Recapping AEW’s Free Agency Moves: from 2023 to Now, Additions and Departures
AEW were major buyers in free agency last year and in the first two months of 2024, but the departures are worth looking at as well. We talk about them today.
Like sports, wrestling has free agency. Unlike sports, there’s no offseason time to gauge a wrestler’s contract situation before something crazy happens elsewhere.
In this frantic constant-motion industry, there’s little time for reacting to major news, like the firings of two high ranking officials from two major promotions within days of each other, before needing to get back to business. For fans, there’s probably a show they need to catch that day. For the talent and head booker, they need to run that show. Wrestling is incredibly fast paced in that regard: it’s year-round.
This means that a year-round wrestling contract, unlike in pro sports, is a true year round contract. There’s no 5 month break in between seasons for the talent; wrestlers always be working. This also means that a promotion’s contracts come off the books at inconsistent times of the year. Jim Ross has said his contact with AEW is up in February of 2024. It’s thought that Becky Lynch’s with WWE is up in June this year as well. There’s no transfer window period or free agency extravaganza centered around an arbitrary trade deadline (the NBA trade deadline was February 8th at 4pm ET, for example). There’s no offseason where a GM can look at all expiring deals at once and make the necessary transactions. Once a contract is up, it’s up no matter the time of year.
So if there’s no extension worked out, unless the talent agreed to finish out future dates, that’s it.
Which makes wrestling free agency so fascinating in comparison to pro sports. A wrestler’s contract negotiations (which can be sorta tracked if you know where to look and who to follow for updates) have enough power to potentially dictate storylines and for fans in the know to fantasy book scenarios for.
The transactions in typical wrestling free agency model sports: acquisitions, departures, re-signings, and releases. These moves are worth mulling over for any company. Back to the sports analogy, it’s not unlike tracking the contract situation of a player from your favorite team, context surrounding their contract is everything. And for AEW, they’ve been VERY active since the start of 2023.
Today, we’re going to look at the major free agency moves AEW has made since the beginning of last year and up to this writing date, February 13th of 2024. I aim to provide context behind the free agency moves I talk about and what is known about each (if the information is available)
To begin, for the sake of ease, here’s a short glossary of the transaction types I’ll use and what they mean:
Jump: a talent moving directly from one major promotion to another
Free agent acquisition: a signing of a talent who primarily worked the indies or was at least unsigned to a long term contract to a major promotion
In-house signing: if AEW signed someone who was already on an ROH deal or someone brought up through ROH, or vice versa (AEW -> ROH). Additionally, someone who was unsigned but making frequent appearances on AEW’s feeder shows Dark or Dark Elevation.
We’re going to break this up into 2 sections: Additions and Departures. Thank god a Redditor did the legwork for me in compiling a list of both for 2023, so this is a brief overview of who would be mentioned in this piece. Not every move merits a segment to speak on, so I’ll be focusing on the moves that 1) bring the most value to AEW and 2) had some of the most interesting circumstances surrounding the respective move.
With that said, let’s begin.
Additions
Whether it was through a departure from a different promotion, an official signing for someone already associated with a company, or winning a “bidding war” (more on this meaning later), below are some of the wrestlers who are officially All Elite as of 2023.
Mark Briscoe (Ring of Honor)
All Elite graphic: February 2023
Transaction type: In-house signing (was already signed to ROH under Khan)
Context: Briscoe made his AEW debut in January of 2023, where he defeated Jay Lethal in a tribute match to honor his late brother Jay Briscoe, who passed away tragically in a car accident the week before. By February, he received the All Elite graphic.
Before this, he was signed to Ring of Honor for virtually his entire wrestling career, where he and his brother would go on to become one of the seminal tag teams in wrestling history, and among the most decorated champions in the promotion’s history. After Tony Khan bought ROH and its wrestlers contracts, Briscoe was carried over, which included a classic trilogy with FTR throughout 2022.
Because Khan bought ROH, his signing to AEW seemed like a forgone conclusion on paper, but it’s a lot less cut and dry as that.
The Briscoes were effectively blacklisted from every major television company, as Jay had made offensive comments towards the LGBTQ community in the past. Essentially, they weren’t allowed on American television for most of the 2010s. Reportedly, it took Khan doing some serious legwork to convince Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) to allow the Briscoe Tribute match to happen with Mark, in which they eventually relented. Mark has been on AEW TV ever since.
