The current landscape of wrestling is better than ever for any wrestlers to start working after the Monday Night War ended. No company is going to realistically top WWE any time soon, but promotions are finding success as alternatives. All Elite Wrestling shows incredible potential after signing The Elite, Chris Jericho and Neville already. The rise of New Japan has seen them become relevant in North America with fans loving the great in-ring product. Ring of Honor has found success thanks to their partnership with NJPW adding a special feel. Impact Wrestling is even doing well as its own brand that offers unique wrestlers that you can’t find elsewhere.
We will look at some of the WWE wrestlers that should be paying attention to the details about these other promotions. Many wrestlers are not being used well due to the huge roster in WWE. There are only so few spots and quite a few great performers don’t get the chance to showcase it. Leaving WWE could be the right move for wrestlers to make a change and get the ability to show their worth to the industry. Each wrestler would find more success fitting in with the right company. Find out what changes should take place soon. These are ten WWE wrestlers that should get out of their contracts as soon as possible and where they should sign.
20 Hideo Itami
The talent of Hideo Itami is up there with almost any other Japanese wrestling stars to make the move over to North America. Itami achieved great success as the face of Pro Wrestling NOAH as KENTA. The prior chapter of his career featured fantastic matches with Daniel Bryan, Nigel McGuinness, Seth Rollins and many others in Ring of Honor.
Itami has not been utilized well in WWE despite coming over with a world of hype. An injury would see Itami fall behind the wrestlers he signed with as Kevin Owens and Finn Balor rose to the top. Itami is now on 205 Live struggling to break out. The best bet would be leaving WWE to make an impact elsewhere before his best days are over.
19 Itami should go to: NJPW
The climate of Japanese wrestling has changed since Hideo Itami wrestled there. New Japan was still at the top, but the other Japanese promotions like NOAH, DDT, and Dragon Gate were not too far behind. These days have seen NJPW become a phenomenon with the others far behind.
Itami would fit in better with New Japan and their movement rather than going back to NOAH. Dream matches with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, and Tetsuya Naito would be great for fans of Itami. It would help NJPW grow internationally as well due to the time spent in WWE. Itami would be rightfully appreciated as a legend in NJPW.
18 Tyler Breeze
The in-ring work of Tyler Breeze made him a very special performer in NXT. Breeze’s character work helped him find great success as an all-around wrestler in the developmental brand. Many fans had high hopes for Breeze on the main roster, but it has not gone that way.
Breeze rarely gets television time and is a secondary comedic character. We were reminded at how good Breeze could be when allowed to show it when he faced off with Ricochet in NXT. Breeze would be better off in another promotion that wants to use him for the best of his ability.
17 Breeze should go to: All Elite Wrestling
There are already ties between Tyler Breeze and Cody Rhodes going back to the latter’s time in WWE. Cody wanted to form a new faction with Breeze and Tye Dillinger, but WWE showed no interest in letting it happen. Rhodes is now a successful independent wrestling star and is starting his own promotion All Elite Wrestling.
Big money is reportedly being offered to the wrestlers that are signing with AEW, given the backing of Tony Khan. Breeze could become an upper card star given his potential and the opportunity to shine for a new promotion. AEW has a chance to be something special and it should inspire WWE wrestlers treading water like Breeze.
16 Aiden English
Aiden English has been off television for quite some time since his feud with Rusev ended on SmackDown. The pairing of Rusev and English led to great success with fun promos and entertaining matches. WWE broke them up by having English turn heel on Rusev, but they barely even had a storyline following it.
English is now sitting on the sideline with no realistic path to relevance any time soon. WWE views him as a secondary wrestler for depth and more NXT call-ups joining the roster will push him further down in the pecking order. This is one of the wrestlers that should consider leaving if they want to have a memorable career.
15 English should go to: Impact
Impact Wrestling is the best bet for wrestlers outside of WWE wanting to showcase their character skills. Aiden English is solid in the ring, but his personality is the biggest strength that makes him stand out compared to others. The singing gimmick has potential to get him success with a company that would want to push him with it.
English would be a perfect fit for Impact and could get to the main event picture. Other promotions like Ring of Honor and New Japan typically will want a stronger level of work rate. English could get to that level, but he’s yet to prove it. Impact remains the best for him.
14 Chad Gable
The in-ring skill of Chad Gable is special for someone that has yet to break out in a singles role. Gable achieved the most success of his career teaming with Jason Jordan in American Alpha. They won the NXT Tag Team Championship and SmackDown Tag Team Championship during their time together.
Gable is now back in the Tag Team Division with the new partner Bobby Roode as the Raw Tag Team Champions. However, the potential of Gable could make him a top worker as a singles star. Gable is good enough to become one of the best in the world if he chose to leave WWE and break out on his own.
13 Gable should go to: ROH
Ring of Honor has a reputation of being the home of great work rate. The in-ring action has slipped a little over the years, but they are trying to get back to it. Names like Jay Lethal, Dalton Castle, Bandido, and others could have great matches with Chad Gable.
A wrestler like Gable getting to his peak could be what ROH needs to not only return to their roots as having the best wrestling in the world, but they would also get the benefit of someone with WWE television time representing them to new fans. Gable could have a path to win the ROH Championship if he joined the promotion.
12 The Revival
The Revival has been an underused act on WWE television for quite some time now. Many pundits expected success for the pairing of Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. They delivered outstanding matches during their time together in NXT. An argument can be made The Revival were the best tag team in NXT history.
Despite the NXT success, Wilder and Dawson have struggled to break out on Raw. Vince McMahon reportedly is not impressed with The Revival. Both wrestlers have expressed frustration on social media in recent months showing just unhappy they are with how they are being used. A change could be the best for their careers.
