Elite Wrestling as part of The Hurt Syndicate and immediately went after Swerve Strickland. The two stars locked horns at Full Gear, where Lashley picked up the win.
This week on Collision, Strickland declared that he was going to get his hands on the former WWE Champion by the end of this year. However, there were no mentions of a match.
On the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that although it sounded like Strickland challenged Lashley, it wasn't an official challenge. However, Tony Khan could still add the match to the 2024 Worlds End pay-per-view, and he could announce it on Wednesday.
#2 Dustin Rhodes shared a massive update on his AEW future
Dustin Rhodes has shared a major update on social media regarding his future in AEW. The Natural has accomplished a lot in his career in WWE and AEW. He currently holds the ROH World Tag Team Title and the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.
The former WWE star had been negotiating a new contract with Tony Khan for the past few months after his previous deal expired in October. Despite not being officially signed to the company, he retained the ROH World Tag Team Title with Sammy Guevara at ROH Final Battle 2024.
Dustin Rhodes has now announced on X/Twitter that he has re-signed with AEW. The 13-time WWE champion also disclosed that he would hang up his wrestling boots in the company when the time was right.
#1 Current AEW champion returning to WWE is possible, according to Ric Flair
Ric Flair believes that a current AEW top star can return to WWE sometime in the future. The talent in question is Mercedes Mone.
The CEO accomplished a lot in WWE throughout her stint before her controversial exit due to alleged creative differences. The CEO is currently a member of the AEW roster and the TBS Champion.
Ric Flair recently appeared on the Busted Open podcast. The Hall of Famer predicted that Mercedes Mone would ultimately return to the Triple H-led promotion despite their past differences.
“I look at Sasha [and] she has that mindset that she can do whatever she wants to do because she’s that good. I think that ultimately she’ll end up back in the WWE. If you look at the last 10 years, what Sasha has been able to do and what Ashley [Charlotte Flair] has been able to do, and maybe a couple [of] others (…) name the guys that can stay on top for 10 years. Never take a step back, always in the main event.” [H/T: Wrestlingnewsco]
Besides being the TBS Champion, Mone also holds the NJPW Strong Women's Championship.