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-   -   Jumping Ship Thread (https://www.tpwwforums.com/showthread.php?t=138458)

Jordan 09-08-2021 10:59 AM

Jumping Ship Thread
 
Is it just me or is it Jumping Ship Season in American pro rasslin? Not only has WWE released a massive amount of talent over the past few years but AEW is coming to the end of the terms on initial contacts which were reported to mostly be 2-3 years. I thought to make a thread specific to tracking the reports of released wrestlers or contract expirations.

AEW has picked up Christian, Paul Wight, Mark Henry, Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo, Ruby Soho, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole.

We've all heard the story that Meltzer and other have reported Windham Rotunda is "as good as All Elite", but also that Impact is set to make a bid for him as well. Perhaps AEW will win out on that but there is also Adam Scherr who has also been reported to have major interest from Impact.

Buddy Matthews also strongly linked to Impact Wrestling according to recent reports and hints from Impact's Scott D'more.

Another interesting report to note on this is that WWE has more or less "declared" that they aren't interested in signing with indy stars going forward and instead are in CAW mode. So can we expect WWE to sign certain AEW talents who may be interested in a bidding war, or those who are not resigned by AEW?

Lastly and I think the pandemic is to blame for this but other moderately viable contract offers for free talent from companies like NJPW/NJPW of America, ROH, NWA and MLW seem to be frozen for the time being, with few minor exceptions. You have to imagine it would be difficult for talents like AOP for example to take a deal with MLW for $600 a taping and expect to be exclusive when they were probably making over 100k or more in WWE for doing absolutely nothing the majority of their time there.

Jordan 09-08-2021 11:08 AM

Kevin Owens -

The reports say he signed a 5 year deal in 2018 with an opt out clause in the 3rd year. I assume that goes for talent and company. Owens or Steen, recently tweeted out the coordinates to Mount Rushmore which was the name of a group he was apart of with Adam Cole and The Young Bucks, and then deleted the tweet afterwards. He then changed his Twitter location to "almost there".

We've seen talents use Twitter as a way to initiate a bidding war with WWE in the past like Randy Orton. But Owens is one to watch out for because the situation is interesting on many levels. Owens obviously is close with a lot of the AEW roster and would fit in there perfectly. On the flipside he is older and may want the security of a WWE contract, plus I know his kids are WWE fanatics and I think that would have some influence on the way things go. Also he is older and has neve been the WWE prototype and with recent cuts I could see WWE themselves choosing to take the opt out clause.

Personally when AEW began I was really hoping that Owens would've been apart of it. I remember being disappointed that he renewed with WWE, it was right at that point where AEW was becoming a real thing but wasn't yet a real thing. Danielson and Mysterio also resigned with WWE at that time if I'm not mistaken.

Obviously with every potential WWE to AEW jump we are going to talk about AEW bloating their roster but at the same time when certain talents become available it's really hard to imagine not taking advantage.

James Steele 09-08-2021 11:22 AM

All they got to do is cut the jobbers from the YouTube shows to thin out their roster.

Fignuts 09-08-2021 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Steele (Post 5477505)
All they got to do is cut the jobbers from the YouTube shows to thin out their roster.

The problem is those jobbers are their friends, and I don't think anyone in aew has the balls to fire their friends.

James Steele 09-08-2021 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fignuts (Post 5477506)
The problem is those jobbers are their friends, and I don't think anyone in aew has the balls to fire their friends.

Tony Khan (or his Daddy) will eventually have to pull the trigger.

Evil Vito 09-08-2021 11:34 AM

Not really sure I understand the thought process that they need to cut *insert YouTube show regular here*

If they are taking up time on Dynamite or Rampage then yes, I'd agree. But if they are just there to work YouTube shows exclusively it really doesn't matter.

James Steele 09-08-2021 11:55 AM

Well, if they keep signing names...the good midcarders will get bumped to the YouTube shows and the jobbers can fuck off to mudshows. Unless they find a good rotation to keep all the guys on TV that need to be on TV.

Evil Vito 09-08-2021 12:11 PM

I think the ability to rotate is gonna be valuable to them going forward. WWE has no offseason and only the top guys seem to be able to negotiate time off.

AEW can send someone off for a couple months like with Hangman and have plenty enough to cover the loss.

Helps the wrestlers not only for their overall wellness but also creatively you aren’t trying to shoehorn too many people onto the show just to keep up appearances.

Evil Vito 09-08-2021 12:12 PM

Don’t really want the good midcarders going to the YouTube shows because there is very few scenarios where I’ll ever watch them.

Dynamite and Rampage are enough for my weekly fix.