Analysis: It’s through awful circumstances that finally allowed Mark Briscoe to show up on AEW television, but what an addition he’s been. Although he’s been out with a knee injury for most of his contract so far, his charisma and in-ring ability have fit like a glove on the roster.
I didn’t watch ROH growing up, so my first real exposure to either of the Briscoe brothers was through the FTR feud. After the first match I was sold on them, and 3 incredible matches later it felt like Tony Khan would do anything to get them on AEW television at some point. Sure enough, this is what happened. Great signing.
Nick Wayne (indies, DEFY)
All Elite graphic: July 2023 (but he was signed in 2022)
Transaction type: Free agent acquisition
Context: Nick Wayne was All Elite the moment he turned 18 years old. This was the stipulation in the contract he signed back in February of 2022 (of which a big showing was made over it when Darby Allin handed him a “contract” in the ring after an indie match).
As for Nick, his story has been well told through multiple vignettes and commentary about who he is, where he came from, and how long he’s been wrestling even while still such a young age. As for how he got to AEW, Darby Allin took him under his wing and vouched for Nick to Tony Khan.
Analysis: This move tells me two things:
It’s a long term play investing in AEW’s future, considering his age (he turns 19 in July)
It’s a sign that Tony listens to his wrestlers’ requests in earnest, especially someone who’s been a diehard AEW advocate like Darby.
So far, Nick Wayne’s time in AEW has seen him paired with veterans whether in matches or a stable, currently a heel with Christian Cage’s the Patriarchy stable. Although he’s only wrestled a handful of matches so far, AEW seems incredibly high on him as he maintains a consistent presence whenever Christian is booked.
Aussie Open (NJPW)
(Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis)
All Elite graphic: May 2023
Transaction type: Jump
Context: Part of the United Empire stable in NJPW headed by Will Ospreay, Aussie Open can be considered a direct jump between major promotions, but also not really? This case is a little bit more interesting than the others.
In an interview, Aussie Open stated they were working without contracts in NJPW after COVID. They went on to establish themselves as one of the top tag teams in NJPW and became champions, becoming one of the best teams in the world, while basically broke. When they couldn’t iron out a deal, they signed with AEW whom they already had a previous working relationship, in part thanks to that year’s Forbidden Door build.
Analysis: Nothing wrong with yearning for stability in your work life, so this move makes sense for Aussie Open in the context that they can maintain a relationship with NJPW. It benefits AEW as well by bolstering the tag team division with one of the best out there.
Mark Davis unfortunately has been injured for some time now and is still currently out of action, so the team has been on ice since WrestleDream. However, Kyle Fletcher has been heavily used in his absence, involved in storylines and matches across all 3 shows (4 if you count him winning the ROH World TV Title).
Jay White (NJPW)
All Elite graphic: April 2023
Transaction type: Jump
(additional notes; acquired in bidding war)
Context: Jay White came up in the NJPW Young Lion system, and after graduating would go on to be one of the top gaijins (non-Japanese/foreigner wrestlers) in NJPW. By June of 2022, he was the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Throughout his time in NJPW, he held reigns with the United States title, the NEVER Openweight title, and the Intercontinental title, among other accomplishments.
So, it’s not really surprising that when his contract was up in early 2023, he decided to move on. He planned on moving to the US full time, and after accomplishing just about everything he could in his time there, especially as a gaijin (the one accomplishment that eluded him was a G1 Climax win), it was time to move on. Thus, a bidding war began, of which AEW eventually came out on top, although with an interesting asterisk to it.
Analysis: Considering that gaijin talent are overall paid less than Japanese wrestlers in NJPW, Jay White leaving isn’t too surprising, but AEW may have gotten quite lucky with this acquisition.
It’s been reported that WWE were courting Jay White for some time even before his impending free agency, and were considered the frontrunner after he departed Japan. However, in January of 2023, Vince McMahon announced that he was shopping WWE to the highest bidder (this became the merger with Endeavor in April of 2023 to form TKO). In a time of transition, it’s believed a hiring freeze was instituted internally, which means Jay White slipped through the cracks. AEW was able to scoop him up before the freeze was lifted.
This was a close call, but adding a 30 year old world champion from NJPW is a move that brings tremendous upside to AEW. How they’ve used him since has been a topic of discussion, but this is a bidding war that was won by AEW in the grand scheme of things, albeit with an assist from corporate America.
