WWE is in a constant state of flux in terms of its talent roster. Without new talent, it’s difficult to grow, as fresh faces keep fans energized and open different kinds of storytelling possibilities. Moreover, WWE is producing more content than ever between Raw SmackDown, 205 Live, and NXT, not to mention specials, Network exclusive tournaments, and the like.
But whom WWE signs is a complicated question. Sure, there’s a matter of the talents themselves being willing to come to WWE—an increasingly uncertain proposition, particularly as independent and international wrestling have enjoyed a boom period of late. Beyond that, though, there are different concepts and aesthetics when it comes to recruiting talent.
In many ways, Vince McMahon and Triple H represent different sides of how WWE views talent. Vince McMahon notoriously likes big guys who look like larger than life superheroes, and who have enough size to at least theoretically protect them from injury. Triple H meanwhile, is known to have a greater interest in traditionally great workers, and particularly talents who have proven themselves in stellar matches on the indies. Sure, there are those guys who check all the boxes and are no brainers to bring in, but they’re fewer and further between than one might guess.
With these notes in mind, this article speculates on ten free agents we can expect Vince McMahon would like to bring into the WWE fold as soon as possible, and ten Triple H would want to get his hands on.
20 Vince Wants: Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes has long been a capable hand, an excellent character actor, and the son of the legendary Dusty Rhodes. WWE more or less squandered him for years—hinting at big pushes a small handful of times but ultimately relegating him to the Stardust gimmick under which he had trouble getting TV time.
Since leaving WWE, Rhodes not only renewed his name on the independents, but has since demonstrated a maverick entrepreneurial spirit, co-masterminding the successful All In super show that did big enough numbers to reportedly catch WWE’s attention.
As a talent, its sensible enough WWE would want Cody back in the fold.
As a potential competing promoter, who demonstrated that well-coordinated indies can fill a WWE-sized arena, you can bet Vince McMahon wants Cody back under his thumb.
19 Triple H Wants: Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega has been the talk of the wrestling world for years, particularly for his outstanding work under the New Japan Pro Wrestling banner. In particular, his recent feud with Chris Jericho and his recent placement as number one in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s annual PWI 500 ranking have positioned Omega as arguably the best and biggest name in wrestling to have never had a significant run in WWE.
With NXT’s indie sensibilities, and even the main roster skewing to become more friendly to indie-bred talents in recent years, Omega would make far more sense on the roster now than he did during his previous time in the developmental system. He fits the mold of guys like AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and Shinsuke Nakamura whom Triple H has reportedly championed before.
18 Vince Wants: Brian Cage
Vince McMahon has a long history of pushing physical specimens. He built his WWE empire on the back of Hulk Hogan and spent years more or less trying to replace him with guys like Lex Luger and Diesel; John Cena and Roman Reigns followed in that tradition.
Brian Cage has the look of a WWE star, and better yet is actually an excellent worker who has particularly honed his skills working opposite smaller opponents in Lucha Underground, Impact, and the indies. Cage’s relatively fast pace isn’t necessarily a perfect fit for the WWE aesthetic, but would work well in NXT. If he were willing to adapt—keeping the unique parts of his game while working within WWE’s needs, he could be something special, and far exceed his prospects from the first time he was in the WWE developmental system.
17 Triple H Wants: Pentagon
With the possible exception of Ricochet, no one has benefited more from his Lucha Underground exposure than Pentagon. He went from one of the most skilled luchadors of his generation to a guy who combined a unique gimmick and star power with top shelf skills, to emerge as the “it” guy on the US independent scene.
Today, he works for and has held championships in a wide variety of promotions, and WWE looks like the final frontier.
WWE reportedly wants to shore up its Latino fan base with more stars from Mexico. Pentagon’s accomplishments on smaller stages have surely caught Triple H’s eye, and make him a top prospect to someone with The Game’s sensibilities.
16 Vince Wants: Kelly Kelly
The women’s revolution in WWE has seen female talent get featured like never before, putting on great matches, and boasting stars who can hold their own with their male counterparts in terms of popularity. One has to wonder, though, how Vince McMahon feels about the division, and how much of its push is owed to his daughter and son in law.
There’s a long history of McMahon pushing women for their looks, and Kelly Kelly was one of the key representatives of that dynamic as recently as the start of this decade. Moreover at just 31 years of age, she’s still capable of both working in the ring and serving as eye candy. She didn’t look great in the women’s Royal Rumble, but that may have only been a first look at a longer term return.
