Rumored Names We Want To See In WWE And Some We Don't

Although the detractors may not essentially agree with us, professional wrestling is, in a lot of ways, similar to sports. Much like soccer teams scout talents, wrestling as an industry, since Vince McMahon’s takeover, sees big wrestling companies scout the smaller promotions for talents. With World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE, being the global leader in sports entertainment, they have better scouts and scouting system than any other company, and that has seen them sign former NJPW, ROH and PWG talents. That said, wrestling isn’t a sport, and unlike sports teams, wrestling promotions don’t pay other wrestling promotions any amount of money to buyout their contracts. They instead only wait for their contracts to run out before negotiating a contract with them.

Arsene Wenger would definitely love to work in the wrestling industry under these conditions, but the gentleman in him will likely not subscribe to a lot of ways in which the industry works. However, wrestlers respecting their contracts is surely enough for him to make the jump, I reckon. Anyway, the following article looks at eight wrestlers whom we, the fans, want to see in WWE and eight wrestlers we hope stays away from the company.

Signing for WWE has its perks. The popularity of the wrestlers increases in leaps and bounds. They make significantly more money, presumably. They have a guaranteed source of income. They can command higher booking fee when they eventually leave. Most importantly, they get to savour the fabled WWE catering. However, the fact that the WWE wrestlers stay away from their families most of the time, wrestle three to five times a week sometimes, work even on New Year’s and Christmas are certain things that’ll put off any family-loving wrestler out there. Taking all these into consideration, we’ve come up with the following list. Like, share and leave comments if you like the article.

16 Sign: Rey Mysterio

We’ll start off with the more obvious ones. Given Rey Mysterio’s recent Royal Rumble appearance and the phenomenal shape he’s in, it’s now only a matter of formality before he officially becomes a part of the Raw or SmackDown Live roster. He, a former WWE Championship winner, hasn’t been with the company as a full-time employee for only less than three years, but it already feels like an eternity. WWE fans have already begun clamoring for his return again.

Given the fact that he’s taking considerably less indie bookings and making more high profile appearances such as his promo with Manchester United’s YouTube channel, it won’t be long before we get to watch major dream opponents such as Seth Rollin and AJ Styles. Given the phenomenal shape Rey appeared to be in at the Rumble, we hope his current biceps injury heals quickly and he can make a full-time return later this year.

15 Stay Away: Joey Ryan

At 38 years of age, Joey Ryan isn’t getting any younger, and he isn’t a Chris Jericho to make wholesale changes to his gimmick and still be as interesting as he is today. He should have made the jump a few years ago, but the aura of his over-the-top gimmick is going to stay with him even if he invents a PG version of his current gimmick just to sign with WWE. However, recent reports suggest that WWE isn't interested in his services, and the wrestler himself has stated that he has no interest in becoming a WWE employee. “Imagine me telling my wife I’m going to cut my income by two-thirds ‘and’ move us to Florida just to be with WWE,” wrote the 44-time Ironman Heavymetal Championship winner on Twitter in October 2017.

Given the fact that the fans now adore him for who he’s on the indies, they’d not want him to become what his character hasn’t been since his rise to prominence.

14 Sign: Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega has time and again claimed that he’s feeling at home in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring of Honor, but it’s written in the stars that he, a former NJPW United States Championship winner, will be a WWE wrestler in the future. Of course, he’s been making more money than some of the WWE wrestlers, but making the jump will mean he’ll make more than he’s ever done before. Besides, although he’s now the most adored indie wrestler – or the most adored indie wrestler ever – joining the juggernaut that is WWE will mean he’ll deservedly be adored in a larger scale. Plus, the fans will also get to watch him lock horns with WWE originals he’s never crossed paths with, such as John Cena, Cesaro, and Braun Strowman.

13 Stay Away: The Young Bucks

Indie wrestlers often make the jump only because of the financial benefits that come with being a WWE wrestler. That was the norm until the internet began having a heavy influence on the dynamics of the industry. No other wrestler(s) today shows us how it’s easy to make WWE amounts of money if you’re smart enough better than The Young Bucks do. Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson, while wrestling predominantly for the smaller wrestling promotions and NJPW and Ring of Honor, have managed to be as big a brand as the big WWE names, and the fact that they move merch like the big WWE names bears testimony to their popularity.

While we’ve said that Kenny Omega should go to WWE, The Young Bucks should milk their popularity on the indies until their character desperately needs a shake-up. They’re better off staying big indie names right now.