James Steele 09-08-2021 12:18 PM

That's the dilemma you run into. The Attitude Era had multiple stars/storylines all over the show, but all the matches were a couple of minutes long and not very good. Finding that balance between quality matches, squash matches, and promos/etc is hard to do. Especially when trying to build a few new stars will capitalizing on the big hot names they've recently signed. Hopefully they find a good balance and put on a great product every week.

erickman 09-08-2021 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Steele (Post 5477507)
Tony Khan (or his Daddy) will eventually have to pull the trigger.

that's when they hire jim cornett to fire people.

Jordan 09-08-2021 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Steele (Post 5477505)
All they got to do is cut the jobbers from the YouTube shows to thin out their roster.

https://www.allelitewrestling.com/aew-roster

I believe that they are only listing wrestlers who they have some sort of exclusive deal with. I often wonder who AEW should not renew a deal with.

There are a lot of young talent from the Nightmare Factory that while I can see as useful enhancement talent from bottom level to midcard. They generally have no main event potential.

Either way the guys on the bottom of AEW are probably making a livable income but I'm sure they aren't making hundreds of thousands.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evil Vito (Post 5477522)
I think the ability to rotate is gonna be valuable to them going forward. WWE has no offseason and only the top guys seem to be able to negotiate time off.

AEW can send someone off for a couple months like with Hangman and have plenty enough to cover the loss.

Helps the wrestlers not only for their overall wellness but also creatively you aren’t trying to shoehorn too many people onto the show just to keep up appearances.

I agree and that is totally what Tony is doing. The beauty of it now is that in theory we shouldn't have anymore bust episodes of Dynamite because they can place at least one marquee match on each Dynamite.

Blonde Moment 09-08-2021 12:38 PM

if they send the "big guns" out to Japan, Impact. NWA. ROH or even GCW the little guys will be fine. if things go in the direction I pray they are we just might have real territories again that cooperate which is good for business and fans alike

#1-norm-fan 09-08-2021 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erickman (Post 5477529)
that's when they hire jim cornett to fire people.

That’s the one AEW job I think Cornette would take. Being paid to personally fire Joey Janela.

Jordan 09-08-2021 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woken Wheel (Post 5477541)
if they send the "big guns" out to Japan, Impact. NWA. ROH or even GCW the little guys will be fine. if things go in the direction I pray they are we just might have real territories again that cooperate which is good for business and fans alike

I read that Tony lent out his wrestlers to NWA and paid for them himself. That is valiant and I understand his point of view to a degree, but you can't be doing that forever.

erickman 09-08-2021 12:56 PM

yeah i wish they would send them to other places to get them over, impact is a good place for that.

xrodmuc316 09-08-2021 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fignuts (Post 5477506)
The problem is those jobbers are their friends, and I don't think anyone in aew has the balls to fire their friends.

Tony Khan doesnt fire anybody unless they do something real bad like Jimmy Havoc.

slik 09-08-2021 02:36 PM

KO would be a good fit in AEW

slik 09-08-2021 02:36 PM

As would Xavier Woods

Lock Jaw 09-08-2021 02:45 PM

______ has crossed the line!!!!

Blonde Moment 09-08-2021 03:03 PM

Nia Jax is All Elite

XL 09-08-2021 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erickman (Post 5477548)
yeah i wish they would send them to other places to get them over, impact is a good place for that.

In what way would sending someone to Impact help get them over?

slik 09-08-2021 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woken Wheel (Post 5477567)
Nia Jax is All Elite

Send her back lol

GD 09-08-2021 04:27 PM

I would love to see a top brass WWE superstar in AEW. Someone on the level of Reigns, McIntyre or even Rollins.

Blonde Moment 09-08-2021 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XL (Post 5477571)
In what way would sending someone to Impact help get them over?

It might not get them over but it might give them a rest from AEW exposure and a chance to learn and evolve some in a new environment.

Damian Rey 2.0 09-08-2021 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeletor (Post 5477578)
I would love to see a top brass WWE superstar in AEW. Someone on the level of Reigns, McIntyre or even Rollins.

Of those 3, I’d rank McIntyre as the most likely. But even then, he’s been treated well since returning and is prominently featured. Non chance for Reigns and a slightly better chance for Rollins but I can’t see much.

Honestly, Danielson might end up being the biggest name that ends up jumping.

ClockShot 09-08-2021 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeletor (Post 5477578)
I would love to see a top brass WWE superstar in AEW. Someone on the level of Reigns, McIntyre or even Rollins.

Charlotte would be the next name with the Andrade connection.

However, as some have said, Vince might send the Brinks truck to her house to prevent that.

Damian Rey 2.0 09-08-2021 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woken Wheel (Post 5477580)
It might not get them over but it might give them a rest from AEW exposure and a chance to learn and evolve some in a new environment.

