During a recent interview with ESPN , Cody Rhodes revealed that he wants to bring Matt Cardona and Miro — who competed as Zack Ryder and Rusev in WWE , respectively — to All Elite Wrestling . However, that doesn’t guarantee that it’s going to happen, according to the executive vice president.
Rhodes said that both superstars have proven that they can draw money and that they love the wrestling business. He also praised their talent, television experience and locker room qualities, describing both competitors as “great free agents.” These are all qualities that he looks for in talent.
Of course, the promotion currently has a huge roster and limited television time every week. Hiring Miro and Cardona might mean leaving current stars out.
“Here’s the trick. We only have a two-hour show. And a lot of our roster hasn’t even been fully realized or seen yet. I want to make sure we honor individuals like that. If you bring in a hot free agent, that means someone is going to lose a spot. That’s just the reality of it. In my capitalistic, cold nature that I have, I actually don’t mind that, because that makes everybody else step their game up. But you do want to do it fairly and responsibly.”
Rhodes went on to say that AEW is always going to want the best wrestlers on the show, however, and suggested that the former WWE guys could be members of the company’s roster in the near future. They could even fight for his TNT Championship, which revolves around an open challenge concept.
As The Inquisitr recently reported, Rhodes promised that fans will see some familiar faces appear on Dynamite in the coming weeks to challenge for the title. Cardona was one of the names he teased at the time, along with some independent performers.
The Inquisitr article also highlighted that Cardona has been linked with a move to the promotion since he was released by his old employer back in April. He’s a well-known friend of Rhodes outside of the ring, but the executive vice president has also been open about his admiration for the performer.
Rhodes has also discussed the possibility of two more free agents joining in the coming weeks. One of them — Rey Mysterio — is a veteran who he regards as one of the finest in-ring performers to ever lace up a pair of boots and is still working with Vince McMahon’s company as of this writing.
