In somewhat of a surprise, the Wrestling Observer has noted that WWE has interest in controversial talent, Joey Ryan.
Based off his gimmick, Ryan would have to massively change his image to fit the WWE PG product; however, it doesn’t sound like the former Lucha Underground star is interested in joining the company anyways. Ryan has made it clear in the past that he has no interest in joining WWE and according to Dave Meltzer, the company would keep him down in NXT for a few years before transitioning him into a coaching role.
The wrestling journalist has noted that Ryan has been approached by WWE management about signing with NXT, but makes it clear that an official offer hasn’t been set yet. Ryan is expected to end up in AEW and considering that the former Impact talent is at the age of 39, him working for less money in NXT does not pique his interest. Here’s a quote from Ryan’s interview with Chris Van Vliet in 2018 on why he has no interest in signing with the company (courtesy of
wrestinginc.com):
"I know the standard NXT rate that they give most newcomers and I make well beyond that. But I know people who have signed on from the indies who were doing well and they get a better rate because they are more valued. It's weird because pretty much in every business, the goal and the dream is to be your own boss, set your own schedule, be successful on your own terms. In wrestling, a lot of wrestling fans want you to give all that up and sign your future to someone else's hands and have a boss and have a schedule that you're required to keep. So it's kind of weird that in just about any other business, the dream is to do what I'm doing now but in wrestling everyone thinks you're not successful until you have a boss which is kind of bizarre. But that's the way it is and I'm pretty confident and really enjoy what I'm doing."