Tony Khan reportedly signs Josh Woods to AEW
Tony Khan is said to have added another star to his roster of full-time AEW talent.
In the past week, AEW listed Josh Woods on its official roster page. This comes after several appearances for the promotion over the past few months.
After supposedly asking AEW sources, Fightful Select have reported that Woods is signed to a multi-year, full-time contract which has effectively swiped him from free agency.
Woods had worked a developmental deal with WWE, appearing on the NXT brand prior to his release in July 2016. He later became a stalwart on the ROH brand, reigning as the Pure Champion when the brand went into hiatus.
Woods defended that title at this year's Supercard of Honor, the first event following Tony Khan's acquisition, losing to Wheeler Yuta before forging an alliance with Tony Nese and Smart Mark Sterling on AEW TV.
The #VarsityAthletes scissoring within their legal rights!
@TonyNese @woodsisthegoods
It’s #AEWRampage LIVE on TNT! https://t.co/05NHvucGoj
It's said that the deal is three years in length; however, the official start date and any options included are unknown. Woods and Nese have become known as The Varsity Athletes and recently challenged The Acclaimed for the tag titles.
In singles action, Woods got his rematch against Wheeler Yuta on Dark in May and even challenged for Samoa Joe's ROH Television title in September.
Tony Khan has also reportedly signed The Kingdom to AEW
Fightful: Maria Kanellis, Mike Bennett and Matt Taven, aka The Kingdom have signed multi-year contracts with AEW.
Despite talking openly about helping out in ROH or the women's division, Maria has struck a deal to be part of the roster as a wrestler. https://t.co/55pEQbyRxm
The Kingdom's Matt Taven, Mike and Maria Kanellis all debuted on Rampage earlier this month, making the challenge to ROH tag champs FTR. It was reported later that they weren't contracted at the time of that appearance, but the trio have since been signed to multi-year deals.
It was further reported that their deals are exclusive to All Elite Wrestling and not Ring of Honor, despite their debut involving the latter brand's titles. Their deal is said to run until 2025.
Maria Kanellis offered to help out with the creative portion of Ring of Honor, but Tony Khan allegedly wants to helm both brands like he has to this point. She was heavily involved in the direction of the women's division prior to ROH's hiatus, but doesn't appear primed for that role in the future.
Do you think Josh Woods is a good fit for Tony Khan's promotion? Share your thoughts in the comments below.