10 Wrestlers Who Will Never Leave AEW
From AEW Originals, to independent veterans, these All Elite wrestlers are going nowhere...
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00:00 From the folks who helped make the hottest wrestling brand on the planet a thing in the
00:03 first place, to those who have seemingly burned all bridges with the competition, this talented
00:08 lot will likely have all-elite jobs for as long as Tony Khan feels like playing wrestling
00:12 promoter.
00:13 Gareth here from WhatCulture Wrestling and here are 10 Wrestlers Who Will NEVER Leave
00:16 AEW.
00:17 10.
00:18 Jon Moxley Clearly having the time of his damn life at
00:20 the time of recording alongside Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Uter and William Regal as part of
00:24 the deliciously violent Blackpool Combat Club, the Jon Moxley scene smashing heads and whipping
00:29 all-elite crowds up into routine frenzies is about as far removed from the lunatic fringe
00:33 as humanly possible.
00:34 And it's because of this fact, coupled with Mox's disenchantment with Vinnie Mac's
00:38 Empire in particular, on the back of a soul-crushing last stint with the company, that a departure
00:43 from Tony Khan's ranks appears unlikely to say the least.
00:46 Add into that the highly sensitive handling and reaction to the former AEW World Champion's
00:50 recent trip to rehab to seek help for his issues with alcohol abuse, and it's not
00:54 too difficult to see why Mox won't be in much of a rush to kiss goodbye to a promotion
00:58 that thankfully appears to value both the world-class performer and man behind the menace.
01:03 Mox is in his all-elite element, whilst also being given the license to wreak havoc on
01:07 the indies whilst under TK's contract.
01:09 If it ain't broken, all that.
01:11 9.
01:12 FTR
01:13 Another set of lads who have very much enjoyed having their all-elite cake and eating it
01:16 up on the indies as of late come in the form of two more former WB bruisers who were left
01:20 nursing a rather bitter taste in their mouths, courtesy of the biggest wrestling company
01:25 on the planet.
01:26 They were reduced to little more than comedic goobers by the time they'd managed to achieve
01:29 the supposed tag team holy grail of holding the NXT, Raw, and SmackDown tag titles at
01:34 one point or another.
01:35 The professional pair were even happy to be carted out in clownish get-ups dreamed up
01:39 by Vinnie Mac himself on their way out of the company.
01:41 Thankfully, the glow sticks and Shatter Machine necklaces were left on ice in the end, and
01:45 Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood wiggled free from the sports entertainment juggernaut to
01:49 pursue their next chapter as arguably the greatest tag team plying their trade in the
01:52 business today.
01:53 With Tony Khan giving the passionate pro wrestlers the freedom to craft increasingly enthralling
01:57 tag clinics, and even allowing them the time to duke it out against each other in honour
02:02 of one of their heroes, Owen Hart, recently, all supposed talk of FTR ever kissing goodbye
02:06 to AEW is likely to be taken with a pinch of salt at this stage.
02:10 8.
02:11 Adam Page Paying off one of the most intricate, gripping,
02:13 and satisfying storylines in recent wrestling history, the visual of hangman Adam Page finally
02:18 overcoming old pal Kenny Omega and winning the big one at Full Gear 2021 fully established
02:23 AEW as a company capable of growing a promising talent into a fully-fledged star.
02:28 It's looking good for you, Wardlow.
02:30 And even at the age of just 30 years old, and with the AGV his best miles ahead of him,
02:33 envisioning the AEW original plying his trade in any other setting than Tony Khan's playground
02:38 feels like a near-impossible task.
02:40 It's not as though other companies haven't tried to obtain the services of the angsty,
02:43 current-reigning AEW World Champion, either, with WWE being said to have offered him a
02:47 deal before his All Elite chapter got underway.
02:50 Khan instead decided just to have fun with his friends, as he put it when unpacking the
02:54 offer during a busted open of radio appearance, and has clearly reaped the rewards up to this
02:58 point.
02:59 WWE will clearly still be keeping their eyes on Page from afar, but the smart money will
03:03 be on Cowboy Shizzle staying put for the foreseeable.
03:06 7.
03:07 Sting If ever there was an example of the intrinsic
03:09 differences between AEW and WWE's handling of generational icons, the presentation of
03:14 Sting from December 2020 onwards highlights just how far apart the two promotions are
03:19 on the subject.
