All Elite Wrestling boasts one of the deepest rosters in recent memory, and that extends beyond the ring. Upon its launch in 2019, AEW brought in a number of wrestling legends as producers and coaches, with Hall of Famers like Billy Gunn and Dean Malenko apart of the company’s inaugural pay-per-view in a behind-the-scenes capacity. Since then, AEW has inked independent greats like Jimmy Jacobs and Pat Buck to producer deals. The AEW producing staff recently welcomed fan-favorite indie veteran Chris Hero in for a couple of one-off producing gigs. The former WWE NXT talent received rave reviews from those he worked with.
That positive reception has turned into a job for Hero in AEW. According to PWInsider, Hero is now working with AEW as a producer in a full-time capacity.
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This is Hero’s first major wrestling contract since his WWE days. Hero had two stints with WWE as Kassius Ohno, working in Florida Championship Wrestling before it was rebranded to NXT.
Chris Hero is All Elite
Hero had been wrestling for well over two decades now but has not laced up his boots since March 2020. He was released from WWE in April 2020 and stayed largely absent from the professional wrestling world for the next three years. Hero returned to wrestling earlier this year when he started working with West Coast Pro Wrestling.
Despite his lack of official matches, Hero has emphasized that he’s “currently inactive” rather than retired. It’s unclear as to if he will wrestle in AEW but his full-time responsibilities will lie within the producing avenue, something he has taken a liking to.
“The coaching/producing aspect is something that I really enjoy,” Hero said in a recent interview. “It’s different, like you coach different people different ways. Sometimes, you’re just a note-taker, like, okay, what are these guys doing? Boom, let’s try to make sure that the cameras get it all. Let’s make sure that production knows what’s going on, someone’s coming in through the crowd, that kind of stuff. Then sometimes, it’s a collaborative effort where you’re sitting there with people, and they’re stuck on something, and you’re like, ‘How about this? How about that? Whatever.’ It’s a collaboration. I love all of that.”
AEW President Tony Khan mentioned that he has been “chipping away” at trying to get Hero back in a ring. That could be for either AEW or Ring of Honor. Hero previously wrestled for ROH for a collective nine years.
