From a wrestling standpoint, which current WWE/AEW wrestlers would be best off switching promotions?

[Cattle Mutilation]

Saw the video below that prompted me to make this thread. Plus a whole shyt load of contracts are going to be coming up on their expiration thru 2025, so there could be a lot of promotion jumping.

From a wrestling-only standpoint - so thus not counting potential opportunities outside of wrestling - who do you think from WWE should jump ship to AEW and who should jump ship from AEW to WWE? Now who you want to see make the jump, but who should make the jump.

 

[DaylitoJames]

I can imagine this current era of Big Cass (Big Bill) switching to WWE and doing good
I can imagine Shayna Baeszler switching to AEW and having a good run

 

[TheGreatShowtime]

Ricochet would probably be better off in AEW. Wardlow would probably be better off in WWE.

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

Most of my AEW to WWE picks are going to be motivated by lack of development system in AEW, poor fit, or poor usage

• Andrade El Idolo - seems he wants to go back anyways
• Big Bill - as we all know, AEW doesn't utilize their big meaty men very well
• Bishop Kaun
• Daniel Garcia - get him the character and the strength training in NXT and whoo boy
• Hook - see Daniel Garcia reasoning
• Isiah Kassey and Marq Quen - criminally misued/underused in AEW
• Keith Lee - I don't know if they'll even want him back but whatever they do with him in WWE can't really be any worse than how he has been used in AEW ever since him and Swerve split
• Komander - needs the development that NXT can provide. He's a long way away from being good if he ever will be
• Lee Johnson - see Daniel Garcia reasoning
• Lee Moriarity - see Daniel Garcia reasoning
• Malakai Black - criminally under utilized, though his back being fukked up probably has a lot to do with it, plus he wanted out. And his wife is there. Seems like a no brainer for me
• Miro - see Big Bill reasoning. Though I read somewhere he isn't interested in going back. If that is true, remove him from the list
• Nick Wayne - he could stand that NXT development for a few years
• Powerhouse Hobbs - see Big Bill reasoning. And his start/stop pushes
• Wardlow - see Powerhouse Hobbs reasoning
• Women's division - with the exception of Toni Storm, anyone that can get a good deal to make the jump should do it until TK decides to make more than a one-segment commitment to the women's division on each show

IF you had asked me prior to the start of Collision, I would have added Ricky Starks, the Gunns, and Jay White as well

 

[StatUS]

WWE
Powerhouse Hobbs. He's as good as Bron right now who's on the verge of a big push. TK does too much start and stop with him because he refuses to book his monsters over the high workrate guys. You could add Wardlow here too but he's not as good.

For the woman chicks like Anna Jay and Penelope Ford seem to do better in WWE where they atleast get tag title runs instead of random matches on Rampage.

AEW
Basically Johnny Gargano, Candice LaRae, and Ciampa have cred with that fanbase that would grant early success. Trips has done everything he can with them but the current audience isn't really nostalgic for what they accomplished in NXT.

 

[Rollie Forbes]

• Ricky Starks to WWE
• Powerhouse Hobbs to WWE
• Wardlow to NXT
• Kiera Hogan to NXT
• Willow to WWE (She'd be a huge merch mover)
• Serena Deeb to WWE
• Shane Taylor Enterprises to WWE (All of 'em)
• Charlotte Flair to AEW (She's done literally everything there is to do in WWE and a company change could freshen her up)
• Drew Gulak to AEW (He should've gone when Bryan Danielson & FTR were campaigning for him, tbh.)
• Sonya Deville to AEW
• Drew McIntyre to AEW (see Charlotte)
• The New Day to AEW (I want the brehs to get the biggest bag ever)
• Natalya to AEW (she could help train the women)
• Johnny Gargano to AEW
• Tomasso Ciampa to AEW

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

WWE to AEW picks are largely motivated by poor usage or their work would be better appreciated or a better fit for AEW. Recently released talents not included.

