The 3 Wrestlers from WWE's Latest Round of Cuts Most Likely to Sign with AEW

WWE pulled yet another shocker with its gutting of the roster over the past week, making another big round of cuts that included some downright stunning names.

Chief among those was Keith Lee, who, like others on the list, could simply be the next Superstar to flee the big kid on the block and go join All Elite Wrestling, the fast-rising promotion putting enough heat on WWE to make these sorts of cuts in the first place after NXT lost in a head-to-head competition.

Lee commands all the attention, but the list also included notables such as:

• Mia Yim
• Frankie Monet
• Ember Moon
• Karrion Kross
• Nia Jax
• Eva Marie

AEW has been smart about picking up ex-WWE talents. CM Punk came out of retirement, Aleister Black, Daniel Bryan and others came over, while other recent cuts such as Braun Strowman have not.

But there's presumably only so much room on the AEW roster, so it's worth examining which of the newest WWE releases might find a home in AEW, the biggest threat to WWE we've seen since WCW.

The conversation has to start with Lee. We're talking about arguably the most unique performer in modern wrestling who was just getting started as a main event player before having COVID-19 and undergoing a dramatic repackaging upon his return.

Before his absence, Lee was looking like the next big thing. WWE even built an all-timer of a moment between Lee and Brock Lesnar during the 2020 Royal Rumble match in an effort to get him over. It looked like Lesnar was once again being used as the guy to build up another Drew McIntyre-level main event star.

That epic moment starts at 23:30 below:

But by the time Lee was back on normal programming, WWE asked him to become this weird Bearcat persona before showing him the door.

If nothing else, WWE made it easy on AEW—all Lee has to do is come back and be Lee again. He's got a unique personality and stunning agility for a performer of his size. In fact, he might dwarf the majority of the AEW roster, but in a good way compared to, say, how Strowman might make them look.

And if Lee can arrive alongside fiance Mia Yim after they were cut together, even better. Lee doesn't have to be a solo act reserved for only one-on-one feuds. Yim is more than capable of uplifting AEW's women's division too, but their arrival together is something the company could lean into for some interesting stories.

Besides Lee, Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux stick out in a major way. The one and only Mick Foley put it best:

Kross' release wasn't too shocking given how badly his repackaging went recently. He, like many before him, had a memorable run before going to the main roster, only to see WWE mess with what worked in the worst way possible.

WWE clearly wanted him to be a main event star in time, but the muted reaction from crowds said otherwise. As Foley suggests, Kross could get back to working with Bordeaux in AEW, giving the company one of the most dynamic pairings in wrestling.

The other must-have for AEW? Franky Monet, otherwise known as Taya Valkyrie, one of the best acts on the indy scene in years before putting ink to paper with WWE just this year. She only got to have six matches, yet one of those was for an NXT title.

WWE clearly saw something with Monet before pulling the plug on the NXT brand as a whole, so it's safe to say that, plus her resume, would make her a big-ticket item for AEW.

As far as stars AEW might pass on from the group, Eva Marie's new schtick was built for WWE but just wasn't working. And Nia Jax had prominent slotting on programming for a while but also had onlookers questioning how safe she was in the ring.

The reality? There's only so much room on the AEW roster as it is before it adds anyone else. There are two prominent weekly broadcasts that need to fill time, but the roster already looks pretty packed. That's before remembering that guys like Bray Wyatt are still out there too.

But then again, talents like Lee and Yim, Kross and Scarlett and Valkyrie don't come around often. WWE might want to wave a hand and let talent like that go because it has too many names on a roster already after years of hoarding, but AEW might find it more fruitful over the long term to make it work.

And if guys like Lee end up being one of the reasons AEW further closes the gap on WWE, the big kid on the block only has itself to blame.