10 Independent Wrestlers That AEW Should Sign Before Double Or Nothing

Despite not running an official show yet, All Elite Wrestling has been the talk of the wrestling business ever since their announcement a month ago, and with another press conference in the next few weeks, they've got fans on the edge of their seats.

Although they aren't going to become viable competition to the WWE in the near future, they are aiming to create a legitimate alternative to Vince McMahon's company, but no matter what, the fans have been speculating wildly about talent.

Whether it's The Revival or AJ Styles leaving WWE to join AEW, or the departed Hideo Itami or Dean Ambrose jumping ship, the fans have been coming up with wild situations, but the best thing for AEW to do is sign fresh, new talent that the world hasn't seen yet.

Sure, getting someone like Dean Ambrose would be great for publicity and marketability, but bringing in incredibly talented performers who are ready to take the next step is the best move for their long term success.

We saw this in the early stages of TNA, but they made the mistake of signing too many big time former WWE names, and if AEW, backed by the Khan family, are to remain a viable promotion for the future, they need to avoid these mistakes.

So today, instead of talking about WWE stars jumping ship to AEW, we are going to look at 10 independent wrestlers that AEW should snatch up now. So what do you guys think?

Is there anyone on this list you'd like to see in AEW, or would you prefer them in WWE or New Japan? Who would you like to see jump ship from WWE to AEW? What do you think of AEW's potential, despite the fact that they haven't run a show yet? As always, let us know all your thoughts and comments below.

#10 Madison Eagles

As of this writing, All Elite have signed only one female performer, and although Britt Baker is a fantastic performer, she can't do it on her own, and if they truly are looking for the elite in the wrestling world, they need to sign Australia's Madison Eagles.

Eagles is the only female in history to be ranked PWI's #1 without being signed to either Impact or WWE, and she's only gotten better since that point, and with her legitimate technical style, Eagles would be a great centrepiece of the All Elite Women's division.

They will need to sign at least another 4-5 women before they can have a legitimate division going forward, but Eagles can work plenty of different styles with all types of performers, and she's perfect for the division. Cody and The Bucks have been Down Under several times over the last few years, so they know just how great the wrestling is down here, and Eagles is the country's top female performer.

#9 El Phantasmo

It's been said so many times that it's become cliche, but the UK is the hotbed of indie pro wrestling over the past few years, and it's attracted performers from all over the planet, and one of the best in that category is high-flying sensation El Phantasmo.

Originally from Vancouver, ELP trained with the likes of Kyle O'Reilly in his early days, and he is one of the most innovative and exciting high-fliers in wrestling today, and without a real high-flying mid-card act on their current roster, he'd be the perfect addition.

ELP has had some classic bouts in the UK with the likes of Zack Sabre Jr, Will Ospreay and plenty of others, showing that he's a diverse performer as well, meaning he'd add a lot to the roster. They haven't revealed any more names yet, so they may have filled this void already, but going on their current roster, ELP would fit in great to provide the aerial offence that crowds have come to expect in independent wrestling today.

#8 Elliot Sexton

Elliot Sexton isn't one of the top independent performers in the world today, but he has a great look, he's charismatic and a great worker, and if anyone can appreciate a guy making a YouTube series to make it in wrestling, it's the cast of Being The Elite.

Sexton runs his own series called 'Trophy Life', and it shows the very best of Sexton, who is a great storyteller and an incredibly funny person, and combining that with his look, it seems that he is ready to become a worldwide superstar.

Due to his partner's connection to the WWE, many people have linked him to a move to the WWE, but if AEW are looking for future stars, Sexton is one they should fight for. It's not going to make big news, but he's already proved down in Australia that he's capable of carrying a company as its top star, so if they can slowly build him up to that, they have a very marketable star on their hands.

#7 The Rascalz

Zachary Wentz, Trey Miguel, and Desmond Xavier are getting more and more exposure across America, and as a group, they are getting better and better, and although Impact is a great stage, they deserve better.

The trio are a unique group that clearly have a great connection with each other, and their tandem offence is just as unique as anyone in wrestling, and with AEW looking to promote tag team wrestling, they'd be an incredible addition.

These guys have wrestled The Young Bucks in PWG, so adding them to a promotion that includes The Bucks, SCU and The Lucha Bros would immediately make this the best tag team division in the world. Their contract with Impact isn't really known at this point, so that may stop them from immediately signing, but when they are free, AEW need to bring them in and push them to the moon.