15 Triple H Wants: Tessa Blanchard
Tessa Blanchard has impressed on the independent scene, most recently for Impact Wrestling, and even in WWE’s own original Mae Young Classic. While she’s far from the definitive star of her generation just yet, nor the flashiest attraction in women’s wrestling, she has a solid base of fundamentals to work from and looks well on her way to become an emerging top star. All that, and she’s Tully Blanchard’s daughter.
It’s a bit surprising WWE didn’t invest in Tessa when it had more access to her in the summer of 2017. Nonetheless, as she continues to work hard and develop her skills, she’s sure to stay on the radar and we can expect her to be a Triple H recruit before too long.
14 Vince Wants: Alberto Del Rio
When WWE originally signed Alberto Del Rio, word leaked that the writers had been instructed to make him a big deal quickly. Indeed, WWE seemed set on making him the next big Latino star, with a push that included Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank victories, and world title glory.
Del Rio has now left WWE on messy terms twice, and particularly appears to remain at odds with Triple H.
Nonetheless, rumor has it that Vince McMahon always did, and still does like Del Rio’s heel persona, look, and appeal to Latino fans. McMahon reportedly had a private meeting with Del Rio when he returned to WWE headquarters to record interviews for documentary projects, thus suggesting that we should never say never.
13 Triple H Wants: James Storm
When fans look back at the top home grown talent of Impact Wrestling, James Storm stands out as one of the top guys who was with the company from its beginnings, grew into himself, and wound up a bona fide main event guy.
Storm isn’t getting any younger now, but looking across a WWE landscape with talents like Bobby Roode and AJ Styles, who are now both in their 40s, it’s not so difficult to imagine Storm having a good run in at least NXT, if not the main roster before settling into an agent or trainer role.
12 Vince Wants: Rey Fenix
Word is that Vince McMahon is on the perpetual lookout for the next Rey Mysterio. Sure, there are luchadors like Gran Metalik and Kalisto populating 205 Live, but WWE has yet to fill the void of a star with Mysterio’s combination of talent and relatability to get over and thrive in the heavyweight division.
Rey Fenix is one of a very small handful of luchadors in the conversation for the top star representing that style today. Moreover, his high flying in ring style, and propensity for playing the fearless hero make him a pretty ideal fit to step into that kind of role moving forward if WWE could get him under contract.
11 Triple H Wants: Chelsea Green
Chelsea Green has impressed on the indies and for Impact Wrestling. As if WWE weren’t already the ultimate goal for her—like so many wrestlers—the fact that her boyfriend Zack Ryder is already there has to make it all the more appealing.
At the All In show, Green highlighted much of what makes her unique as a standout during the women’s four-way match.
Green’s dramatic mannerisms that had her changing personalities grabbed the audience’s attention and made her irresistible to watch for throughout the encounter. While she’s not entirely polished as a performer just yet, she could be an excellent fit to go to finishing school in NXT any time now.
10 Vince Wants: Moose
Vince McMahon loves his big, physical spectacles and is all the more a proponent of guys with legitimate professional athlete backgrounds. Moose was an NFL offensive lineman and looks the part as a jacked up monster of a man.
You can add to Moose’s credentials that he has spent the recent years working with ROH and Impact, giving him the opportunity to hone his craft and become more than just a big body. Moose could easily fill the spots guys like Baron Corbin or Titus O’Neil are filling on the main roster now, and with some more polish, may well be a full on WWE main eventer waiting to happen.
9 Triple H Wants: Christopher Daniels
On the surface, Christopher Daniels is, quite frankly, too old to start his WWE career now. At 48, he’s certainly past his prime, and looks like he may well go down as the great indie talent of his generation never to get a shot in WWE.
However, for those who say Daniels is too old, they need look no further than his All In match with actor Steve Amell, wherein Daniels carried the actor to a perfectly respectable outing, before polishing him off with one of the swankest moonsaults in the business.
The ship has sailed on Daniels as a long time main eventer for WWE, but WWE could recapture the Impact Wrestling magic of a Daniels-AJ Styles-Samoa Joe triple threat one more time, or at least have Daniels fill a gatekeeper and player coach role on NXT.
