AEW has become home to several recently released WWE wrestlers and other free agents, and with the company looking to continue to grow, there are likely more on their way throughout the year. With big signings like CM Punk, Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, and Brody King making waves in the latter half of 2021, AEW has a proven track record of making big deals of their new talent.
Whether they be former WWE, NXT, ROH, or Impact wrestlers, there are no shortage of names that fans want to see pop up in AEW, but only a select few can actually join arguably the hottest wrestling promotion in the world right now.
10 Mascara Dorado
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A former member of Lucha House Party in WWE, as well as a former star in both Mexico and Japan, Mascara Dorado was absolutely wasted during his time in WWE, being put into a meaningless group with Lince Dorado and Kalisto, despite being one of the best active Luchadors in wrestling.
With a return to New Japan already announced for the Spring of 2022, fans can already start anticipating Dorado's return to the ring. Should he make an appearance in AEW this year, the AEW fanbase can expect to be treated to some of the best high-flying, lucha-style wrestling in the world today.
9 Jessica Elaban
One of the more surprising names that could find their way into becoming #AllElite, Jessica Elaban (fka Jessi Kamea), spent several years within WWE, debuting for the company in 2017 and taking part in the Mae Young Classic, before eventually joining the Robert Stone Brand in 2021, alongside Franky Monet and Aliyah.
While she was never given much time to shine during her time in NXT, Elaban could be a potential pick-up for AEW, as she showed much promise in the few notable matches she had on NXT, and could get a similar welcoming to AEW like Marina Shafir or A.Q.A., as a long-term project in an effort to continue to bolster the women's division for years to come.
8 Johnny Gargano
After spending the last few years as the heart and soul of NXT, Johnny Gargano opted to not re-sign with the company, entering the free agent market at the end of 2021. Since then, there have been numerous occasions where fans have expected Gargano to arrive in the promotion.
Likely not arriving for some time, Gargano has all the time in the world to debut, and now also has the power of surprise behind him, with the time frame being vast for a possible reveal. Should it happen, Gargano will likely become an immediate staple within AEW.
7 Mia Yim
Whether it be almost winning the big one in NXT, but never quite getting there, or being slotted into Retribution alongside other promising names like Dominik Dijakovic and Mustafa Ali, Mia Yim's time in WWE left a lot to be desired by the end.
With Yim and AEW's new big pick-up, Keith Lee, recently tying the knot, it could be seen as a strong possibility that Mia could find her way into the company. At only 32, Yim still has a lot to offer in wrestling and could be a great addition to AEW.
6 Shane "Swerve" Strickland
After being the leader of the extremely promising, and genuinely unique faction, Hit Row, Shane Strickland is ready to become a huge player outside WWE. For fans of "Swerve," his social media has indicated a major character shift for the man, and it looks to be exciting.
At the same show that saw Darby Allin offer 16-year-old Nick Wayne an AEW Contract, Strickland made a surprise appearance opposite of Darby, teasing a future match between the two, as well as Darby teasing a potential AEW contract for the former head of Hit Row.
5 Athena
One of the most promising names to break out after being released by WWE, the former Ember Moon has just recently made her return to wrestling, taking on AEW's Thunder Rosa at a Warrior Wrestling event. Dawning the name Athena, she could prove to be a god-send for the AEW's women's division in the near future.
While she has struggled on the microphone her entire career, Athena could make waves in AEW where wrestling is put front and center, as well as having the ability to have much more freedom in terms of her character and overall presentation.
4 Buddy Matthews
With Malakai Black's latest vignette on AEW Dynamite, it seems all but guaranteed that Buddy Matthews will be making his entrance in AEW in the near future.
For those only familiar with his work as Seth Rollins' disciple, diving back into his run on 205 Live as the Juggernaut of the Cruiserweight Division, as well as his recent match against Kazuchika Okada in New Japan, should be considered as a way to build hype for an impending arrival.
3 Toni Storm
Despite holding the NXT United Kingdom Women's Championship and being seen as a future top star of WWE's women's division, that future would never come. Toni Storm walked out on WWE in December 2021 and is poised to take back her destiny as a future star at some point in 2022.
While her fiancé Juice Robinson is spending most of his time in Impact Wrestling nowadays, Toni joining All Elite Wrestling could be the best decision for her as it would put her on a big-time platform in a women's division that is evolving and improving on a weekly basis.
2 Josh Alexander
For those actively following Impact Wrestling, all signs do point to Josh Alexander returning after his visa issues are dealt with, as the company not only set him up for a long-term story with Moose over the Impact World Championship, but since then, have been building Alexander up with numerous matches against names like JONAH and Minoru Suzuki.
However, before her exit from AEW, Brandi Rhodes did namedrop Josh Alexander during an episode of Dynamite, which has let the speculation train out of the station. If Josh were to jump from Impact to AEW, it would be a huge coup for the latter, as Josh has shown significant improvement on the microphone since being given a singles push, and has shown himself to be one of the best workers in the business right now.
1 Nixon Newell
Another case of WWE not knowing what to do with a talent, Nixon Newell is now a free agent in the wrestling world, and should she stay healthy, has to be considered one of the best prospects on the market.
With near infinite levels of babyface charisma, Newell is a prime target for AEW's women's division, and is more than capable of backing up her likability with strong in-ring capabilities as well. Should Nixon make her arrival in AEW, a future AEW Women's World Championship could be in her future.