Wrestling Free Agency just keeps getting wilder

[wildturkey]

So after all the WWE layoffs and then Punk, Danielson, and Cole's moves, you'd think things would settle down.

NOPE

Get ready to ride the roller coaster again. With two new names to follow.

The first is Sami Zayn, which Fightful has said his contract is up sometime in Fall 2021. So literally weeks away. Considering he's kinda fallen off TV the last few weeks after being featured prominently over the last year seems like WWE might be cooling him off if they expect him to leave.

And the bigger news of the day is Kevin Owens. Owens signed a 5 year deal back in 2018 but Fightful is reporting that sometime over the last year, the contract was restructured and he's a free agent in January 2022. Now here's where things get really intriguing. Before the report came out today, Kevin Owens went on Twitter and posted but then quickly deleted the longitude/latitude coordinates of Mt.Rushmore. To those that don't know, Mt.Rushmore was a stable in ROH and PWG consisting of Owens (then Kevin Steen), Adam Cole, and the Young Bucks. Owens also changed his Twitter bio location to "Almost there". The Young Bucks have changed their Twitter location to "there".

So yeah, get ready for more months of speculation of who is going where.

 

[futballiscool]

The Moxleys of the world who love Japanese wrestling should take sabbaticals to work in Japan. A future star like Dante Martin should get a run in Impact to stay on TV and hone his craft. FTR can have a brief run in the NWA when they're not in the title picture.


The roster is so loaded right now that all seems like a viable option. Help other companies and rotate the talent in AEW to keep everyone fresh.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

I’m curious to see what happens to a bunch of the NXT guys now that Vince, Bruce and Johnny are going to have a big say in what goes on down there.
Also, I remember months ago that Dax made a tweet about how he was expecting Chad Gable’s contract to be up soon. Don’t know if he was speculating or not but would love to see Gable go to AEW or New Japan.

 

[The Q]

I’m curious to see what happens to a bunch of the NXT guys now that Vince, Bruce and Johnny are going to have a big say in what goes on down there.
Also, I remember months ago that Dax made a tweet about how he was expecting Chad Gable’s contract to be up soon. Don’t know if he was speculating or not but would love to see Gable go to AEW or New Japan.

gable to Japan makes sense

Otis makes an epic face turn and the crowd will go avail ur rly bonkers when he does the caterpillar again as a face

 

[The Q]

I’m curious to see what happens to a bunch of the NXT guys now that Vince, Bruce and Johnny are going to have a big say in what goes on down there.
Also, I remember months ago that Dax made a tweet about how he was expecting Chad Gable’s contract to be up soon. Don’t know if he was speculating or not but would love to see Gable go to AEW or New Japan.

Hopefully the big boys get pushed to the moon.

give me all the odyssey Jones and ridge Holland I can handle

 

[wildturkey]

Update from Dave Meltzer today (though I don't trust him as much as other sources these days. He seems to speculate more than anything)

KO's contract expires January 31st, 2022.

Sami Zayn's contract doesn't expire this Fall, but instead is "some time at the end of the year".


He also wildly speculated that Bray Wyatt could debut in AEW on 9/29 at the Rochester NYC show. Rochester was the hometown of Brodie Lee. I say "wildly" because Wyatt's 90 non-compete doesn't expire until the end of October, so this potential debut is a full month before. I don't think any wrestler has ever challenged the legality of the non-compete clauses so if it happens, Wyatt might be the first. I'm very skeptical about this tidbit for that reason. I'd wait for someone like Sean Ross Sapp to report on it first before believing it. Dude has been on point on everything for awhile now. He's like the Woj of the wrestling world

 

[The Q]

Update from Dave Meltzer today (though I don't trust him as much as other sources these days. He seems to speculate more than anything)

KO's contract expires January 31st, 2022.

Sami Zayn's contract doesn't expire this Fall, but instead is "some time at the end of the year".


