We're used to WWE releasing talent in April, but this year has seen a jaw-dropping number of top stars fired by the company in the midst of so-called "budget cuts." Recent names include Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, and WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, three legit draws who could now be a major asset to All Elite Wrestling.
Tony Khan certainly hasn't been shy about signing some of the top names who have recently become free agents, but the future of those three remains uncertain for now.
Well, when we had AEW Dark: Elevation commentator Paul Wight (FKA The Big Show) on the phone to discuss playing Palindrome in Netflix's Fast & Furious: Spy Racers South Pacific - the show returns on August 13 - we asked what he thinks about those releases and whether he believes they could also become "All Elite."
"Absolutely. There has been an influx of talent," he responded. "For whatever reason, WWE has gone in a different direction with what they’re doing as a company. Their business line is beyond me and they do their own thing and it works for them. They’ve had great success with it. The biggest difference that I can relate to anyone outside is that AEW is a wrestling company, but also one dedicated to the talent. It’s about the fans, but also about the talent versus about being just about the company."
"We have talents who are available and if they make their way to AEW, it will result in an incredible amount of freedom for them to continue entertaining the fans and to continue to grow. Anyone now who has been in this business long enough is smart enough to see where momentum is going and you’ve got to agree that it’s with AEW," Wight stated. "It’s got a great groundswell of support from fans who are really into the product. The storylines are unique. They have a different flavour and excitement about them. I made the transition myself because after four decades, I left as I could see the writing on the wall of where professional wrestling was headed."
There are some bold statements from Wight there, though it's hard to disagree with the assessment that it does feel like the tide might be turning in the favour of AEW (they certainly emerged from the Wednesday Night War with the win). The company can do a lot both with the talent they have and those who used to be part of WWE, and the multi-time WWE Champion is excited about the latter.
"For those other talents like Bray Wyatt, Braun, Ric Flair, and all those guys, there’s always an opportunity for people of that calibre to be a part of AEW and contribute. That’s the thing with wrestling. You never say never," he explained. "It would be great to see those guys come in and be it’d be great to see some of the young AEW talent get the chance to interact with guys who have seen that massive stardom and how that moulds your performances and in-ring psychology. They can learn from that and prepare these young AEW talents for what’s coming in the future, giving them the opportunity to grow and be part of what's going to be a globally impactful company."
Wight has been part of the wrestling industry for decades, so he knows what he's talking about and is clearly all too aware of what a win it would be for AEW to net talent like Flair, Strowman, and Wyatt. It would certainly be fun seeing him step into the ring with the latter two in such a different setting, though newer talent in the company would definitely benefit most from their knowledge.
Take a look at the trailer for Fast & Furious: Spy Racers South Pacific below and stay tuned for more from Paul both here and on ComicBookMovie.com!