Cody Rhodes noted that the TNT open challenge tournament has been great for AEW to introduce new names and faces. He says to expect more in the coming weeks.

A few days after a number of released WWE talents saw their non-compete clauses expire, and many of those names show up at Impact Wrestling, could some be headed to AEW? Cody teased that idea in a recent interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.

On Wednesday's Dynamite, Eddie Kingston debuted and took Cody to the limit. Not a few weeks before that, Ricky Starks debuted and won himself a contract. Could Cody and AEW be bringing in more talent to debut, some of whom may win employment with a good showing?

Barrasso brought up the names of former WWE Superstar Zack Ryder and independent wrestlers Fred Yehi and Warhorse. Cody responded:

“It’s important we access those opponents, the ones that do not work for AEW. We need to always be aware of the world around us. One of the charming things about what we’ve been doing is we’ve been real and we’ve been transparent. Wrestling exists outside of AEW, we are aware of that. We try to be the best wrestling, and I really think we are, but there is great wrestling outside of us, too. It’s important for us to acknowledge that.''

As for Cody's feelings on bringing in new and fresh faces, he said that he loves to see non-AEW Superstars showing up each week to challenge him. He believes more free agents can be expected in the coming weeks, something Tony Khan echoed when he said AEW was looking to expand its talent pool.

Cody explained:

“I love seeing when people that don’t work here put in an effort to try to get some notice or acknowledgement for the TNT Championship. That’s wonderful. When we say it’s an open challenge, I think you’ll see in the next few weeks that we mean open.”

So Who's Next?

It would make sense that former WWE talents might start showing up. From Ryder to Rusev, Erik Rowan or the Colons, there are plenty of opportunities to surprise fans. That Curt Hawkins signed with Impact Wrestling but Ryder didn't has to hint that Matt Cardona is the favorite.

h/t to Sportskeeda for the quotes

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