Adam Copeland (fka Edge) (WWE)
All Elite graphic: October 2023
Transaction type: Jump
Context: Adam has wrestled exclusively with WWE since 1996, endured serious neck injuries and was forced to retire for 9 years. But after realizing he was still able to take bumps (reportedly in a motocross accident), he was medically cleared and returned to part-time wrestling at the 2020 Royal Rumble.
Between then and his departure, he helped establish the early era of the Judgement Day stable while working a part-time schedule. But through Adam’s own words, he wanted to wrestle more and work with younger talent. According to reports, Adam was only allotted a limited number of wrestling dates per year in his contract. While it doesn’t seem this led to an overall dissatisfaction between WWE or Adam from either side, Adam let his contract expire before debuting in AEW at WrestleDream.
Analysis: Of the acquisitions AEW made throughout the year, for my money this is the most shocking one of them all.
The idea that Edge would wrestle anywhere else but WWE is surreal. But his reasonings for jumping make sense too; he still feels he can go (in my opinion, he can) and wants to go where he can enjoy his last years of wrestling before he hangs up the boots. And so far, Tony Khan has done his best to fulfill Adam’s creative wishlist.
His debut was handled perfectly, his kickoff feud with Christian (another creative ask) was also handled well, and the Cope Open allowed him to wrestle the different styles of wrestling AEW offers. By all accounts, he’s very happy, and AEW appears happy to have him.
Will Ospreay (NJPW)
All Elite graphic: November 2023
Transaction type: Jump
(additional notes; acquired in bidding war)
Context: Will Ospreay established himself as the top gaijin in NJPW in 2023, a mantle he took over after Jay White’s departure earlier in the year. Up until Wrestle Kingdom in 2024, he reigned as the US/UK Champion after winning it off of Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door. A name associated with NJPW for the last 8 years, he became one of the hottest free agency candidates in wrestling in 2023.
It was reported that Will Ospreay hired Barry Bloom as his agent, a man who carries a reputation of securing his clients the biggest paydays possible. Along with reports of Bushiroad’s (NJPW and STARDOM’s parent company) financial issues as of late, plus the overall declining value of the yen (not something Bushiroad can control), Ospreay staying with NJPW seemed fairly unlikely by the end of 2023. Sure enough he signed with AEW, with the blessing from NJPW to explore a deal before his contract was up, and was introduced at the Full Gear PPV.
Analysis: The crown jewel of AEW’s free agency dealings since the beginning of 2023. This is the Dodgers signing Shohei Ohtani this past offseason. It’s Golden State securing Kevin Durant in 2016. Ospreay is coming off one of the greatest years a wrestler has ever had in history, and is, for my money, the best wrestler on the planet. Barely turning 31 in May of this year, AEW acquiring someone like that is a massive success on their part, securing someone you can build a company around.
WWE and TNA were also interested in signing him as well. TNA felt like a long shot due to the size of the company and likely limited wrestler budget (even though Ospreay grew up a TNA fan, it appears a goal for him was getting paid handsomely). WWE were much more credible in making a competitive offer, but it looks like AEW outbid them in the end. There are other possible circumstances that may have led to his decision, but it’s just speculation at this point so we’ll go over them later.
Deonna Purazzo (TNA/Impact)
All Elite graphic: January 2024
Transaction type: Jump
Context: Deonna has been a world traveler in terms of promotions she’s wrestled for throughout her career. An early career defined by ROH and a stop in STARDOM, she was released by WWE in a wave of roster cuts before settling in with Impact (later to be rebranded TNA).
At Impact, she became a multi-time Impact Knockouts champion and established herself as a face of the Knockouts division in her time there. Kind of like Jay White, it doesn’t appear there are any extenuating circumstances as to why she left Impact outside of having accomplished everything she could with Impact and moving on for a change of scenery.
Analysis: This one seems fairly cut and dry in terms of the transaction itself, but it’s interesting what she represents for Tony Khan himself.
AEW had a headstart here because of her existing friendship with Britt Baker, who is one of the ambassadors for the AEW women’s division. Plus, I didn’t see any reports on WWE being interested in bringing her back, so if it were going to be a major promotion stateside, it would be AEW.