03:20 Becoming an ever-present personality on AEW programming alongside fellow face-painted
03:24 outcast Darby Allin, the icon has been gifted countless opportunities to prove he still
03:28 has something to offer in the way of in-ring performance, whilst also still not stealing
03:32 the spotlight away from the next generation.
03:34 This is in stark contrast to his rather depressing run within the walls of the Land of the Giants,
03:39 being forced onto the sidelines indefinitely post-Seth Rollins' buckle bomb, and eventually
03:43 relegated to the part of notable backstage presence and occasional significant WWE Network
03:47 interviewee.
03:48 How prestigious.
03:50 In all honesty, All Elite Wrestling and Stinger is a match made in heaven at this current
03:53 moment in time.
03:54 Meshing shameless nostalgia with respectful passing of the torch is a plenty, so why would
03:58 the WCW legend pass up on such a good deal in favour of risking being once again misused
04:03 elsewhere?
04:04 6.
04:05 CM Punk Finally confirming the worst-kept secret of
04:07 2021, and re-emerging onto the wrestling scene as part of All Elite Wrestling with a tear
04:12 in his eye, CM Punk made his official comeback to the world of professional wrestling.
04:16 And with the one-time voice of the voiceless now rediscovering the in-ring and on-the-stick
04:20 form that initially made him a household name, would there be any real sense in blowing a
04:24 definitive kiss and hopping over the All Elite guardrail?
04:27 If his evident living of his best life within the ropes of TK's promotion wasn't enough
04:31 evidence of his current home likely being his last ever within the wrestling sphere,
04:34 then the fact that WWE was apparently interested in bringing Punk back, and even offered him
04:38 a deal pre-AEW only for the former WWE Champion to laugh off their approach, claiming they
04:43 played games, speaks volumes.
04:45 The best in the world is now routinely proving he is precisely just that, and with the potential
04:50 AEW World Championship reign right around the corner, Punk is well aware that the grass
04:54 won't get much greener elsewhere.
04:55 5.
04:56 Jade Cargill Another current All Elite focal point who
04:59 was once courted by Vince McMahon's Titanic promotion, also seems very much happy to keep
05:03 on keeping on under the AEW banner.
05:05 You'd be forgiven for seeing the logic in an eventual move over to the world of sports
05:09 entertainment when it pertains to that bitch.
05:12 But even Cargill herself has noted that how the glitz and glamour seen in WWE is something
05:16 she herself still loves.
05:18 But the current undefeated TBS Champion was also quick to highlight how different her
05:22 burgeoning career would have likely played out had she opted to take WWE up on their
05:26 offer.
05:27 When talking to Complex Uncensored, Cargill stated,
05:29 "I made a choice.
05:30 I stuck with my choice and I would never, ever, ever, ever get the debut that I got
05:34 here at AEW if I had gone to WWE.
05:36 Like I would never."
05:37 The overall increased job security offered up by Tony Khan's promotion also appealed
05:41 to Cargill, with the star citing on Talk is Jericho her desire to not want to be cut or
05:45 have to worry as another reason why she knows she made the best decision.
05:49 All signs point to Cargill and her baddies very much remaining All Elite.
05:53 Number 4.
05:54 Britt Baker
05:55 It'd likely take a seismic shift on a great many fronts to force Britt Baker to reconsider
05:59 her place as part of the land of All Elite.
06:01 If the fact that her partner Adam Cole has just recently rocked up in her workplace,
06:05 and that the Doctor is still given the freedom to run her damn dental practice in her downtime
06:09 whilst under AEW contracts aren't big enough reasons for her to remain All Elite, the former
06:13 AEW Women's Champion's clear distrust of the opposition will likely prove too steep
06:17 a hurdle to overcome for either party.
06:20 As Baker explained recently when discussing WWE's interest,
06:22 "They definitely expressed interest.
06:24 Unfortunately, I've got to pick and choose how I say this, but I just feel like you can't
06:28 trust anything with that company.
06:30 Whereas at AEW, I've never been promised anything that didn't follow through."
06:33 So don't expect to see this face of AEW wander over to the other side to confront
06:37 Becky Lynch over her recent provocative Women's Division comments anytime soon.