11 The Revival should go to: All Elite Wrestling
The Young Bucks and The Revival have been involved in an online feud for a few years now. Both tag teams have significantly different styles, but they each wanted to be the best tag team in the world, to start the trash talk.
Despite the war of words, The Revival and The Young Bucks have shown respect for each other’s talents. Matt Jackson implied he’d like to sign them to All Elite Wrestling by saying the two teams will wrestle one day and that everyone would love it. The Revival would have great spots in AEW for a dream match with Matt and Nick and enjoy top tag team placement moving forward.
10 Bray Wyatt
WWE fans have forgotten about Bray Wyatt as he disappeared from television after Matt Hardy took time off to recover from an injury. Most expected Wyatt to get a singles push at some point, but he has been off television for many months with no signs of a return.
The company clearly no longer views Bray as a top star even though he was a WWE Champion as recently as WrestleMania 33. Wyatt should bet on his own talent by moving elsewhere if WWE does not want to do anything of note with him. Another company could benefit from having a former WWE Champion.
9 Wyatt should go to: NJPW
New Japan is known for having the best in-ring matches, but they also love to have unique performers that bring something different. Bray Wyatt is the kind of hoss wrestler that could thrive in New Japan if he embraces the "strong style" that is associated with the promotion.
Wyatt’s family has a track record of performing in Japan. New Japan would love to have Bray in the company for their North American expansion since he’s been a part of WWE storylines for a few years. Wyatt would need to come up with a new gimmick, but the risk may be needed to achieve his dreams in wrestling.
8 Mike and Maria Kanellis
Mike and Maria Kanellis have achieved success together in many places outside of WWE. Mike and Maria did well in Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and New Japan before landing the contracts in WWE a few years ago. Both wrestlers seem unhappy with their lack of a role in WWE.
They expected to have success on 205 Live, but the couple is struggling to get television time, even on that show. Mike and Maria have shown frustration on social media when reacting to not being used. Their positive relationships with the people in the other companies could land them many offers on the free agent market.
7 Mike and Maria should go to: ROH
Ring of Honor is stuck between rebuilding and trying to get to the next level. The company is working with New Japan to run a huge show at Madison Square Garden during WrestleMania, but they are trying to push new people after the members of The Elite left.
Mike and Maria returning could be huge for the company. The act was a success when they were in ROH and it helped land them success in the other promotions. Their former Kingdom stable is still running, with Matt Taven now leading it. Mike and Maria would have top spots for ROH right away as two of the faces of the company.
6 Apollo Crews
The talent of Apollo Crews has never been a question. Crews has incredible athleticism and can pull off some moves that very few can replicate. WWE has flirted with pushing Crews, but they never go through with it. Crews is still hoping to break out and become a major player for WWE.
Time will tell if it does happen, but the safest bet would be that he needs to leave for a great push. Crews must find success elsewhere, given the number of opportunities. WWE does not value him as much. Crews has to make the decision at some point if WWE does not prove he is part of their future.
5 Crews should go to: Impact
There are many great things on Impact Wrestling, but they lack main event singles star. LAX, Fenix and Pentagon, Tessa Blanchard and a few others are the top acts. Those wrestlers don’t usually appear in the main event singles picture.
Apollo Crews would be the perfect addition. The overall talent and potential of Crews would make him both a credible name in the industry and someone with the ability to get better. Crews could be a huge addition to the Impact roster. Impact can’t sign too many former WWE flops like Enzo and Cass, but someone like Crews could help the company keep growing.
4 Cesaro
Cesaro is often seen as an underrated wrestler due to WWE's reluctance in pushing him as a singles main event star. Cesaro is someone that Vince McMahon does not view as ever thriving as a top guy. Don’t expect anything to change, as he and Sheamus will continue tag teaming for the foreseeable future.
Cesaro is passionate about wrestling and still watches other promotions. The rise of wrestling thriving elsewhere would make Cesaro an incredible free agent. Every promotion will try to add Cesaro since he’s the perfect former WWE star to use as a main event player moving forward.
3 Cesaro should go to: NJPW
New Japan is a promotion Cesaro has reportedly wanted to work even before the company started to reach another level. The in-ring style would see Cesaro thrive with outstanding matches against just about everyone else in the company.
There is a glaring hole in NJPW’s international expansion with the members of The Elite leaving to start their own promotion. Cesaro would fill that due to the WWE reputation bringing in new fans. The combination of fulfilling his potential, delivering great work and contributing to a promotion as a main event star would make NJPW a perfect fit. Cesaro would have great success wrestling for the Japanese promotion.
2 Sami Zayn
The return of Sami Zayn will show us just how WWE views him. Zayn was a top star for NXT and helped the brand find relevance. Zayn's great matches and ability to tell a great story delivered hope that he could find a main event spot on the roster, but it sadly has not happened.
Zayn has struggled to break out as WWE does not seem to view him as a top star. The future of Zayn in WWE will likely see him continue in the mid-card role. Zayn is one of the wrestlers that should consider leaving the company. His creative upside will be limited in WWE unless something drastically changes.
1 Zayn should go to: All Elite Wrestling
Many of Sami Zayn’s friends are already part of the growing All Elite Wrestling promotion. The Young Bucks and Neville are some of Zayn’s closest friends going back to his time before signing with WWE. Chris Jericho is another wrestler to develop a bond with Zayn in WWE and he’s there.
Zayn would be able to show his skills as a top star for the new promotion. The potential to become the face of the promotion would be there as well. Zayn would get to work for his friends, show his skills without restraint and not have to worry about Vince McMahon’s opinion to get to the top.