Tony Khan to hire 34-year-old star to AEW as a counter for Miro's rumored WWE return? Analyzing the possibility

The AEW vs. WWE talent wars have continued into 2025 in a major way. As Tony Khan and Triple H lead their respective teams through some of the busiest times of the year, it often seems there is more action behind the scenes. New rumors and speculation indicate that All Elite Wrestling could have a big idea to counter the Miro situation.

The former Rusev of WWE saw his near-10-year tenure with the company end in April 2020 due to COVID-19 cuts. He debuted for AEW almost five months later but requested his release in late September 2024 after a back-and-forth run under Tony Khan. The request was granted in mid-February, and sources reported this week that the Bulgarian heavyweight has re-signed with World Wrestling Entertainment.

AEW's owner and WWE's Chief Content Officer are known to try and counter each other's counters, whether it's related to schedules or talent acquisitions. When Khan re-packaged Miro as The Redeemer and God's Favorite Champion, many had high hopes for the character, despite the critics and first impressions. There's speculation that Khan may want to give the gimmick another shot, perhaps tweaked a bit, and this time, a hot free agent could be the man to pull it off.

Furthermore, Khan could kill two birds with one stone by signing this free agent as God's new Favorite Champion: Alexander Hammerstone.

Hammerstone made his name in MLW and TNA Wrestling but has never stepped inside the All Elite Wrestling ring. However, he has had in-ring battles with top AEW stars like Brian Cage and Josh Alexander, among others. Hammerstone is one of the most dominant heavyweights of the modern era, and there's a feeling that he could make The Redeemer work.

Khan signing Alexander Hammerstone could serve as another shot at WWE as well. There has been interest from both sides for some time, and that interest picked up last month when Hammerstone lost to a WWE Superstar. Triple H allowed Karrion Kross to work the recent Chris Bey benefit show, and the main event saw Kross defeat the free agent in just under 20 minutes.

Updated lineup for this Sunday's AEW Dynasty

All Elite Wrestling will present its second annual Dynasty pay-per-view on Sunday from Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA. Below is the updated lineup:

1. Women's Owen Cup Quarterfinals: Mercedes Moné vs. Julia Hart
2. Men's Owen Cup Quarterfinals: Will Ospreay vs. Kevin Knight
3. Men's Owen Cup Quarterfinals: Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher
4. Title vs. Mask: ROH World Champion Chris Jericho vs. Bandido
5. World Trios Championship: The Death Riders (c) vs. Rated FTR
6. World Tag Team Championship: The Hurt Syndicate (c) vs. The Learning Tree
7. International Championship Three-Way: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Mike Bailey vs. Ricochet
8. TNT Championship: Daniel Garcia (c) vs. Adam Cole (No time limit, no outside interference)
9. Women's World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Megan Bayne
10. World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Swerve Strickland

AEW has not confirmed matches for the Zero Hour pre-show as of now, but The Opps' HOOK, Samoa Joe, and Katsuyori Shibata warned that they will be at the arena. Jeff Jarrett, Renee Paquette, and RJ City will host the pre-show at 6:30 pm ET via all social media channels before the pay-per-view begins at 8 pm.