#6 Bea Preistley

Bea Priestley is one of the most talented female performers in the entire world, and although she has yet not competed for anyone like WWE or Impact, she's making a huge name for herself.

With WCPW and World of Sports, Preistley has shown off some incredible athleticism and great character work, and while her joining All Elite wouldn't make massive headlines, it would be another key addition to what is shaping up to be a great roster.

Bea can fly, she can work strong style and she's still young, so if All Elite would like to sign some younger wrestlers that can develop on their massive stage, then Preistley would be an ideal selection.

A lot of people know Bea simply because of her relationship with Will Ospreay, and although they can't get Ospreay, Bea would be a great person to add depth to their women's division and give them a more diverse style.

#5 CCK

The UK recently underwent a lot of changes on the independent scene due to WWE UK, but there are some performers who chose to stay independent, and some of those performers are perfect for All Elite Wrestling. The duo of Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos are two such performers, and as mentioned with The Rascalz, AEW are making tag team wrestling a priority, and there's few better teams in all of indie wrestling.

Kid Lykos has been terribly unlucky with injuries over the past year, but when healthy, this duo is incredibly slick, and signing with AEW would provide them with plenty of dream matches.

We all know about The Young Bucks and their innovative tandem offence, but these two specialise in sick tag moves, and with their creativity and confidence, they'd fit right in, especially if AEW were to give them some kind of character freedom.

#4 Robbie Eagles

The Australian wrestling scene has been fantastic for a few years now, and it's led to the likes of Buddy Murphy, Rhea Ripley and most recently Jonah Rock signing with the WWE, but now that AEW is in town, they'll likely want to get in on the action.

World Series Wrestling has hosted Cody and The Bucks several times, and it's allowed them to scout the country for talent, and there is no more talented performer than The Sniper of The Skies, Robbie Eagles.

He recently appeared in New Japan Pro Wrestling, as Eagles became the newest member of the Bullet Club, but with the opportunities that AEW could provide him, they are the better option for his future.

The only Championship that AEW have made known so far is their Heavyweight Title, but with a secondary title expected, Eagles would be perfect to join the likes of MJF and Joey Janela, and would give him the worldwide recognition that he deserves.

#3 oVe

One of the biggest complaints about the current WWE is how overproduced and formulaic it seems, and with AEW claiming they want to become different from anything else that's out there, that is a great place to start, and the trio of Sami Calihan, Dave and Jake Crist are perfect for that.

They are currently competing on Impact, but they've been so good over the past year, and given how Sami has become one of the most detestable heels in the game, they need a bigger platform.

Impact, after a resurgence over the past year, are seemingly struggling again, and have lost a few more backstage pieces, and without a solid plan ahead for the future, AEW would be a much more suitable destination for oVe.

The level of violence that these 3 can bring to AEW depends on their TV deal and the rating of which they aspire to be, but if oVe can be themselves completely, they'll wreak havoc on the entire roster.

#2 Aussie Open

Tag team wrestling is incredibly hot in 2019, with so many incredible tag teams around the world, but outside of the US, there's one team lighting it up like no other, and that's Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis, Aussie Open.

The duo only came together a few years ago, but every time they appear for promotions like Progress, Rev Pro and others, they show vast improvement, and both men have superstar potential written all over them.

Their matches with the Swords of Essex, CCK, The 198, Grizzled Young Veterans, and others have all been fantastic, and before long, the WWE are going to be throwing a lot of cash their way, so AEW should jump in early.

The duo are about to make their PWG debut, and that's a promotion that WWE scout heavily, but with The Bucks' connection to that promotion, they'll have a great shot at signing them, and along with CCK and other top stars in the UK, AEW should pursue Aussie Open heavily.

#1 David Starr

Wrestling is about diversity, and when it comes to diversity of styles, there's few better than David Starr, who can wrestle hardcore, technical, strong style and even fly around with the best of them, and he's become arguably the best unsigned talent in the entire business.

Starr has plenty of nicknames, and we aren't going to list them here, but The Product has become a star all over the UK and in the United States, and if AEW want someone they can slide up and down their show against any opponent, than Starr is that man.

His bouts with Ilja Dragunov, Walter and Zack Sabre Jr. in the UK have been absolutely incredible, and whether he's playing a smiling baby face or a despicable heel, Starr can do it all. Like a few people on this list, Starr isn't the biggest name, but if AEW book him properly, he could be a major star on the worldwide stage.

Edited by Gabby Duran