The All Elite Wrestling roster is already looking like a success as television approaches. Chris Jericho has delivered strong results with his AEW Championship win. Names like Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and Jon Moxley provide instant credibility. Even newer talents like Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, Nyla Rose and Private Party are proving to be strong additions to the roster. AEW must be very picky about future signings given how impressive the roster is right now.
There are some names on the free agent market that the company should add, like CM Punk and John Morrison. That doesn’t mean any name deserves to get a contract offer, though. Many names on the rumor mill, from unhappy WWE stars to free agents looking for a new home, just don’t make sense currently. Let's take a look at ten names that AEW should avoid signing.
10 Mojo Rawley
Mojo Rawley has started to express frustration with WWE after the poor run on the main roster. WWE started showing backstage segments teasing a new character for Rawley, but they gave up on it altogether and Mojo now struggles to get any television time.
There is a good chance that Rawley will look to make a change once his WWE contract ends. Mojo would not be a good fit for AEW, as the roster features talent that can deliver in the ring. Rawley has yet to prove his chops there, and the other options on the market would better sense.
9 James Storm
Many of the top names from TNA's peak have joined WWE, like A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode. One name that is excluded is James Storm. TNA fans loved the work of Storm, as he delivered in both the tag team division (with multiple partners) and in the singles role.
Storm missed out on a chance in WWE when choosing to re-sign in TNA for a bigger contract. Storm is primarily working for NWA just now. He has stumbled a little along the way and is not the wrestler that AEW should be looking for at the moment.
8 Jack Swagger
Former WWE stars should be considered for AEW, as the new brand looks to bring in new fans to their product. Jack Swagger was a former World Champion with a long run in WWE. Unfortunately, the potential of Swagger would never be fulfilled, since he lacked the character and promo skills.
Swagger is going back and forth between MMA and independent wrestling right now. Swagger's presence in AEW is not needed, since he didn’t get to have a strong run in WWE. AEW must only pick the names that have proven to be successful, like Jon Moxley, or those they believe can be used better, like Cody Rhodes.
7 Mr. Anderson
The run of Mr. Anderson has seen him struggling to find relevance after his run in TNA ended. WWE once expected Anderson to become a top star of the future, but every push planned for him ended in disappointment, due to injuries, suspensions and other variables.
Anderson would fail to ever hit the level of a top star in his career. His best days are behind him and AEW would, as such, be taking a big risk to invest in him. Anderson is currently running a wrestling school and the role of trainer is best for him right now.
6 Low Ki
Low Ki never received the attention he deserved for his work during the best times of his career. The talented performer had classic matches against the likes of Samoa Joe, CM Punk and A.J. Styles. Low Ki’s most memorable runs came in the early years of Ring of Honor and TNA.
The career of Low Ki is still going strong today, with entertaining matches in MLW. However, his reputation remains negative, as he often refuses to put over other wrestlers. AEW can’t mess around with egos like that and poison the well so early into the company’s run.
5 EC3
EC3 is among the most underutilized performers in WWE today. The decision to join the company had him hoping to have a stronger run this time around, after his superb work in Impact Wrestling. EC3 had a solid run in NXT, but he has done nothing of note since joining the main roster.
The 24/7 backstage skits are the only times we’ll see EC3. AEW could add him when his contract ends, but his in-ring work lacks something compared to the rest of the roster. This is one of the reasons WWE doesn’t appear inclined to push him any time soon.
4 Eli Drake
TNA pushed Eli Drake as one of their top stars over the past few years. Things ended poorly when he refused to lose to Tessa Blanchard in an intergender match, to end his contract earlier than expected. Drake teased the idea of showing up to AEW Double or Nothing, but nothing came of it.
The run of Drake currently sees him working for NWA. Drake may be best suited there given his limited in-ring skills. AEW seems to want talents that can bring it in every aspect of the game. Drake is strong in certain areas, but perhaps too weak in others to get signed.
3 Alberto Del Rio
The controversial career of Alberto Del Rio has seen many negatives attached to it. WWE pushed him as a top star with multiple world title reigns. Del Rio had a few controversial moments, including violating the wellness policy to be suspended and released from WWE.
A recent run in Impact Wrestling featured more negativity as Del Rio no-showed a few major events to hurt the company. No major wrestling promotions want to touch Alberto right now and AEW would be foolish to add a negative presence to the locker room.
2 Austin Aries
Austin Aries has been a consistently great in-ring performer throughout his career, but backstage problems seem to follow him everywhere. The most recent example of this came when Aries was involved in the WWE cruiserweight division. Aries had a few great matches with Neville, which made it more surprising when he was released shortly after.
Reports indicated that many people backstage did not like dealing with Aries. This is a track record that followed him in Ring of Honor and TNA as well. AEW has too much at stake and too deep of a roster to waste adding Aries to the roster for another potential negative ending.
1 Dolph Ziggler
The WWE name that crops up most often when discussing potential wrestlers to jump ship to AEW is always Dolph Ziggler. A betting spread would see Ziggler recently have the highest odds to join the new company. It would be a weak move when looking at the perception of Ziggler.
Fans have gone from considering him underrated to not wanting to watch him at all. Ziggler’s matches against Kofi Kingston and The Miz showed he’s lost a little something or lacks inspiration. AEW should only go after hungry names looking to prove something, rather than someone that WWE missed the boat on many years ago.