6 Wrestlers who turned down WWE Contracts

#1 Kenny Omega

It was his destiny

There's not much to say when it comes to Kenny Omega. The man who was the heart and soul of NJPW seemed destined to join The Elite and help establish AEW as a force in the wrestling business.

He essentially chose to work with his friends in a company where he would have immense creative control, and it would be the perfect platform for him to succeed. In addition to being one of the top guys in the promotion, Omega plays a large role in helping book the women's matches and is trying to get that division gain more stability over time.

Now, it was very true that WWE heavily pursued Omega as soon as his contract was up in NJPW. In an interview with Dave Meltzer, Omega said that WWE's offer was fantastic, but it was just that AEW presented something better. He explained,

"I can't deny WWE has a ton of dream matches with guys that I would love to work with, and guys that are my friends. But just AEW is, like, I love the potential of being able to work with all of these incredible, unique talents from every corner of the globe essentially."

It's true that wrestling fans would have gone nuts if Seth Rollins was taking on Kenny Omega at WrestleMania. But AEW just provided the creative freedom that he probably wouldn't have in WWE. In professional wrestling, however, never say never.