06:41 3.
06:42 Kenny Omega
06:43 For a time, Kenny Omega blowing the roof off of a WWE arena as a surprise entrant in a
06:47 Royal Rumble match almost felt like a formality, didn't it?
06:50 Here we are some five years or so on from those rumblings of a cleaner walking in the
06:53 very same footsteps of another one-time Bullet Club leader, and the sight of the former AEW
06:58 World Champion being the second All Elite EVB to turn his back on the white-hot promotion
07:02 is one you can all but count on never becoming a reality.
07:05 Omega is about as all-in on all things AEW as humanly possible, with his fingerprints
07:09 found on everything from the incoming All Elite video game to the presentation of the
07:13 company's Women's Division, so to suddenly jump ship wouldn't entirely add up.
07:17 Admittedly, Cody likewise seemed to be very much steeped in TK's brand, starring in
07:21 his own TNT reality TV show among many other things.
07:24 Yet despite Omega's contract with AEW running out next year, the promotion's increasingly
07:28 positive relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling and enthusiasm in presenting an alternative
07:33 to the likes of WWE will likely be enough to retain the services of the best bout machine
07:37 indefinitely.
07:38 2.
07:39 The Young Bucks Perhaps the most obvious candidates for the
07:41 All Elite Forever Society can be found spearheading undoubtedly the strongest tag division assembled
07:46 in modern times.
07:47 And that's not by accident, as both Matt and Nick Jackson have both made their desire
07:51 to shine a spotlight on duos action known from the minute AEW became a thing back in
07:56 January 2019.
07:57 Routinely putting on tag masterclasses, regularly finding themselves at the forefront of some
08:01 of the strongest storylines occupying wrestling at present, and earning a boatload of cash
08:06 working under a boss who clearly shares their vision, these AEW EVPs seem to have doubled
08:10 down on their All Elite pride in the wake of the American Nightmare's shocking departure.
08:15 Whether simply playing the kayfabe game or letting their true feelings be known, the
08:19 brothers' recent string of Twitter bios involving claims of their story of self-made
08:22 kids who came from nothing building a gigantic movement not being romantic enough for Cody
08:27 Rhodes act as the boldest statement yet of their intent to remain All Elite.
08:31 And with the undisputed elite now officially forming yet another can't-miss element of
08:36 weekly AEW programming, the Bucks extending their deals past January 2024 appears about
08:41 as inevitable as another run with the tag or a set of trios belts before long.
08:46 1.
08:47 Eddie Kingston From the minute the realest guy in the game,
08:49 Eddie Kingston took up a microphone on his way down to the ring for an eventual no-disqualification
08:54 match over the TNT Championship against that man again, Cody Rhodes, fans knew they were
08:58 witnessing something kinda special.
09:00 A last chance, a lifeline, a much-deserved spotlight.
09:03 Whatever you want to call it, Kingston seized the moment and has refused to loosen his grip
09:07 ever since.
09:08 And ever the loyal man in the trenches, frequently burying the likes of WWE for not listening
09:12 to their fans, Kingston looks very much content to see out the rest of his days under Tony
09:16 Khan's stewardship, saying as such during a recent The Straight Shooters interview.
09:20 As he put it, "AEW gave me my shot first, right?
09:23 You know what I mean?
09:24 I'm a loyal guy.
09:25 I'm not knocking anybody, just chill.
09:26 But when people say, 'Yeah, I'm here forever,' that's cool.
09:29 That's them.
09:30 I'm telling you from me, and my word is bond, I ain't got nowhere else to go and
09:34 don't wanna be anywhere else."
09:35 Kingston for AEW World Champion?
09:37 Do the right thing, Tony.
09:38 And that's our list!
09:39 Know of any other wrestlers who will never leave AEW?
09:41 Let us know all about them in the comments section right down below and do not forget
09:44 to like, share and click on that subscribe button while you're at it.
09:47 Also, if you like this kind of thing then head on over to WhatCulture.com and find some
09:50 more awesome articles just like the one this video you're watching right now is based
09:54 on.
09:55 I've been Gareth from What Culture Wrestling, thank you as always for clicking on one of
09:58 these videos today and I'm sure I'll see your faces very, very, very soon.
10:02 Bye!
10:02 (upbeat music)