AEW Rumors: Former WWE Superstar Seems To Hint At Plans Of Joining The Dark Order

Matt Rehwoldt, who competed for several years in WWE under the ring name Aiden English, took to Twitter on Thursday to share a photo that might have hinted at his plans to join AEW as a member of the Dark Order faction.

According to Ringside News, Rehwoldt tweeted a photo of himself and Dark Order leader Brodie Lee — formerly Luke Harper in WWE — that appeared to have been taken at a backstage segment during their time in the company. As he simply wrote in his caption that he’s leaving the photo up for interpretation, the outlet noted that this sparked speculation from fans that he might be interested in teaming up with his former colleague and joining his stable.

Despite his apparent tease of a move to AEW, Rehwoldt has not hinted at any plans of signing with another major promotion in recent interviews. Earlier this month, he appeared on The Wrestling Inc. Daily Podcast and stressed that he wants to focus on his return to the independent wrestling scene, which marked his first time in the indies since joining WWE in 2012. He also mentioned a desire to work on a number of “side projects” away from the ring and explore his other options while remaining a free agent.

Prior to his release from WWE in April, Rehwoldt was arguably best known for his work as a tag team wrestler, first as a member of The Vaudevillains alongside Simon Gotch and later as one-half of a tag team with Rusev, during the height of the latter’s “Rusev Day” gimmick. As noted by Fightful, the 32-year-old then moved to a new role as a commentator on 205 Live and hadn’t wrestled for more than a year at the time he was let go.

As for Lee, the former Wyatt Family member was introduced as part of the AEW roster in March, when he was revealed as The Dark Order’s “Exalted One” through a series of vignettes that appeared to parody his former boss, WWE chairman Vince McMahon, and his various alleged quirks. Most recently, he became the company’s new TNT Champion, marking his first title win with his new employer.

If Rehwoldt decides to sign with AEW, he will become the latest WWE alumnus to debut for the rival company amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Matt Cardona (formerly Zack Ryder) and referee Mike Chioda were among those who made their first appearances for AEW on recent episodes of its weekly primetime show, Dynamite.