Tony Khan on WWE and AEW Competing in a Future Bidding War for AEW Stars
Cody Rhodes's arrival at WrestleMania 38 marked the first major departure from AEW to WWE after several years of the opposite frequently happening. Rumors of WWE being interested in other AEW stars like MJF, Jade Cargill and Wardlow have been popping up for months, and in a new interview with ESPN this past week Tony Khan addressed that situation, saying that he's anticipating a bidding war for certain wrestlers.
"Yeah, I am (expecting a bidding war)," Khan said. "We have a lot of great wrestlers here. I expect there probably will be down the road interest in some of them, because we're putting on such strong shows. I think there's bound to be free-agent movement. On both sides of the competition. I think it's great for the wrestlers."
Rhodes himself talked about other AEW stars joining him in WWE during an interview with Ariel Helwani during WrestleMania weekend. "The American Nightmare" beat Seth Rollins upon his return and is booked to face The Miz on this week's Raw.
"I would only give somebody honest advice. That might be right for somebody. This was right for me. I don't know when the first...I think I know who those people will be because there are certain people who fit this 'superstar mode,' I think I know how the types might be and when they ask, I'm going to give them the best advice I possibly can. I can say though, that the schedule here, at the least the schedule I had the first time, is not for the non-committed, you can't be one foot. It is a full-time commitment. You're not getting paid to work one day a week. That's not knocking anybody who is. That might be the biggest shock and change. The structure here is positive. It's a wonderful structure. It's a little less punk rock, and punk rock is great, and then you want to play something else. That's what I experienced," Rhodes said.
"When they start coming and talking, I'm sure people will make the transition," he added. "You'll probably guess some of the people who will come over and, undoubtedly, people like Bryan (Danielson) and Adam Cole, people will make that move there. It is a healthy thing. It doesn't seem healthy when you watch the show because all we're doing is talking trash about each other, which I really hope nobody here does because it's lazy, it's lazy, and you're discrediting what's built and what got me. You're discrediting me and you're incorrect in the sense that it doesn't matter. I'll always give the best advice because this schedule is not for everybody. WWE made it, WWE and Nick Khan specifically made it so easy. There's a bus, your family, your wife, your daughter, red carpet. With that red carpet means it's time to get to work. I'm curious how I'll do it, but I'll never do it in terms of leveraging. I can only give honest advice because everyone's path is different."