• AJ Styles - if there's one thing AEW has done well, it's treat the legends well. AJ Styles is going nowhere in WWE and he'd be loved in AEW
• Dexter Lumis - never talks and they seemingly have no use for him, perfect fit for AEW and time for a change from his end obviously
• Drew McIntyre - he falls into that big meaty men territory that AEW doesn't use well but he's done about all he can do and that WWE will let him do. And he's a big enough name and star that could force AEW to use him
• Finn Balor - He could put on work rate bangers and would probably be pushed like one of the top guys in the promotion. And WWE generally doesn't care to push short guys to the top of the card
• Giovanni Vicci and Ludwig Kaiser - they lose seemingly 90% of the time on TV
• Ilja Dragunov - how in the fukk is his guy STILL in NXT? Also, see Finn Balor reasoning
• JD McDonagh - I can't see him ever amounting to shyt in WWE given his size.
• Johhny Gargano - see JD McDonagh and Finn Balor reasoning
• Pete Dunne - see JD McDonagh and Finn Balor reasoning
• Ricochet - name a guy whose style screams AEW more than anyone else on that roster? And it's blatantly obvious at this point they don't really see him as anything more than a midcard guy at this point. Also, see Finn Balor reasoning
• Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens - Easily my most controversial picks. They reached their peak during the Bloodline stuff. And yeah that stuff was tremendous, absolutely tremendous. But beither is likely ever going to sniff top gold going forward. Owens hasn't had a singles title in six years. Zayn was briefly the IC champ three times when the IC belt didn't mean shyt. They would be top of the card singles talents from day in AEW
• Sheamus - see Drew McIntyre reasoning
• Tommaso Ciampa - see Finn Balor reasoning
• Tyler Bate - see Ilja Dragunov reasoning
• Women's division - no one really given how poor AEW's women's division is, but if I had to pick someone...Candice Larae, Shayna Baszler, Bayley, Dakota Kai

If you had asked me a like two months prior, Chad Gable, Shelton Benjamin, and Mustafa Ali would be on the list

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

WWE
Powerhouse Hobbs. He's as good as Bron right now who's on the verge of a big push. TK does too much start and stop with him because he refuses to book his monsters over the high workrate guys. You could add Wardlow here too but he's not as good.

For the woman chicks like Anna Jay and Penelope Ford seem to do better in WWE where they atleast get tag title runs instead of random matches on Rampage.

AEW
Basically Johnny Gargano, Candice LaRae, and Ciampa have cred with that fanbase that would grant early success. Trips has done everything he can with them but the current audience isn't really nostalgic for what they accomplished in NXT.

If WWE can make something out of Ryback, though that something was pretty short lived, they can make something out of Wardlow.

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

• Ricky Starks to WWE
• Powerhouse Hobbs to WWE
• Wardlow to NXT
• Kiera Hogan to NXT
• Willow to WWE (She'd be a huge merch mover)
• Serena Deeb to WWE
• Shane Taylor Enterprises to WWE (All of 'em)
• Charlotte Flair to AEW (She's done literally everything there is to do in WWE and a company change could freshen her up)
• Drew Gulak to AEW (He should've gone when Bryan Danielson & FTR were campaigning for him, tbh.)
• Sonya Deville to AEW
• Drew McIntyre to AEW (see Charlotte)
• The New Day to AEW (I want the brehs to get the biggest bag ever)
• Natalya to AEW (she could help train the women)
• Johnny Gargano to AEW
• Tomasso Ciampa to AEW

We see eye to eye on a lot of these.

Charlotte Flair is an interesting pick. Bringing in someone like that could be the type of talent that makes TK go "alright I finally have to do something with the women's division"

New Day I didn't even consider. They actually seem like big wrestling nerds and they've long wanted a match against the Young Bucks. WWE doesn't seem like they really care to push them much anymore, and in singles and tag competition it seems like there jus isn't really much more of anything more they will be able to do over there, so a change of scenery could be just what the doctor ordered for them, as the saying goes.

 

[Larry]

Hobbs will be in WWE. I’m willing to bet that..


I don’t wanna put peoples names out there because its not my place to say, but let’s just say some very influential black wrestlers have been advising homie to go that route, and there’s def mutual interest.


Like at walemania I literally witnessed one of y’all favorite muhfukkas telling him that he needed to come to WWE straight up, and he was nodding along like yeah that’s the plan type shyt

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

Hobbs will be in WWE. I’m willing to bet that..


I don’t wanna put peoples names out there because its not my place to say, but let’s just say some very influential black wrestlers have been advising homie to go that route, and there’s mutual interest.

As they should be. No excuse for how poorly he's been used in AEW.

 

[SpacelySprockets]

Julia Hart is a future NXT Womens Champ

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

But this thread kind of goes to show both companies have way too many talents signed. Especially AEW.

 

[LordDeathwatch]

• Charlotte Flair to AEW (She's done literally everything there is to do in WWE and a company change could freshen her up)

You not slick negro.

 

[Rollie Forbes]

You not slick negro.

I wasn't even thinking that this time, but I needed that laugh!