Several AEW stars were contacted by WWE or those working with WWE about potential returns to the company.
When these reports came out, former WWE stars were contacted by WWE talent relations, referred the contact to their attorney, and informed AEW management of the contact.
The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer previously reported that WWE contacted Malakai Black. Fightful Select reports that they heard from WWE sources that Black indicated to contacts in the company that he wished he was still there.
For now, Black is effectively done with AEW, but with the inability to compete for WWE for an extended period. Several in AEW management initially had the impression that he wanted to go back to WWE, and there were higher-ups in AEW who were of the “if they want to go, let them” mentality.
Malakai Black Wasn’t The Only One Contacted
The report noted that a source within WWE stated they heard that feelers were sent out to Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood of FTR, and Swerve Strickland.
FTR has a while to go until their AEW contracts run out. They had spent years in the WWE system working with Triple H. Before they left WWE, the company made numerous efforts to re-sign them.
An AEW source added that “WWE had reached out in August to an AEW name who had been with the company since the start, but that even we’d be surprised to learn they reached out to.”