What I’d like to see them do is contract some guys out to short term deals and cycle them in and out of storylines. Let’s use Braun as an example. Maybe they pick him up on a 6 month deal, where he works a predetermined amount of dates and the 2-3 PPVs in that time frame. You build him up going over some of the better guys, build to a big program with whoever you want to elevate, and use Braun’s last ppv commitment to put over said talent. Brain gets months of exposure, an elevated profile, and can move on to other promotions while the guy you used Braun to elevate has some momentum and a big win under their belt to move into their next program with.

Idk how much talent would be up for these kinds of deals but I’m sure if the money and schedule is right they can pull it off with some of the free agents floating around.

Damian Rey 2.0 09-08-2021 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damian Rey 2.0 (Post 5477584)
What I’d like to see them do is contract some guys out to short term deals and cycle them in and out of storylines. Let’s use Braun as an example. Maybe they pick him up on a 6 month deal, where he works a predetermined amount of dates and the 2-3 PPVs in that time frame. You build him up going over some of the better guys, build to a big program with whoever you want to elevate, and use Braun’s last ppv commitment to put over said talent. Brain gets months of exposure, an elevated profile, and can move on to other promotions while the guy you used Braun to elevate has some momentum and a big win under their belt to move into their next program with.

Idk how much talent would be up for these kinds of deals but I’m sure if the money and schedule is right they can pull it off with some of the free agents floating around.

Right now, I do think AEW has more than enough talent to keep matches and storylines fresh. They already do a good job using their 3 hours of TV to get a ton of guys on the show whether it’s vida matches, promos or vignettes and so far I think that’s working just fine and their roster doesn’t need any new signings.

Jordan 09-08-2021 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeletor (Post 5477578)
I would love to see a top brass WWE superstar in AEW. Someone on the level of Reigns, McIntyre or even Rollins.

I think Bryan Danielson is probably "bigger" than anyone on that list aside from Reigns no?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woken Wheel (Post 5477580)
It might not get them over but it might give them a rest from AEW exposure and a chance to learn and evolve some in a new environment.

If AEW was able to "send out" talent to other promotions for a period of time then those promotions need to be able to pay the AEW talent the same rate they were contracted to AEW for. I don't think that's possible with Impact or NWA at this time. Perhaps AAA but I wouldn't be too surprised to learn AEW was paying Omega's waged for his work in AAA.

Damian Rey 2.0 09-08-2021 06:17 PM

I could also see the AEW talent making their usual guarantee and the promotions they’re being loaned to pay whatever their usual offer is too talent on an appearance based deal. It may not be much compared to what AEW is playing but if they’re getting that plus extra to go elsewhere I think that’s fine.

Although, Tony mentioned in his media scrum about him being the one paying for the talent to go to other promotions in hopes it’ll pay off for AEW later on down the road.

rez 09-08-2021 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeletor (Post 5477578)
I would love to see a top brass WWE superstar in AEW. Someone on the level of Reigns, McIntyre or even Rollins.

Pass

xrodmuc316 09-08-2021 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jordan X (Post 5477594)
I think Bryan Danielson is probably "bigger" than anyone on that list aside from Reigns no?

I remember when Christian debuted, and while nobody would ever be unhappy for Christian, the level of hype was so much it would have had to be one of those top top stars.

The consensus then was it had to be Punk, Lesnar, or Cena. Nobody brought up Roman or Bryan at that time because they were still in WWE.

That said, they already have Punk, so to get somebody bigger than Bryan would literally be limited to Roman, Lesnar, or Cena.

Anybody else coming in will still be able to make a big impact, but there really isn't a long list of guys I would think of as bigger stars/gets for AEW than Bryan.

Triple A 09-09-2021 01:23 AM

Sami Zayn apparently signed a three year contract with WWE in summer of 2018, so it would technically be up this year...

But he has missed a lot of time with injuries and during the pandemic so they may have added time to his deal... or he may have had it "restructured" also

Would love to see him in AEW... Love him

Evil Vito 09-09-2021 10:17 AM

Danielson saying nothing but positive things about WWE (loved working there, had a great relationship with Vince, they made him a really generous offer etc)...but that he still wanted to come to AEW to work with the talent and perform in front of this fanbase.

We know a lot of the WWE guys who come to AEW are disgruntled to a degree, so to have someone coming in saying nothing but good things but still wanting to make the jump...best endorsement they've had yet.

#1-norm-fan 09-09-2021 10:31 AM

Is Total Bellas still a thing?

drave 09-09-2021 12:14 PM

who?

Evil Vito 09-09-2021 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by #1-wwf-fan (Post 5478013)
Is Total Bellas still a thing?

Think it finally went off the air. Supposedly a big reason Bryan re-signed with WWE the last time was to not mess up the show for his wife.

xrodmuc316 09-09-2021 01:04 PM

It cant be true that Vince McMahon's big pitch to Adam Cole on the main roster was to be Keith Lee's manager, right??? :wtf:

Triple A 09-09-2021 01:37 PM

Wonder what they would have changed his name to also...


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