Take a Look into Pro Wrestling’s Hot Free Agent Market

2024 is here and with it comes a treasure trove of free agent wrestlers that are chomping at the bit to make a difference and collect a paycheck.

2023 was a boom for the pro wrestling industry. WWE stood strong at the top of the food chain and ushered in a new era of the company under the banner of Endeavor and the newly formed TKO Group with the UFC. With Vince McMahon on the creative sideline for much of the year, the WWE roster as it's shaped right now was done through the thoughtful lens of WWE Chief Content Officer, Paul (Triple H) Levesque.

Levesque constructed his talent roster with standard WWE mainstays like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and others, but also rounded it out with "Triple H guys and women" like Karrion Kross, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Nia Jax, and Bronson Reed -- all talents that made their way through the Triple H led NXT system at some point early in their run with the company. Triple H also broke the internet and the brains of wrestling fans when he orchestrated the WWE return of CM Punk.

Over in the land of AEW, Tony Khan added to his roster in 2023 by bringing in notable talent like Kota Ibushi, Adam Copeland, Billie Starkz, Nick Wayne, Jay White, Mariah May, and also announced signing of world renowned wrestler, Will Ospreay, to a contract beginning this year.

Impact Wrestling and their soon rebrand back to TNA saw an influx of new talent hit their ring in 2023. Trinity was the most notable name of the bunch. After being away from wrestling for months due to her walkout of WWE with Mercedes Mone (Sasha Banks) Trinity made her debut in April and won the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship in July.

New Japan Pro Wrestling maintained the status quo in a lot ways when it comes to their roster with the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Sanada, and Hiroshi Tanahashi at the top of the company. They onboarded a few new faces including Wheeler Yuta and Mike Bailey for one off appearances and will continue to make a splash in 2024 with the appearances of Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler) and Matt Riddle.

Many potential free agents landed with companies at the end of 2023. CM Punk signed with WWE, Rey Mysterio renewed his deal with WWE, Dominik Mysterio did the same. Charlotte Flair also signed with WWE and will remain with the company for the foreseeable future. Tony Khan opened up the checkbook to keep Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Adam Page under contract with AEW.

There are plenty of free agents that will hit the open market in 2024 and where they'll land could significantly change the outlook of the industry by the time things are said and done. The free agents we'll analyze are talents that would have considerable impact on the organization they're leaving and joining, and have contracts that will reportedly be up in 2024, leaving them open to joining a new promotion. First up..

Mercedes Mone

Mercedes Mone, formerly Sasha Banks, is the talk of the wrestling world and the top free agent that is currently open and available to sign a contract. Mone famously stormed out of Monday Night Raw in May of 2022, walking out of the company where she became famous and landed in Japan as a part of New Japan Pro Wrestling and Stardom. Mone had matches against Kairi Sane and others in Japan, but was injured in the summer of 2023 and has appeared for any wrestling promotion since.

Both AEW and WWE will try to roll out the red carpet for Mone. Talks between Mone and WWE reportedly stalled, but with the Royal Rumble on the horizon and WWE showing their chops in hiding major surprises with CM Punk, a surprise appearance at the annual event can't be overlooked.

Mone in AEW is an interesting proposition. The women's division in the company has searched for it's face and top star since it's inception in 2019 and Mone could finally bring direction and top tier star power that it's needed. With matches against Toni Storm, Britt Baker, Jaime Hayter, Saraya, and Hikaru Shida all potentially viable, signing Mone gives Tony Khan multiple years worth of material for his women's division.

Mone to WWE is a safe play that will pay her lots of money, but AEW is the intriguing one with fresh matches and business abound.

Drew McIntyre

Much has been made about Drew McIntyre's contract situation in WWE, but he's a virtual lock to stay with the company. McIntyre has been the focus of Monday Night Raw for months and has lead the show with a compelling character turn that has bolstered his act, moving it from upper mid card to main event.

McIntyre is a WWE guy. He sees himself as a company guy and the company sees him as such. If McIntyre slides into a role as heel foil for the likes of Cody Rhodes and CM Punk in 2024, that's a premiere spot to be in and not something that Tony Khan will be able to compete with.

AEW can offer McIntyre a fresh start and lots of money, but McIntyre vs. Omega, McIntyre vs. Copeland, and McIntyre vs. MJF just doesn't have the same juice like his potential WWE bouts.

Drew McIntyre is a top talent, but defined by his work in WWE at this point. Can he move the needle for AEW? A little, but his impact there won't be as significant as it will be in WWE.

Mustafa Ali

Since officially hitting the free agent market at the end of 2023, Mustafa Ali has filled up his calendar with various independent wrestling events like GCW, Freelance Wrestling, and others.

Ali released a video that declared his purpose as a wrestler and it very much indicated he's out to change the narrative of himself. He clearly is set to use his time to prove how much of a draw he can be, but also how much of a character wrestler he can be. To that end, I don't think we see him sign a contract.