He also wildly speculated that Bray Wyatt could debut in AEW on 9/29 at the Rochester NYC show. Rochester was the hometown of Brodie Lee. I say "wildly" because Wyatt's 90 non-compete doesn't expire until the end of October, so this potential debut is a full month before. I don't think any wrestler has ever challenged the legality of the non-compete clauses so if it happens, Wyatt might be the first. I'm very skeptical about this tidbit for that reason. I'd wait for someone like Sean Ross Sapp to report on it first before believing it. Dude has been on point on everything for awhile now. He's like the Woj of the wrestling world

mean Wyatt would be the biggest get for aew besides punk.

dude can move product

 

[wazzu31]

mean Wyatt would be the biggest get for aew besides punk.

dude can move product

Was he even a star as Husky Harris or whatever?

 

[The Q]

Was he even a star as Husky Harris or whatever?

He was as bray Wyatt and most importantly, the fiend.

can you imagine what he can do without wwe creative holding him back?

 

[wazzu31]

He was as bray Wyatt and most importantly, the fiend.

can you imagine what he can do without wwe creative holding him back?

Well for starters he can’t do anything that is remotely close to those.

 

[wildturkey]

Sean Ross Sapp reporting tonight that Johnny Gargano's contract expires in December. Negotiations haven't started yet but are expected to.



I bet he leaves. He and Candace are really close friends with the Young Bucks from their Indy days. And with WWE wanting bigger guys and the fact that they never really put him on the main roster despite him being ready, I doubt they'd do much with him.

 

[The Q]

Sean Ross Sapp reporting tonight that Johnny Gargano's contract expires in December. Negotiations haven't started yet but are expected to.



I bet he leaves. He and Candace are really close friends with the Young Bucks from their Indy days. And with WWE wanting bigger guys and the fact that they never really put him on the main roster despite him being ready, I doubt they'd do much with him.

Eh he’s a small fish who looks big in a small pond, but maybe he’ll get nepotism like Adam Cole will.

gargano should stay and be an NXT lifer

 

[wildturkey]

Update from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful;

Johnny Gargano's contract was set to expire this week but he signed a 1 week extension to do the War Games PPV.


This sounds a lot like Adam Cole's situation this past summer. If you intend to stay, you'd just sign a new deal, not a temporary one to cover a PPV. Pretty much looks like Gargano is done with WWE. I wouldn't be shocked at all if he shows up at AEW's Winter Is Coming in a couple of weeks

 

[The Q]

Update from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful;

Johnny Gargano's contract was set to expire this week but he signed a 1 week extension to do the War Games PPV.


This sounds a lot like Adam Cole's situation this past summer. If you intend to stay, you'd just sign a new deal, not a temporary one to cover a PPV. Pretty much looks like Gargano is done with WWE. I wouldn't be shocked at all if he shows up at AEW's Winter Is Coming in a couple of weeks

That’s a guy who gets lost in aew

 

[UVA_Guy81]

That’s a guy who gets lost in aew

Probably still better to know you’re with a company that’ll be more likely to honor your full contract than one that’s been cutting massive amounts of people at any given time.

 

[The Q]

Probably still better to know you’re with a company that’ll be more likely to honor your full contract than one that’s been cutting massive amounts of people at any given time.

They really don’t need him.

They already missed on the biggest fish out there

But they don’t need more mid card guys. They got plenty of guys who can fill the mid card

 

[UVA_Guy81]

They really don’t need him.

They already missed on the biggest fish out there

But they don’t need more mid card guys. They got plenty of guys who can fill the mid card

No, they can do without him, you’re right. But if I were in his shoes, with my wife expecting a baby soon and I had a chance to go to a company that wasn’t likely to boot me out the door at any second and has a good reputation amongst the talent, I’d take it.

 

[The Q]

No, they can do without him, you’re right. But if I were in his shoes, with my wife expecting a baby soon and I had a chance to go to a company that wasn’t likely to boot me out the door at any second and has a good reputation amongst the talent, I’d take it.

Sure

I just don’t think aew needs him. Especially without a cruiserweight division where he and Adam Cole could face off

 

[wazzu31]

No, they can do without him, you’re right. But if I were in his shoes, with my wife expecting a baby soon and I had a chance to go to a company that wasn’t likely to boot me out the door at any second and has a good reputation amongst the talent, I’d take it.

Yeah but that isn’t exactly good saying you only go to AEW for a paycheck.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

Yeah but that isn’t exactly good saying you only go to AEW for a paycheck.

I’m sure he has friends there as well and everyone seems to say it’s a great work environment. Job security is just a bonus.