Moreover, at the media scrum following Worlds End, Tony Khan made it a point to note being active in free agency for the women’s division would be a goal of his in 2024. This move (plus reports that they’re currently in talks with Kamille of NWA) indicates to me that Khan intends to make good on his promise; this move and, well, another one worth talking about…
Mercedes Moné (fka Sasha Banks) (NJPW, STARDOM, WWE)
All Elite graphic: N/A (but likely March 2024)
Transaction type: Jump (partially free agency acquisition as well)
(additional notes: acquired in bidding war)
Context: One of the most famous mercenaries in the industry right now, Mercedes Moné has made money her gimmick, and it appears this also describes Mercedes Varanado’s approach to free agency as well.
After she and Naomi made waves in the industry in 2022 walking out on WWE as at-the-time tag champions, she signed with NJPW and agreed to work dates with them and STARDOM. She earned herself the IWGP Women’s Championship in her debut match in Japan, before losing it about two months later. She was working towards the inaugural NJPW Strong Women’s Championship by competing in the inaugural tournament, and was slated to win reportedly, but injured her ankle in the finals. She’s been out of action ever since.
Stretching back to 2022, she’s had conversations with AEW and WWE about signing (or re-signing) with them, but nothing came to fruition at the time. But with Tony Khan announcing a special Dynamite episode , “Big Business”, plus reports saying it’s now a done deal and is currently on the payroll, AEW has officially won the bidding war for Mercedes.
Analysis: By far the most uncertain free agent AEW was targeting. Of the previous bidding wars I’ve mentioned so far, Mercedes is the only one who didn’t have a prior working relationship with AEW before signing (attending All In and being shown on the video board doesn’t really count; Willow was working a NJPW date for their match, so I feel this is more NJPW-AEW than Mercedes-AEW). To add, Mercedes’s issue in WWE was with Vince McMahon, who is now largely out of creative power there, so a return under the helm of Paul Levesque (Triple H) seemed plausible.
But like Ospreay before her, it usually comes down to money in the end, and Mercedes seemed the most intent out of the other free agent signings to secure as large a bag for herself as possible. And in that regard, I do believe it’s as cut and dry as AEW met her asking price and acquiesced to any other requests from her. In an interesting move, WWE effectively waved the white flag on her after reports have WWE on record saying talks with Mercedes had stagnated.
This was a fascinating free agency arc, but it ends with AEW securing a huge asset to the women’s division.
Kazuchika Okada (NJPW)
All Elite graphic: N/A
Transaction type: Jump
(additional notes; acquired in bidding war)
Context: Kazuchika Okada has been the ace of NJPW since the mid -2010s, being handed the torch to the company by Hiroshi Tanahashi. Okada would go on to have legendary feuds and matches with the likes of Tanahashi, Katsuyori Shibata, Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, and Will Ospreay. To many fans (myself included), Okada was their introduction to New Japan Pro Wrestling.
In a fascinating twist, it was NJPW themselves that announced Okada would be leaving after his contract expires. The press release shook the foundation of the pro wrestling industry; the ace hitting free agency is a historical anomaly. After it was reported he hired Barry Bloom, like Ospreay had, his motivations to secure a bag for himself became more evident. It was another bidding war for the top Japanese star in the world.
Let’s hope we’re not jumping the gun here, but it’s been reported that Okada is expected to sign with AEW. Unlike Mercedes, there’s no announcement of a major show in his honor, so this one we’ll have to wait for the official word on. So unless something changes drastically in the 11th hour, Kazuchika Okada will be All Elite soon.
Analysis: In truth, the announcement of his departure was more shocking than the landing spot. As mentioned before, a current ace of a Japanese company leaving is unprecedented (coincidentally, Katsuhiko Nakajima leaving NOAH late last year is another example, but he’s at least stayed to work in Japan so far). Hiring Barry Bloom all but ensured Okada leaving was happening, but it’s still shocking.
But this also felt like AEW’s free agent to lose as well. A prior business relationship + some very good friends acting as upper management in the company (The Young Bucks, Omega) = AEW had a significant advantage over WWE or any other Western promotion in signing him. WWE would’ve likely needed to make some serious concessions in how they do business in order to entice Okada to go there, and this doesn’t appear to have been the case. With AEW also likely offering the bigger number figure as well, this is another win in terms of bidding war free agents.
