Matt Hardy believes that some of the names listed in the latest round of WWE cuts could become All Elite in the near future.
September 21st saw multiple members of the main roster be informed that their services within the company are no longer required. As has been the case with many WWE cuts since 2020, speculation of future AEW debuts has been discussed within the wrestling community.
Hardy, who himself made the jump from WWE to AEW, was asked about the releases on the Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast. Hardy listed 3 names that he feels would benefit All Elite Wrestling:
“I could see the three names I just mentioned, Shelton Benjamin, I could see Dolph Ziggler. I could see Mustafa Ali. I could see all those guys doing something there. I have to go back and look at the list,”
The possibility of Dolph Ziggler joining AEW was discussed further, as both Hardy and co-host Jon Alba believe that Ziggler could become a marquee performer once again. Hardy compared Ziggler to himself in that they both have a similar work ethic, but it can be detrimental in getting higher up the roster:
He’s also very much of the same mentality that I am. He’s very easygoing, he just wants to be there, he wants to do a good job, he wants to go out and wrestle, bust his ass, and he’s not problematic. He’s not a politicker. He just goes to work and does his job.
To our defense, that’s not a bad thing, but it also can be something that holds you back in some capacity too if you’re not constantly politicking and trying to get your sh*t in and trying to make sure you fit your finger on the pulse of the promoter and what all he’s doing and where you’re going. Sometimes you have to be super interactive to stay on top of your sh*t, to make sure something happens like that,”
With all released talent having 90-day no-compete clauses, the earliest that they are able to wrestle for another company is December 20th.
Jim Cornette has also given his thoughts on a number of released stars, heaping praise on Shelton Benjamin and Dolph Ziggler.
When Did Matt Hardy Join AEW?
Hardy finished up his WWE career in March 2020, departing the company shortly before the world shut down due to the pandemic. As his contract expired and he was not released, Hardy had no non-compete in his deal and debuted for AEW 2 weeks later.
H/t to Fightful.