12 Sign: Cody Rhodes

It feels only like yesterday that Cody Rhodes left WWE to become Cody on the indie circuit. However, it now feels bizarre that he was a low-card nobody in WWE. Since leaving WWE, though, his stocks have skyrocketed, as he’s been involved in high-profile storylines in the three biggest wrestling promotions that’s not named WWE in the United States of America and Japan, ROH, NJPW and Impact Wrestling. However, given the fact that he’s been a main-event talent in all three companies and other major British wrestling promotions, there isn’t much left for him to do outside of his parent company. Perhaps, it’s time for him to make a comeback, not as Stardust or even Cody Rhodes but as the super-talented Cody who has been setting the indie circuit alight. I personally would love to The Rhodes embark on a tag-team title reign again.

11 Snub: Dalton Castle

Talking about a former ROH World Championship winner brings us to the current holder of the title. Dalton Castle, a 32-year-old indie wrestler with nine years of top-level experience under his belt, has adopted a gimmick that won’t bode well in the WWE atmosphere, as many seem to think that it’s a suggestive persona. The fact that he brings with him scantily-clad men making suggestive moves tells you that WWE won’t ever want to sign him, especially when they’re only building up Velveteen Dream. He, having only recent won his major title, should also look to make Dalton Castle a bigger brand than it currently is before looking to join the big league. He’s definitely going to show up at a major NXT TakeOver event, but he should wait at least until the turn of the decade to do so.

10 Sign: Kazuchika Okada

Those who have only begun watching wrestling must be shocked to know that the most badass wrestler, who has had the longest IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign, on the planet today was once a jobber in TNA of all companies. However, he’s now held in a high regard in the American wrestling scene, with WWE reportedly even inviting him backstage to a major WWE show. Plus, how the American bookers view Asian wrestlers has also changed big-time since his TNA stint, with Kairi Sane, Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura all lifting major titles and winning major tournaments.

Should he join WWE, he’ll definitely be booked as strongly as he deserves to be. If the stars align, he may even go on to replace Brock Lesnar , with the former UFC Heavyweight Championship winner reportedly looking to change careers yet again.

9 Stay Away: Tetsuya Naito

Talking about a big NJPW name brings us to another big NJPW name who’s been in the title contention since forever. Tetsuya Naito is easily as big a name as Kazuchika Okada, with both men boasting outstanding personality and the ability to churn out five-star matches. However, while the current IWGP Heavyweight Championship holder boasts the size, he, Seigyo Funōna Karisuma, banks heavily on his charisma. Additionally, the fact that he’s been demoted to the second-string proves that WWE may not be high on him if he decides to entertain offers from the company. He will definitely get over with WWE Universe, but he needs to win the title off The Rainmaker before thinking about treading down the path 2018 Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura has.

8 Sign: Tama Tonga

If there’s one person from Bullet Club that WWE should look to sign besides Kenny Omega, it’s got to be Tama Tonga, Given his superb physique and outstanding promo, WWE ought to be looking for the right time to bring him down to Performance Center to get him to sign a long-term WWE contract. As he’s now 35, he can’t waste his peak away working for a single company, as he shall look to work in front of a different – or bigger, some would say – audience in the near future.

Given the fact that he’s Haku’s son, he should find meeting up with WWE officials and working with them much easier than most other indie wrestlers in his position would do. A feud between Roman Reigns and Tama Tonga is certain to have everyone invested as one is a calm and collected badass, with the other being a nervy badass who looks more or less like the former.

7 Stay Away: Alberto Del Rio (El Patron)

While Haku being a well-respected veteran gives Tama Tonga an edge over most other wrestlers of his age group and calibre, the fact Alberto Del Rio’s father is Dos Caras, a well-respected luchador, isn’t going to help him smooth things over with WWE. He’s already done a lot of things that would put off chances of WWE showing any interest in him. Perhaps, he’ll turn his life around – I think it’s unlikely as not a lot of people can just stop being a jerk all of a sudden – and he’ll show WWE that he deserves another chance.

However, as things stand, he should forget joining WWE ever again, as he needs to not just prove his former employers but his detractors – or wrestling fans, in other words – that he can still go in the ring. Thus, showing his talent in the smaller companies such as Impact Wrestling is the way to go for the multiple-time world champion.

