WWE Reportedly Wanted to Sign an Independent Wrestling Star Before His AEW Dynamite Debut
Komander, a Lucha libre star working for Lucha Libre AAA, made his AEW Dynamite debut last week in the Face of the Revolution Ladder match. The 24-year-old shined in the match, showing off his incredible athleticism and rope-walking ability as he pulled off some of the biggest moments of the night. But in a new report from Sports Illustrated, it sounds like WWE tried to scoop up the young talent prior to his AEW debut. All Elite Wrestling also wants to sign him to a contract as he competed on Dynamite without one.
"Per sources, AEW has interest in signing Komander, and Sports Illustrated confirmed with sources that WWE had already reached out in advance of his match on Dynamite. Given the right opportunities, he would be a perfect fit in either promotion," Justin Barrasso wrote on Wednesday.
WWE attempting to sign talent that appears on AEW TV without a contract is nothing new, as wrestlers have openly stated they've been contacted by the promotion either right before or right after they make their debut. A famous example is Ricky Starks, who said in a 2020 interview that WWE called him the same day he made his Dynamite debut against Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship.
"The funny thing is, the day that I wrestled Cody I got a phone call from WWE saying 'Hey, we've been watching you and we wanted to bring you in'. I said 'Oh really? oh ok. Interesting. Of all days'. And so I entertained that conversation because I was curious but I think I knew already which decision I was going to make," Starks told Chris Van Vliet at the time. "And I had a very dear, great friend tell me once: you should look at the people who want to invest in you and not know anything about you as opposed to the people who only wanted you when they saw someone else having interest. So that put things in perspective and I don't hold any ill will towards WWE but I really think they dropped the ball majorly on that. I'll never know why and I guess I don't care now."
Komander made his US debut back in 2022 and has since worked for companies like GCW and PWG. Do you think he'll wind up in WWE alongside Dragon Lee or will he join luchadors like Bandido and Rush in AEW? Tell us your thoughts below!