After watching WWE attempt to poach a few of his under-contract wrestlers up to now, with Swerve Strickland noting that he was requested about his contract standing whereas working for AEW, Tony Khan has an unofficial coverage that he does not touch upon signing wrestlers who’re nonetheless below contract with one other promotion.
However what occurs when mentioned wrestler, like, say, the “Spotlight of the Evening,” Ricochet, formally hits the open market, the place he may signal anyplace he likes or simply examine off indie dates as the brand new hottest hired-gun performer on the planet immediately?
Properly, Khan formally turns into open for enterprise, and in a latest interview with Comicbook.com, he absolutely fleshed out his appreciation for the previous WWE Velocity Champion whereas going into the granular element of his runs in NJPW and his program with the present Worldwide Champion, Will Ospreay.
“I am an enormous fan of Ricochet. I believe he is an incredible, nice wrestler,” Tony Khan informed Comicbook.com. “He is been concerned in matches towards a number of the high stars in AEW. He additionally has an incredible historical past in New Japan Professional Wrestling, as he is been a champion there and a high star. We now have nice collaboration there, and I really like the historical past of New Japan, and I believe he is an enormous a part of it. Throughout an incredible period when quite a lot of our high stars had been wrestling there, he was an enormous a part of it. I’ve quite a lot of admiration and respect for Ricochet and assume he is one of many high athletes and one of the crucial thrilling stars in all of wrestling.”
Requested particularly about Ricochet’s matches with Ospreay, Khan, a famous fan of wrestling historical past, known as their program “phenomenal” and hinted that their rivalry and chemistry is a serious promoting level heading into the long run.
“Oh wow, simply phenomenal. Phenomenal matches. Phenomenal one-on-one matches. Ricochet was phenomenal in New Japan Professional Wrestling as a single star and as a tag crew star. One among his biggest rivals was Will Ospreay, and so they had great, great matches. They’ve quite a lot of chemistry and friendship exterior of the ring, too.”
Will Ricochet, who used that moniker earlier than he landed in WWE, ultimately land in AEW? Sure, whereas nothing is ready in stone simply but, his transfer to the promotion feels about as assured as any free agent in latest reminiscence for about 1,000,000 totally different causes. If TK believes in Ricochet’s capacity to check his mettle towards Ospreay, nicely, followers would possibly simply get to see a number of the all-time biggest high-flying matches of all time.
Ricochet is not the one ex-WWE man Tony Khan commented on
Whereas Ricochet touchdown in AEW appears like a borderline forgone conclusion at this level, he is not the one ex-WWE man on the open market who Khan has been requested about heading into All In season, with the CEO additionally being requested to deal with the rumors surrounding Shane McMahon and Mercedes Mone.
Is AEW about to make use of a McMahon? Solely time will inform however as Khan informed Maggie & Perloff, he definitely has an appreciation for the previous WWE worker and is open to having conversations with Shane-O-Mac in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later.
“Shane McMahon is anyone that I’ve by no means met, however he has quite a lot of expertise in wrestling and so much pals in AEW. I’ve by no means actually had any conversations with him or talked to him ever,” Tony Khan informed Maggie & Perloff by way of Fightful. “I do know he bumped into Mercedes Mone after Forbidden Door, which is a cool coincidence. I’ve by no means met him. I would be open to speaking to him, and he is welcome to cease by at any time. I do know that is an fascinating rumor. There have been every kind of fascinating individuals in wrestling to return into AEW and stroll by means of that Forbidden Door. This is perhaps, if it ever occurs, one of many extra surprising ones. Despite the fact that I’ve by no means talked to him, he looks like a very nice man.”
Ought to McMahon come into AEW? Sure. Whether or not he is tasked with main a faction in a type of high-profile combination of American High Workforce and the Belief Buster or just as Mone’s new supervisor, his capacity to generate warmth as the previous inheritor to the WWE Universe may create the type of nuclear warmth that would garner severe headlines for the promotion not simply in wrestling circles however amongst mainstream information sources too. If AEW desires to retake consideration heading into All In, particularly with their media rights offers nonetheless up within the air, bringing in a McMahon definitely appears like a technique to obtain that purpose and perhaps extra.
