Tony Khan has made teases for big announcements somewhat of a trademark, and Khan’s latest tease suggests the company has signed a major star to the roster. On Twitter, Khan confirmed that AEW has agreed to terms with “one of the world’s best wrestlers”, adding that the person is known and respected by virtually every AEW fan. The identity of that person will be revealed at this weekend’s AEW Full Gear, where they will sign a contract with AEW, and the two immediate suggestions from fans were Will Ospreay and Dolph Ziggler. One seems much more likely than the other now though, as Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp noted that non-competes for WWE’s most recent releases aren’t up yet.
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That seems to eliminate Ziggler from contention unless his non-compete is different from the others released earlier this year. The much more likely signing is Ospreay, as the New Japan Pro-Wrestling star revealed he was entering free agency and hired power agent Barry Bloom to represent him in negotiations.
Reports indicated that everyone was interested in signing Ospreay, and in recent months he’s wrestled in AEW and Impact Wrestling. WWE was also reportedly trying to sign him, and Bloom has negotiated deals for stars like Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks, so he’s got experience working with both companies.
On Twitter Khan wrote, “AEW has agreed to terms with one of the world’s best wrestlers, a pro who is known + respected by virtually every @AEW fan! They’ll come to LA to sign their contract THIS SATURDAY 11/18 on ppv at #AEWFullGear! See you TONIGHT on TBS for the final #AEWDynamite before Full Gear!”
During an interview discussing the return of TNA, Impact Wrestling President Scott D’Amore was asked about the possibility of Ospreay joining Impact full-time. D’Amore spoke highly of Ospreay and was clear that he would love to have him as part of the roster.
“Will has been honest and upfront about what’s happening and the fact that he’s going to be a free agent soon, and the second his contract expires, he becomes the hottest free agent in professional wrestling,” D’Amore said. “Would we love to have Will Ospreay? Absolutely. He’s a great talent. That opportunity is open to Will Ospreay.”
“I can tell you that I’ve had conversations with Anthem Sports. They’re well aware of who Will Ospreay is and what Will Ospreay is. I don’t know where Will Ospreay is going to end up, but he certainly has a seat at the table here, and a meaningful one where he can be at the center of a lot of the change we talk about,” D’Amore said.
Do you think Ospreay will show up at AEW Full Gear? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!