Look for Ali to continue to make appearances at various top indy promotions and maybe pick up a run in Impact Wrestling. When it's all said and done, Ali impresses with this run and creates enough demand for WWE to sign him again in a few years.

Giulia

All indications point to Giulia signing with WWE when her contract in Japan wraps up in the spring and it's a perfect signing for both parties.

Giulia is a wonderful worker with a great look that is tailor made for the WWE product. Starting in NXT will get her the lay of the land working on a national television show in the United States and when the time is right, she'll move up to the main roster for a permanent run there.

Giulia is a master in the ring and the number of great matches she can have with WWE talent like Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, and others is endless.

Kamille

Another perfect signing for WWE. Kamille has "WWE wrestler" written all over her. She was able to show her skills and wrestling chops in the NWA for the last few years, but being under the banner of WWE will help her greatly from a promotional perspective, but also for an in-ring work perspective as well.

Kamille in AEW would be an interesting twist if it ever happened, but the rest of the women's roster there doesn't match up well with what Kamille brings to the table. WWE can get the most out of her and she can deliver the most for them.

Kazuchika Okada

Reports indicate that Kazuchika Okada may hit the open market this year and let the bidding ceremony commence. Both AEW and WWE will be in on a generational talent and draw like Okada.

AEW would have to be the likely landing spot given the working relationship that he and Tony Khan already have due to the business partnership between AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Okada has worked with much of the talent on the AEW roster and the company seems like a comfortable landing place for him to slow the work down, earn good money, and get national television exposure in the United States.

Okada wouldn't take a first look at a Vince McMahon-run WWE. McMahon has a terrible reputation pushing Japanese talent in a prominent way and likely wouldn't take the time to understand how special of a performer Okada is. Paul Levesque isn't Vince McMahon. It's obvious that Levesque respects talent from other parts of the world and would give Okada the respect he deserves as the star that he is.

If WWE has aspirations for entering the Japanese market, Okada would be the guy to bring in to help with that endeavor. He'd be top guy regularly as well.

Opposite to the situation with Mercedes Mone, AEW is the safe option for Okada, but WWE is infinitely more intriguing.

Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler)

Well, Nic Nemeth, formerly Dolph Ziggler in WWE, is a free agent, but is also tied to New Japan Pro Wrestling. Nemeth appeared at Wrestle Kingdom 18 on Thursday and had a physical altercation with David Finlay -- the new IWGP Global Champion.

Nemeth and New Japan is a strong fit for both parties. He only has his WWE work to lean on and with such a good reputation as a worker in the ring, trying his hand in Japan is a nice way for him to break away from the WWE mold. As for New Japan,

Nemeth can help the company as a well-known American act that can help drive some interest for high level U.S. shows. He's also someone Gedo can beat regularly, while not damaging his aura as a draw. If Nemeth enters the G1 this year, it's a thumbs up signing for NJPW.

Becky Lynch

"The Man" will become a free agent in 2024, but she's not going anywhere. If it hasn't been done already, the TKO Group will send Lynch a new contract with lots of zeros on a gold platter with a platinum pen to sign it with.

Lynch is one WWE's top stars and TKO Group will not want to be in the business of losing her. She's said openly that she wants to finish her career with WWE and she will do just that.

Mandy Rose

Mandy Rose doesn't need professional wrestling. Her modeling career has flourished since leaving NXT at the end of 2022 and she's stated on many occasions that she simply doesn't know if a return to the ring is in the cards.

If it is, AEW should give Rose a hard look. Rose can't wrestle like Shida can, but she's a character wrestler that the AEW women's division could desperately use. Being in AEW would give Rose the chance to expand her in-ring work and grow that part of her game.

WWE would certainly try to win her back, but she's background noise in a company that is now stocked with top tier women. She likely wouldn't crack the top tier of the women's division on the WWE main roster, so why go back there? AEW is the landing spot as it gives her the most upside possible.

Ronda Rousey

Since leaving WWE, Ronda Rousey has made a couple appearances for Pro Wrestling Revolver and Tony Khan's ROH. Who had that on their bingo card?

Rousey joining those companies was a fun gesture, but she's certainly going to be looking for a big payday if and when she decides to sign on again as a full or part time wrestler. That leaves two companies open to her -- AEW and WWE.

How much value does Rousey have to WWE anymore? She's feuded with almost every top tier woman on the roster already aside from Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley and the run she just completed wasn't that memorable. She's a top name, but not nearly as "household" as she was when she first joined the company. Is she worth it?

For AEW? She sure is. AEW needs pillar stars in their women's division. Rousey can provide that and she also provides fresh matches for wrestling fans. Most of the AEW women's roster she hasn't worked with, so anything she does will feel new.

Conclusion

There's the picture. We'll see how each company paints it. WWE is in a strong position to sign whoever they want. Not only does the company have deep pockets, but it owns a hot product right now and case studies of outside talent being featured strong. That goes a long way.

AEW has come on some hard times as far as it's product goes, but is still a strong landing spot due to the money they can throw at potential stars. They have deep pockets as well.

It'll be a fight, but a fun one to watch play out.