8 Vince Wants: Conor McGregor
Vince McMahon has never shied away from conscripting celebrities to play featured roles in his show. Conor McGrgegor may not have quite the buzz of Brock Lesnar or Ronda Rousey, but he’s quite arguably the next best thing the MMA world has produced in terms of pro wrestling prospects.
He’s got a huge personality, a huge following, and a champion’s credibility to make him an instant attraction.
McGregor may not be an overnight success story for WWE, but there’s little question McMahon would be game to give him a shot. At the very least, he'd love to get a WrestleMania appearance out of him.
7 Triple H Wants: Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal may be only 33 years old, but he has a deceptively high level of experience after getting started at 17, working with Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling from the early stages of his career. While he was once a flashy spot guy, he has learned the ring psychology and technical skills to make him now a two time and long reigning ROH Champion.
Lethal very much fits the mold of indie veterans Triple H has championed in recent years. Add in the fun of his Black Machismo gimmick in which he imitates Randy Savage, and he’s proven himself as someone with the personality to thrive in WWE.
6 Vince Wants: MJF
Maxwell Jacob Feinstein, who typically goes by his initials MJF, has developed a fine rich, arrogant heel persona that has gotten him over in a number of indies, and even earned him a spot on the much watched All In card. He’s still in his early twenties and has plenty of time to grow into himself, but it’s his personality first and foremost that’s already setting him apart from the crowd.
MJF is by no means someone to send straight to the main roster, but he’s exactly the kind of young talent who could thrive in the NXT system, building form his natural talking ability to become a WWE molded star of the future.
5 Triple H Wants: The Young Bucks
There may be no better established act, still more or less in the primes of their careers, who have never had a WWE run than Nick and Matt Jackson, the brother team best known as The Young Bucks. They’ve thrived, in particular, under the Ring of Honor and New Japan banners. Their fast paced, high flying, and tremendously skilled moves have made them go to main event level guys for a variety of small promotions.
The Young Bucks are small and tend to work a style that defies WWE’s expectations—less safe and conservative in favor of flash.
However, if they were willing to work within WWE guidelines, there would be no time like the present for them to thrive in Triple H’s NXT system en route to reuniting with old indie opponents on the main roster.
4 Vince Wants: Rosemary
There may not be a single woman in independent wrestling with a more distinctive look than Rosemary. Coming up with the Decay in Impact Wrestling, Rosemary embraced a monstrous visage that helped her immediately stand out as a recognizable star. She has since demonstrated charisma and in ring talent to more than match her appearance.
Particularly in an era when WWE has diversified what it looks for in female talent. Rosemary could be a fine addition for that very ability to get herself noticed. Moreover, her experience now working internationally could serve her well working an array of opponents in WWE.
3 Triple H Wants: Kazuchika Okada
It’s no secret that New Japan Pro Wrestling has been putting on outstanding shows in recent years. Their penetration of the US market has grown, too, now that the American audience has better access than ever to their big shows, and strategic partnerships with companies like Ring of Honor have brought more of their stars to the States.
Kazuchika Okada is a veteran and he’s not getting any younger, and thus may not be an obvious choice for WWE to try to sign.
However, there’s also a fair argument that he’s one of, if not the single best worker active today. Even if it’s only for a short-term run, Okada would have a slew of first time dream matches available to him if Triple H got him signed with WWE.
2 Vince Wants: Eli Drake
Eli Drake had a good run as Impact Wrestling’s world champ, during which his personality and mic skills absolutely shone. He’s not the most polished around performer outside of WWE, but the foundation of skills he does have, paired with a good look, could make him very desirable to Vince McMahon.
No, Drake wouldn’t be likely to arrive as a world champion in WWE, or at least on the main roster. Someone with his toolkit could quite reasonably, however, carve out a rock solid career in the mid-card with the potential to be elevated if he really clicked with the WWE audience.
1 Triple H Wants: Matt Cross
Matt Cross is a veteran of the indies who actually did have a brief relationship with WWE, particularly when he was used as part of the cast for the 2011 season of Tough Enough. Cross suffered a surprising early elimination, though, and hasn’t been used by WWE since.
Cross has been respected by hardcore indie fans for some time, but his work on Lucha Underground since 2014 has further shored up what a special talent he is. Working beneath a mask as Son of Havoc, he became an unlikely crowd favorite based on a unique combination of personality and athleticism, not to mention that he has an impressive physique. Perhaps Cross was a little too indie for WWE’s aesthetic in 2011, but he could be a fine fit as a mid-card talent on today’s main roster.