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It's quickly edging towards November in one of the strangest years in human history. Things have changed so much worldwide regarding public interactions and how things are done. As we have seen in pro sports, however, despite some big changes to operating procedures and schedules, the shows have gone on. Professional wrestling has been no different.
The length of certain competition in the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL might have been shortened or may have started later than usual, but those leagues still managed to register seasons in 2020. When those seasons are over, athletes often look towards free agency if their contracts are set to expire.
For pro wrestling, the majority of free agents pop up once a year ends and another begins. There are currently some performers that are already free agents (James Storm, Tessa Blanchard) but the majority of wrestlers that could change zip codes will pop up once 2020 officially ends.
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Here are seven Superstars that will be free agents once the year ends and 2021 begins. A few will also have deals that end during January 2021. All contract information in this piece comes from Fightful.com's list of free agents.
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(Hiroshi Tanahashi has a deal that expires with 2020 but he has traditionally stayed with New Japan Pro Wrestling. And with the current global pandemic situation, that decision seems all the more likely once more.)
#7 Davey Boy Smith Jr. - Contract ends in December 2020
Over the last two years, Davey Boy Smith Jr. has been a part of the Hart Foundation alongside Teddy Hart and Brian Pillman Jr. in Major League Wrestling. Hart was let go, leaving Pillman Jr. and Smith Jr. to represent the family.
Ever since the pandemic started, Major League Wrestling has been unable to run shows. It might pick things back up with various opening phases allowed in different states in the United States. Pillman Jr. has been on various episodes of both All Elite Wrestling Dynamite and Dark and allegedly wants out of his MLW contract.
Which pro wrestling company will Davey Boy Smith Jr. wrestle in 2021?
Smith Jr. has remained with Major League Wrestling and it even appeared as if he could be the one to eventually dethrone current MLW Champion Jacob Fatu. His deal ends with the conclusion of 2020 and he will have several options to choose from when that happens.
The powerhouse could join AEW or he could return to WWE. There's also Ring of Honor, IMPACT Wrestling and NJPW to choose from. He's still in great shape and could even re-sign with MLW if he so chooses. Smith Jr. revealed that he'd be returning to Japan some point soon but the pandemic put a stop to that move.
#6 Ethan Page - Contract expires at end of 2020
WWE and AEW will likely both be going after Ethan Page once his contract ends at the beginning of 2021. In IMPACT Wrestling, he originally started out as the quirky cousin of Joseph Park. Once that angle died, he aligned with Matt Sydal to champion a new way of thinking. Sydal tried to get him to buy into the power of the third eye and it provided some interesting moments for the two in IMPACT.
Once Sydal left IMPACT Wrestling, it left Page without a direction. That didn't last long, however, as he quickly formed the North alongside Josh Alexander. The two became the longest-reigning IMPACT Wrestling Tag Team Champions in company history. They did drop the titles to the returning Motor City Machine Guns earlier this year but the Canadians won the titles back at Slammiversary.
When does Ethan Page's contract with IMPACT Wrestling expire?
Page tweeted out a specific date back in August, foreshadowing when he would see his current deal with IMPACT expire.
If the North drop the titles within the next two months, than it could be a good sign that Page is leaving IMPACT. He could easily slot into AEW or NXT as a mid-card heel, tag team specialist or eventual main-eventer. It all comes down to his wishes and if he wants to stay with his current company.
#5 Kenny King, #4 Ryu Lee, #3 Rush - Contracts expire at end of 2020
These three performers have been put together because before the pandemic put a halt to ROH Wrestling operations, they were having success as La Faccion Ingobernable. Rush is the current reigning ROH World Champion while Ryu Lee (fka Dragon Lee) is the current ROH TV Champion. Kenny King was a part of the ROH Pure Tournament but lost by decision to Josh Woods in the first round.
Multiple versions of this group exist in other wrestling promotions with Los Ingobernables de Japon in New Japan Pro Wrestling and the original group from CMLL. One of the founders of the group, Andrade, is currently without a brand in WWE.
Why pro wrestling companies may want to sign the trio
Rush has the "It Factor" that's hard to find in pro wrestling. He oozes charisma and is a more hard-hitting version of Andrade. His success before joining ROH led him to become a two-time ROH World Champion by feuding with PCO over the belt.
Ryu Lee has long been one of the best cruiserweight wrestlers in the world. He has had success in NJPW, CMLL and most recently in ROH. He and Rush are brothers and they formed La Faccion Ingobernable at the end of 2019 alongside Amy Rose and Kenny King.
King has long been a staple of both IMPACT Wrestling (when it was TNA) and ROH. He's been a tag team specialist alongside Rhett Titus, the Rebellion and the Beatdown Clan (in TNA). The trio may opt to remain with ROH or certain members could move on to other promotions. The main thing is that Rush and Ryu Lee will likely stay together wherever they go.
#2 Taya Valkyrie - Contract expires at the end of January 2021
Fans who haven't seen Taya Valkyrie work in IMPACT Wrestling have missed out on watching one of the most unique female pro wrestlers in the industry. She has competed all over the world and most notably in AAA, Lucha Underground and IMPACT Wrestling.
She was a part of the Worldwide Underground during the four seasons of LU. One of the members of that group is in AEW (Jack Evans) while PJ Black is a part of ROH. John Morrison is with WWE and Taya could join her husband if the cards fall into place for both sides.
Why pro wrestling companies should sign Taya Valkyrie
IMPACT thought so much of Valkyrie that they made her the longest-reigning Knockouts Champion in company history. Her interactions with John E. Bravo and Rosemary have been among the most entertaining segments over the past two years.
She is a powerhouse and an athletic performer and would be a great addition to any promotion's women's division. AEW could truly use her more than WWE or IMPACT but we'll have to wait and see where she decides to go. She's pretty much achieved the pinnacle in IMPACT so she might move on once her contract expires at the end of January 2021.
#1 Sami Callihan - Contract expires at end of 2020
Sami Callihan has had an interesting run in IMPACT Wrestling. He's been the dastardly heel that injured Eddie Edwards. He's led the boys of OVE and he's briefly been a face when challenging the North over the summer for the IMPACT Tag Team titles. The Worldwide Desperado is currently back to being a heel as an ally of Ken Shamrock.
Shamrock and Callihan had a feud earlier this year and it led to Callihan rebranding himself under the ICU gimmick. The duo has gone back to terrorizing Edwards prior to Slammiversary and they targeted World Champion Rich Swann on the latest episode of IMPACT Wrestling.
The former leader of OVE held the same title at the beginning of this year but he dropped the belt to Tessa Blanchard. He's achieved the top-dog status in IMPACT and has been shifted back to the mid-card since losing the belt.
Sami Callihan could be a fantastic signing for pro wrestling companies
Callihan is an interesting performer for pro wrestling companies because he can be the vile, violent and dastardly heel or he can oppose to the status quo in a promotion.
That's the kind of wrestling gimmick that could work anywhere like IMPACT, WWE, AEW or Ring of Honor. It all comes down to what he wants to do. Does he want to keep things going in IMPACT or does he want to test the waters outside of his home for the last few years?