6 Sign: Johnny Impact

John Morrison looked to have almost everything required to make it big in WWE. In fact, he went as far as lifting tag-team titles with The Miz and winning the Intercontinental Championship title, but personal problems meant he lost the trust of the WWE head honchos. On the back of breaking up with his troublesome girlfriend, though, he’s managed to turn his life around, securing big deals with major wrestling promotions such as AAA, Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling. He hasn’t just managed to secure bookings, for he’s managed to stay relevant, even appearing in a few movies and Netflix-hit TV show GLOW. At 38, he still has a high-quality WWE run left in him. He should definitely sign for WWE soon before he sinks into the Impact Wrestling mediocrity.

5 Stay Away: Austin Aries

While John Morrison has been able to become Johnny Impact and make Impact Wrestling his second home, Austin Aries, a former WWE employee, has made almost every single wrestling promotion in the United States and the United Kingdom his own. Winning titles left, right and center, he’s shown the WWE top shelves that they should have put the Cruiserweight Championship title on his shoulders. Currently on the wrong side of 40, though, it’s unlikely that he’ll return to WWE on a permanent deal, but he, a person who values himself as highly as he deserves to be, won’t even want to go back to the company that didn’t treat him right even for a one-off appearance. Sometimes, it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond.

4 Sign: Allie

WWE has loads of top-class female talent on the roster that it’s not even funny. In fact, they now have so much talent on their women’s roster that they now don’t know what to do with the most of them. From having Rosa Mendes and Kelly Kelly embroiling in title feuds, they’ve now come to a position where they don’t have a place for Tenille Dashwood, formerly known as Emma, on the roster. That said, they aren’t going to stop recruiting top indie talents, and they should definitely be looking at Impact Wrestling bombshell Allie.

While the pro-wrestling industry has evolved to looked beyond a woman’s looks, it’s true that her looks play a major role as well. Why else would The Iconic Duo get enhancements when it’s said to be going out of trend? Anyway, Allie is one wrestler who doesn’t just wrestle well but also boasts breathtaking looks. Allie signing for WWE won’t just be the best thing for the company and the wrestler but also for adolescent wrestling fans.

3 Stay Away: Rosemary

While WWE signing Allie is certain to cheer everyone, their signing Rosemary may not be what the wrestler wants although a WWE deal, as Vince McMahon wants to believe, is what every wrestler needs at some point in their careers. Rosemary, a indie veteran and an Impact Wrestling legend, is quietly building a legacy far away from the sights of WWE.

The wrestler herself has stated often that she’s sick and tired of fans asking her when she’d make the jump, instead asking them to enjoy her work wherever she decides to work. “Hivelings, let us make something perfectly clear,” she tweeted in January. “We are tired of being told to be Sister Abigail. We roll our eyes at the insistence to be in the Royal Rumble match.” Perhaps, The Demon Assassin will become a Performance Center trainer sometime down the line, but she needs to stay away from WWE at least until the Asuka hype wears down.

2 Sign: Zack Sabre Jr.

When Zack Sabre Jr. wrestled in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament, many expected them to tie him down to a full-time contract but, due to a multitude of reasons, he continued to work on the indies, securing bookings in all the major wrestling countries, including and not limited to England, United States and Japan. Why he turned a WWE contract on the back of the CWC tournament isn’t known , but he must surely entertain offers from WWE going forward, as he, a three –time Best Technical Wrestler award winner, has already inflicted a lot of damage to his body working on the indies.

He must sign on the dotted lines that Triple H shows him to ensure longevity in the wrestling business. Plus, he must also salivate at the prospect of wrestling WWE names such as Johnny Gargano in the WrestleManias and Royal Rumbles.

1 Stay Away: Marty Scurll

“I am, indeed, a huge admirer / fan of Marty Scurll,” wrote Paul Heyman earlier this year on Twitter. “Anyone who is not is simply not paying attention to the trends in the industry nor the proper villain who will show us the way into the future.” To receive such high praise from an industry veteran whose opinions resonate with every subset of wrestling fandom is no mean feat. However, the time hasn’t come yet for Marty Scurll. He, who’s still working with NJPW’s Junior Heavyweight division, needs to collect a few more accolades and praises from the Jim Cornettes of the industry to the Triple Hs before considering signing for WWE, as rushing a move to NXT or WWE will mean he’ll become just another highly-talented lost wrestler in the company. He needs to be as big a brand as Kenny Omega, which is quite probable, before jumping the ship.

NEXT: People Vince McMahon Wants In The WWE... But They Won't Sign