Other additions for AEW:
Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW)
Transaction: Free agent acquisition
Kota Ibushi (NJPW, indies)
Transaction: Free agent acquisition
Roderick Strong (WWE)
Transaction: Jump
EJ Ndujka (free agent)
Transaction: Free agent acquisition
Stu Grayson (free agent)
Transaction: Free agent acquisition
Kommander (AAA)
Transaction: Dual contract
The Righteous: Vincent / Dutch (ROH)
Transaction: In-house signing
Taya Valkyrie (literally everywhere)
Transaction: free agent acquisition
CJ Perry (free agent)
Transaction: free agent acquisition
Mariah May (STARDOM)
Transaction: Jump
Skye Blue (indies, AEW Dark)
Transaction: In-house signing
Billie Starkz (indies)
Transaction: free agent acquisition
Departures
While AEW did a lot of business as buyers in free agency, they also lost some significant names to different promotions as well. Here are the most notable ones in that regard.
Important to note: a large majority of AEW departures last year took place in front office and executive roles, mostly with regard to production and marketing. AEW doesn’t do roster cuts like WWE does; they usually honor a contract through its lifespan before letting a talent/executive walk (editor’s note: well, at least they *didn’t* do roster cuts, up until April of 2024). I’m only going to highlight wrestlers in this section, however.
Jade Cargill (2020-2023)
Departure: September 2023
Transaction type: Jump
(additional notes: lost in bidding war)
Context: Jade became the longest reigning champ of any title holder in AEW history, being the inaugural TBS Champion and holding it for over 500 days, and racked up a 60-0 unbeaten record during that timeframe. She would eventually lose twice to Kris Statlander to drop the TBS title, the second match proving to be her last in AEW.
About a week after an interview where she called AEW “her home” and stated she wouldn’t want to work anywhere else, it was announced she was leaving for WWE after the conclusion of her contract. She made her in-ring debut in the 2024 Royal Rumble after sporadic teases on WWE programming before that.
Analysis: This is the only bidding war for a top end free agent that AEW lost in 2023, and this is a tough loss in my opinion. Jade is someone AEW was booking carefully to keep her looking strong because it seems they had high hopes to make her the face of the division in due time. She has a great look and massive mainstream potential, so this is a good pickup for WWE.
As for the interview/jumping aftermath, this is not as inflammatory as it appears. Negotiating through the media is something that’s common in sports, and I don’t believe it’s a sign of any deeper distrust between Jade and AEW. Khan raved about her as she was exiting, she did business on the way out putting over Statlander, and she’s still well liked from the AEW locker apparently.
CM Punk (2021-2023)
Departure: September 2023
Transaction type. Fired
Context: Oh boy.
CM Punk arrived in AEW in 2021 as a star acquisition, if nothing else than for the very fact that he was back in professional wrestling. He would go on to a highly acclaimed feud with MJF on his way to winning the AEW World Title over Hangman Adam Page. An injury forced the creation of an interim title in his absence, after which he returned to win the title for a second time outright at All Out 2022.
Immediately afterwards, his media scrum outburst caused a backstage altercation with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, leading all involved to serve suspensions (Punk also needed to recover from a torn triceps). Upon return, stories revolving around isolated issues regarding Punk’s conduct behind the scenes continued to surface until he was involved in another backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In. His contract was terminated a few days later.
Punk would show up in WWE as a surprise debut at 2023 Survivor Series later that year.
Analysis: To say CM Punk was controversial in AEW would be an understatement. Although his run in the company reached some incredible heights, his backstage decorum deteriorated to the point Tony Khan had no choice but to fire him. Considering the red carpet that was laid out for his return, and subsequent accommodations for him, it’s hard to describe CM Punk’s time in AEW as anything but an overall disappointment.
Andrade El Idolo (2021-2023)
Departure: December 2023
Transaction type: Jump
Context: After requesting his release from WWE in March 2021, Andrade debuted in AEW later that summer. While he put up great performances, his time in AEW is notable for periods of absences, which include being sent home for punching a coworker backstage (thought to be because he was trying to get out of his contract, although never proven). Also notable was a stretch from fall 2022 to summer 2023 where he did not wrestle any matches, despite being healthy (the fight certainly didn’t help).
He returned to AEW television in the first episode of Collision and participated in the Continental Classic later that year, before it was reported he would not be coming back to AEW. Tony Khan would later confirm this, announcing his departure as well and bidding him farewell at the Worlds End media scrum. He would later re-debut with WWE in the 2024 Royal Rumble.
