5 released superstars who could follow Mia Yim back to WWE
Mia Yim is one of the most decorated women's wrestlers of this generation. Before working with WWE, Mia held several championships with numerous promotions. Yim made a name for herself with companies such as Shimmer, Shine, IMPACT, and Full Impact Pro, to name a few.
After a reasonably successful run with the faction known as Retribution, Mia was released from WWE in late 2021. A year later, Mia is back and ready to fulfill her potential. On a recent episode of RAW, Yim surprised the WWE Universe when she made a run-in to assist The O.C. and even the odds against Judgment Day by handling Rhea Ripley.
You have Mami’s attention.
@RheaRipley_WWE | #WWERaw https://t.co/GZNQCUpsTe
Mia appears to be aligning herself with AJ Styles and The O.C. moving forward. This could be an exciting combination, especially if the storyline evolves with The Judgment Day. Now that we have seen several former WWE Superstars return lately, who could be next?
Let's take a look at five recently released superstars who could potentially follow Mia Yim back to WWE.
#5 - Former Heavy Machinery member Tucker
When you think about former WWE Superstars who could potentially make a return in the near future, Tucker is probably not one of the first names that comes to mind. Tucker, however, may have some unfinished business he needs to tend to.
Fresh out of college, Tucker signed with WWE in 2013 and spent the first couple of years of his career at the Performance Center, honing his craft and developing his skillset. Eventually, Tucker and Otis found one another and formed Heavy Machinery, which was a fan favorite when it comes to tag teams. There was something about these two big bears that made fans gravitate towards them.
While Heavy Machinery never made it to the top level of the tag team ranks, they were certainly a duo with the potential to do great things. However, Tucker was released on April 15, 2021. Since leaving the company, he's been focused on his health and appears to be in amazing shape.
Otis is currently partnered with Gable, but that marriage is not quite as attractive as Otis and Tucker. Maybe if WWE officials consider bringing Tucky back, he and Otis can reunite, even if they are repackaged under different monikers.
Perhaps the two could get a run as a ground-and-pound, dominant heel tag team. That would be something fans could take more seriously.
#4 - Former 24/7 Champion EC3
Some might not recall EC3's first WWE run. Back in early 2009, a much younger "Derrick Bateman" was on the FCW roster for a brief period. However, it was during his run with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling that he got the name EC3, (Ethan Carter III).
TNA was also where he established himself as a top-tier performer and a championship-caliber star. In 2016, EC3 was ranked number 16 on the annual PWI 500 list.
EC3 made a highly anticipated return in early 2018 when he was spotted in the crowd at the NXT Takeover: Philly event. EC3 had a strong run with NXT, with incredible feuds against Velveteen Dream and Adam Cole. Unfortunately, he never got the push he deserved on the main roster and he was released in 2020 during the pandemic budget cuts.
After leaving the company, EC3 started his own promotion called Control Your Narrative. CYN was an upstart, underground, independent promotion spearheaded by EC3 and Braun Strowman. The company provided an alternative for other pro wrestlers to showcase their talents.
#3 - Former NXT Champion Aleister Black
Malakai Black is currently one of the most talked about names in the entire industry of professional wrestling, despite not being active.
In September, Black allegedly requested his release from his AEW contract, but has since revealed that he is simply taking some time off. While we don't know all of the details surrounding his hiatus, many believe it was related to mental health reasons or creative qualms with the company.
During his time with WWE, Black was known as Aleister Black and enjoyed a good deal of success while he was on the NXT roster. However, many fans will agree that he never really got the creative opportunities he deserved while on the main roster. Black was released from WWE in June 2021.
Things are now vastly different in WWE compared to when Aleister Black was with the company before. Although vignettes have been airing on recent episodes of AEW Dynamite teasing the return of The House of Black, Malakai's future is still undetermined. There's a chance that Triple H could find the perfect situation for Black on the current roster.
#2 - Former Intercontinental Champion Zack Ryder
For over 15 years, Zack Ryder was one of the most popular Superstars on the roster, despite not being a main event star. Ryder's presence on the internet and his overall connection with the WWE Universe made him relevant and allowed him to retain that status throughout his career.
Zack was released from his WWE contract in 2020 as a part of the infamous pandemic budget cuts. After leaving the company, Zack reverted to his real name, Matt Cardona, and continues to perform under that name today.
Since leaving the company, Cardona has enjoyed plenty of success. He has worked for multiple promotions, including AEW, NWA, IMPACT Wrestling and GCW. Cardona's greatest achievement to date has been his victory at the NWA PowerrrTrip event, where he defeated Trevor Murdoch to become the new NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion.
#1 - Former WWE RAW Tag Team Champion Bo Dallas
I'm sure a lot of fans don't think of Bo Dallas as one of the premier free agents in professional wrestling. But if you think back to his time with NXT and the success he had as the NXT Champion, it's obvious that Dallas has a ton of untapped potential.
In 2008, Bo Dallas began his journey when he was initially assigned to FCW, which was the developmental brand at the time. Bo became a three-time FCW Heavyweight Champion before moving on to become the face of NXT during the yellow brand's reboot.
In the spring of 2014, Bo Dallas made his main roster debut after a series of "BoLieve" vignettes aired to promote his upcoming move. While Bo had a nice start to his main roster run, things fizzled out quite quickly and Bo drifted into a sea of irrelevancy, which he never recovered from.
On April 15, 2021, Bo was released from his contract, ending a 13-year run with the company. Since his departure, Bo has remained quiet and off the radar. He has been working in the real estate market in central Florida. However, he has hinted at a potential return and even went as far as to say he's not ruling out a return to wrestling.
Some believe Bo could come back and be involved in the current Bray Wyatt saga. Regardless of how he is used, Bo Dallas could be a tremendous asset to the new Triple H regime.