AEW reportedly tried bringing in former WWE partner of Billy Gunn
AEW storylines have seen several former WWE acts and rivals reunite, from The Undisputed Era to Edge & Christian and, most recently, MVP and Shelton Benjamin. After All Elite Wrestling's latest nostalgic reunion, new reports shed light on another multi-time champion who turned Tony Khan down.
Rico Constantino made his official All Elite Wrestling debut during the WrestleDream Zero Hour pre-show at Saturday's loaded pay-per-view. The 63-year-old veteran was signed to WWE from 1999 until November 7, 2004. In March 2022, he debuted as a stylist to Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo, known then as the flamboyant heel tag team Billy & Chuck. The professional fireman ended up joining Rikishi to turn on his clients, but they later reunited while trading the WWE Tag Team Championship.
The Model escorted MxM Collection's Mason Madden and Mansoor to the ring for their WrestleDream loss to Max Caster and Anthony Bowens of The Acclaimed, who have been allied with Billy Gunn since 2022. A new report from Fightful Select notes that AEW previously tried to work with Chuck Palumbo.
Chuck quietly retired after a 2012 indie event. According to Fightful, AEW made multiple overtures to Palumbo in the last year, but nothing ever came of interest. Officials were looking to bring Billy Gunns' former tag team partner in for different ideas, but they had no luck.
Gunn previously noted during an interview how he personally asked Palumbo to "do a couple of things" with him in AEW. However, the four-time WCW Tag Team Champion was not interested. The two-time WWE Tag Team Champion has so many other things going on in life that he doesn't do much with wrestling these days.
It appears AEW is planning to use Rico for at least a few more dates. As seen above, the professional fireman appeared in a post-match backstage segment with the MxM Collection to present them with a special gift, rumored to be the Billy & Chuck headbands. The reveal is expected for an upcoming All Elite episode.
Update on AEW Dynamite's debut in San Jose
All Elite Wrestling will debut in San Jose, California on Wednesday. The post-WrestleDream edition of Dynamite will air live from SAP Center.
Tony Khan has announced just one match for Dynamite as of this writing. Mercedes Moné will defend the TBS Title against Queen Aminata after their showdown at WrestleDream. Mercedes' Strong Women's Championship will not be on the line.
Officials will also tape the 167th edition of Rampage on Wednesday in San Jose. Saturday's Collision will be taped on Thursday in Stockton, CA, along with Battle of the Belts XII.