Tony Khan signs released star to AEW; WWE had interest in bringing him back - Reports
AEW President Tony Khan has reportedly signed former WWE star E.J. Nduka to the Jacksonville-based promotion.
Nduka joined WWE in 2019 but was released from his contract in May 2021. After his release, he joined Major League Wrestling and achieved success by winning the MLW World Tag Team Championship alongside Calvin Tankman. Nduka's contract with MLW expired in 2023, and he began making appearances for AEW on Dark and Dark: Elevation.
According to Fightful Select, Nduka has officially signed with All Elite Wrestling after making his debut in January. There were previously reports of interest from WWE and other companies in Mexico and Japan.
The departure of James Kimball, who was Senior Vice President of Talent Operations and Strategy in the Stamford-based promotion, led to a lack of follow-up on potential hires. However, AEW quickly showed their interest in Nduka when they entered the scene. The details of his contract with the promotion are yet to be confirmed.
E.J Nduka has signed with AEW.
He's been under some sort of AEW deal for quite a while.
WWE did have interest, but when former WWE SVP James Kimball was fired from WWE, a lot of the possible hires he was looking at weren't followed up on.
- @FightfulSelect https://t.co/F47ngvlkct
The signing of Nduka presents an exciting opportunity for All Elite Wrestling, as he has showcased his talent and potential during his time in MLW.
Triple H compared new AEW signee to The Rock
Former NXT star EJ Nduka shared an interesting encounter with Triple H during a commercial shoot. Nduka revealed that he received high praise from The Game, who compared him to WWE legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
In an interview with Fightful's Grapsody Reviews, Nduka recounted his conversation with Triple H, where the WWE Hall of Famer commended his progress as a performer and drew parallels between him and The Great One.
"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 HHH 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.'" [H/T Fightful]
The former NXT star signing with Tony Khan's promotion is a significant move for his budding career. E.J. Nduka's journey from WWE to MLW and now to AEW showcases his potential.
What are your thoughts on Tony Khan's latest signee? Sound off in the comments section below.