Analysis: To sum up, his time here was weird. He absolutely looked like a star in-ring, but had a clear attitude problem (the other guy didn’t start the fight if the rumors are true) and wrestled too inconsistently to really gauge just what AEW thought of him. Tony spoke highly of him, but despite saying he’d love to have him back he also didn’t seem to try too hard retaining him either, so I can’t really consider this a bidding war either.
In truth, the fact that his spouse Charlotte Flair, one of the top talents in WWE, didn’t work in the same company as him was enough for me to think a jump was likely. Not for any malicious reason, it’s just easier on a wrestling household for spouses to travel together. Andrade did business on the way out and closed out the remaining angles/storylines he had left before departing, so he at least left on a positive note.
Lexis King (fka Brian Pillman Jr.) (2019-2023)
Departure: July 2023
Transaction type: Release (contract not renewed)
Context: No, he’s not of the same caliber name as any of the above mentioned, but considering how long he was appearing for AEW and what he’s done since, he’s worth mentioning here.
Initially contracted under MLW, Lexis King, wrestling under his given name Brian Pillman Jr., first appeared in 2019 in the Casino Battle Royale before making slightly regular appearances in 2020 for AEW Dark. He signed full-time in 2021 but was released after only serving primarily as a Dark wrestler. Besides forming a stable with Griff Garrison and early-era Julia Hart, most of his AEW run was directionless, which is likely why he wasn’t retained.
After earning a WWE tryout, he was signed to the NXT brand and changed his name to Lexis King, along with sporting a new look and overall gimmick. He has been there since.
Analysis: Again, this one is notable because he’s definitely a case where his situation seems to have notably improved upon leaving AEW. The guiding hand of the NXT writers’ room has done wonders for Lexis in finding a character that works for him. He appears regularly for the brand and has improved his in-ring ability since then.
Without Dark or Dark Elevation around anymore, it would’ve been hard to justify finding time for him over other talents on the roster. ROH was also an option, but he opted to go with NXT instead, and it appears to be paying off for him.
Other departures from AEW (wrestlers only):
Frankie Kazarian → Impact Wrestling
Shawn Spears
Allie “The Bunny”
Sonny Kiss → Impact Wrestling
Fuego Del Sol
Brock Anderson
Trench
All transaction types are “Releases” of varying reasons
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A few stray thoughts and observations about free agency overall before we go:
AEW went 4-1 in the major “bidding wars” for talents they were in direct competition with against WWE. In at least 2 of those cases (Ospreay and Okada), accommodations AEW were capable of making may have been a difference maker in their decision process. Ospreay has spoken about how he loved being able to be there for the major moments in his child’s life thanks to NJPW’s travel schedule. WWE requires their talent to live in the US while AEW allows residencies outside the states (such as in Kota Ibushi’s and PAC’s case). If WWE wants to be competitive with major free agents, they may have to loosen up some of the business practices they’ve imployed over the decades.
Mercedes Moné was contracted to NJPW, but her contact situation is a bit confusing from what I can see. It’s possible this may have been only a PPA (pay-per-appearance) deal as it was reported in April she signed a contract extension with NJPW/STARDOM, but later in the year a report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful stated she was not currently under any NJPW deal. This technically turned out to be true as she’s now AEW bound, but the type of contract she was under hasn’t been made clear since the initial report.
AEW was overall very successful in free agency compared to WWE in 2023-24, but the pressure is still overwhelmingly on AEW to perform well in this regard however. As the clear #2 promotion to WWE’s former monopoly in the American market, in my view AEW needs to perform well in free agency to keep themselves viable in the perception game. They are at a natural disadvantage in the casual market as for many, WWE is wrestling. Losing one of their Big 4 acquitisions in 2023 would’ve been damaging; a world where they lost all 4 would’ve been catastrophic, especially if they all left for WWE like the 4 Departures I wrote about did.
Thank you all for reading this piece. AEW did well in 2023, but there are more free agents on the market this coming year, and some within their own roster they will have to make a decision on. All while getting ready to book their second All In at Wembley show, working on securing a new media rights deal with WBD, and hopefully expanding to streaming for the first time in their company history to further extend their reach.
That offseason should be coming any day now.