What if The Elite had invaded WWE?

News broke at the turn of the year that WWE had placed big money offers on the table for members of The Elite, including Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks, which may have even included special considerations like creative input and continuing their Internet show, Being the Elite on the WWE Network. It’s understandable why WWE would pursue this cluster of talents aggressively. Yes, they were entertaining, skilled in the ring, and had carved a special niche with hardcore fans. On top of that, though, there was the threat of All Elite Wrestling.

Before the promotion was officially announced, or inaugural signees like Chris Jericho and Neville had made their intentions clear, AEW nonetheless hovered with rumors abounding about Rhodes making plans and filing for intellectual property rights. After the success of the independently promoted All In event, there was a reason to take the new company seriously. So, in the interest of heading off a company that might pose a rival—maybe not legitimately competing, but at least signing away some desirable talent, WWE made a play for the top guys involved.

So what if WWE’s efforts had worked? This article considers what might have happened if The Elite invaded WWE.

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#5 Shaking up the Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble may have have been the point of arrival for The Elite had they signed with WWE.

The Royal Rumble is set up to invite big arrivals or returns via its staggered entries. To maximize the impact of The Elite’s arrival, it’s conceivable that we wouldn’t just see Cody Rhodes enter the Royal Rumble, but the Bucks, Hangman Page, and even Kenny Omega. As a unified front, this group could add a unique dynamic to the match and establish an immediate threat. Heck, it seems as though WWE was very much up in the air about who’d challenge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania at that point, so maybe we’d even see Rhodes or Omega win the Rumble to totally reshape the title picture.

The Rumble was good as it was of course, and provided a natural platform for Seth Rollins to step into the number one contender’s role going into WrestleMania season. Of course, if he hadn’t won the Rumble, that may too have opened the possibility of Roman Reigns stepping up to challenge for the title he never lost upon his return to WWE.

#4 Cody Rhodes as a mouthpiece

Cody Rhodes is a proven talker and may have been more valuable speaking on behalf of The Elite than in a featured wrestling role.

Cody Rhodes would almost certainly return to WWE in higher standing than he left, based on his success working with smaller wrestling promotions over the interceding years, as well as the business savvy that (in this alternate universe) almost allowed him to compete with WWE. The fact remains, however, that while Rhodes is a very good talker, he’s not necessarily an elite level in-ring worker, and doesn’t have the imposing look to make up for it relative to top WWE stars. Kenny Omega, for one, would be the more natural fit to be the breakout star from an invading group.

Rhodes should still figure in prominently, though, and could make for a keen player-coach mouthpiece for the invading Elite. In doing so, he could exercise some of the same chops he’s putting into play now as the face of AEW, even while Omega and Chris Jericho are set up to be more prominently featured in-ring workers.

#3 Delayed NXT callups

An Elite invasion might have both generated buzz and crowded the roster, making WWE slower to call up NXT talent in recent weeks.

Had The Elite arrived to invade WWE, there would have been an infusion of three to five or so new faces in the upper card of one or both brands. While we will never know for sure if they would have connected with the WWE audience, and particularly if they would have helped ratings during a period when WWE struggled, the additions nonetheless may have slowed down Vince McMahon from calling up top tier talent from NXT to freshen things up on both main roster brands.

To be fair, it’s unclear if the most recent Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black, and Richochet call ups are permanent or if these guys were used to pop ratings for a couple weeks but will remain primarily in NXT for the time being. Nonetheless, they may not have joined a more crowded roster with Elite talent already being featured. The same goes for the Heavy Machinery and ECIII, who were called up a little earlier and haven’t necessarily been put to great use.

#2 Kenny Omega challenges for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania

Kenny Omega may have been set up for a push straight to the top of WWE had he signed.

It was widely reported that Kenny Omega drew a top dollar offer from WWE, but chose to follow his heart in signing with All Elite Wrestling instead. While it’s not necessarily fair to formally call Omega part of The Elite, or at least assume he would have been branded as such had there ben an Elite invasion angle, it does stand to reason that if Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks had signed with WWE, there would be no AEW, and so Omega would be on his way to WWE. If he had signed, he might be in line for a big push commensurate with the buzz from his work in New Japan.

The road to WrestleMania has been a murky one for the WWE Championship, particularly before Kofi Kingston made his surprise emergence as a fan favorite and leader of the pack in the title hunt. Given that Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair is likely to close the show, Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins will likely be more featured than the WWE title match, and even Batista vs. Triple H may feel more like a headliner, it’s fair to think WWE would have been willing to experiment with a new face in the WWE title picture. Omega vs. Daniel Bryan or Omega vs. AJ Styles could have been lights out the match for the strap.

#1 Fewer release requests

Acts like The Revival may not have asked for their WWE releases in the absence of a company like AEW on the horizon.

News and rumors have come up quite a bit of late regarding WWE talent asking for their releases. The list includes The Revival, who many suspect got their Raw tag title reign to sate them, as well as Tye Dillinger, who did, in fact, get his release. Dean Ambrose hasn’t asked for his release, but WWE has openly acknowledged his choice not to sign a new contract.

It’s not entirely clear that an Elite invasion would have changed this story because it’s not entirely new for talent to be dissatisfied with WWE based on creative frustrations and burn out from the road. However, this infusion of new talent would stand to energize the locker room a bit for the fresh matchups and creative opportunities they might bring. All the more importantly, without AEW in the mix, the prospect of getting anything like WWE money, or being a part of a genuinely exciting new wrestling enterprise simply wouldn’t be there and might slow down talent from looking for a way out of WWE.