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There is a lot of speculation on the internet about who the “Big Surprise” on AEW's Dynamite could be. Tony Khan has been pushing it's a BIG get, and has hinted it will be WWE and that person will “Slam the door closed forever” with that promotion. I have no inside information, but I though I would go over the people being talked about, and what I think of the chances:
Shane McMahon. Let's be blunt here, no. You are more likely to see Shane restart WCW than show up in a rival promotion. Shane has built a life outside of WWE when it became clear he would not be moving up in the organization, and has come back from time to time as a performer and producer. He won't put himself in competition with his family unless something really big happens.
Triple H. Same as Shane. He has been removed from power, but he is still part of the family, and his wife is still a huge part of the corporate structure. We also all need to remember that he has shown he will play the long game, and while he may be out of power now, that doesn't mean he will be out of power forever. He seems to be quite content with recovering and staying quiet on the sidelines.
John Cena. I wouldn't say it's the same as Shane, but fans need to realize that he's done with wrestling like The Rock. He is a working actor who has a lot of success outside the wrestling business. He may come back for a “one last match” before going into the WWE Hall of Fame, or be a special guest, but he's never coming back to work full time. He also won't burn that bridge with WWE without an incredibly good reason. And with his reported asking price for a movie in the 8 figures, I doubt AEW can come up with enough reasons to burn that bridge.
Jeff Hardy. Mike Johnson has said he is still under his 90 day no compete clause. He's my speculation. I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, but from what has been reported, he was suspected of being on drugs again, was told to go to rehab, refused and was fired. Then, his drug test came back clean, according to Matt Hardy on his Twitch stream. So, if Jeff says he was wrongfully terminated, that MAY give him grounds to say WWE violated his contract, so the 90 day non-compete doesn't apply and he's willing to fight this to show up on AEW TV. That WOULD slam the door shut on ever returning and would be a legal fight for a few weeks' worth of work when his non-compete is up in March anyway. I see this as a long shot, BUT I wouldn't be surprised, since he doesn't seem scared to get into a legal scrap.
Keith Lee. He is free and clear, and would be big for the hardcore audience that AEW caters to. I doubt it would shut any doors, since WWE let him go, and I don't think he is a big enough star to move the needle. I see this as an outside chance.
Anyone from Impact Wrestling. They have had a working relationship with Impact and may have one in the future. I don't see anyone there as big enough for fans to sit up and take notice no matter what Brandi Rhodes said in her promo last week. I see this as a long shot.
Jonathan Gresham. His name is being floated around, and Ring of Honor has not had any formal working relationship with AEW. He is ROH's World Champion, so bringing him in without him dropping the title would slam the door on returning. However, AEW has a lot of respect for ROH and grabbing their world champion seems like something that would make hard core fans more upset than excited. However, if this is a storyline to have him give them a big jolt for their return, he may be willing to work with them. I still see this as a long shot.
Jay White. I keep hearing this as well, but there are a bunch of things working against it. New Japan tends to resign their people en masse at the start of the year, and White is signed with them and a focus of their US dates. I also don't see AEW wanting to slam the door on New Japan. Jay White is a huge name to New Japan fans, but not known outside of that fandom due to not working the US outside of a New Japan show beyond old ROH appearances and a few recent Impact shots. I see this as a long shot.
Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Killer Kross, etc. I would think that any of the people who were released last year would be up for grabs, and while I can see them pushing that it would slam a door shut, it wouldn't. Out of the people floating out there, Bray Wyatt would be the most likely in my opinion. He sells a lot of merchandise, has shown to be a person who thinking of new ideas, and appeals to the AEW fanbase. There is also a way to plug him into the House of Black programs.
We'll all find out Wednesday night.
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