Predicting Future Landing Spots for Free Agents

WWE made its latest round of cuts last week, which clouded the news of their new billion-dollar media rights deal with NBCUniversal.

The most prominent among those released were Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Elias, and Mustafa Ali, who was in the middle of a program with Dominik Mysterio over the NXT North American championship. A new release then surfaced when Matt Riddle announced that he was no longer with WWE, ending a short-but-turbulent run that reached its high point a year ago when Riddle defeated Seth Rollins in the main event of Extreme Rules–but was unable to use that momentum to propel himself to the next level.

There has been plenty of news from those who were released. One of the people no longer with WWE is Top Dolla, who is former NFL player AJ Francis. He made an outstanding point on Twitter that connected to the root of many of these releases. In response to a Tweet that wished well to Ashante “Thee” Adonis and B-Fab, who are the two remaining members of Hit Row in WWE, Francis tweeted: “They just need to be given a microphone… there’s a microphone in the middle of the #HitRow logo and they never let us cut promos on TV…”

Francis–who posted a video after he released that has already generated over a million views on Twitter alone–is speaking the truth.

Perhaps, unfortunately, it is a truth that the writing team in WWE cannot handle. Without the ability to cut promos, a talent has exponentially less of a chance at succeeding in WWE. It means even more when someone can actually cut their own promos instead of something that was clearly scripted. Look at the rise of LA Knight. He is finally connecting with a global audience after being given a chance to be himself, which is often not the case in WWE. If some of the others, Francis included, were afforded that same opportunity, then this would be an entirely different conversation.

Two other released talents were the Maximum Male Models’ Mace and Mansoor. In their stream on Twitch, they both showed an incredible amount of charisma–which is impossible to do on Raw or SmackDown without a live microphone.

With so much talent now arriving in the free agent pool, it is fascinating to think where each person will land. The key will likely be generating interest in the indies, which is what Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes did exceptionally well in their post-WWE journeys–and ultimately led to their returns.

Once the 90-day no-compete clauses expire, there will be a new influx of talent available. Beginning with Dolph Ziggler, Matt Riddle, and Shelton Benjamin, here is a look at a potential landing spot for those three free agents:

Dolph Ziggler: AEW

This one appears to be obvious. Ziggler would be a perfect fit in AEW. He could–and should–be thrust right into the world title picture that eluded him for the vast majority of his time in WWE.

After he was released, Ziggler received praise from the likes of The Rock, John Cena, and Ric Flair. He immediately adds value to wherever he lands, and it would be extremely compelling to see him tangle with Kenny Omega, Darby Allin, and MJF.

Ziggler–whose brother Ryan also wrestles in AEW–would draw immediate interest for his first in-ring promo, which has the potential to be a throwback to something out of the famed “Monday Night Wars” era.

Matt Riddle: New Japan Pro-Wrestling

For too long, Riddle has been the common denominator in too much controversy. His talent in the ring is undeniable, but he clearly no longer had the faith from his bosses in WWE. Even more importantly. he needs to start restoring that trust with wrestling fans.

Traveling back-and-forth from the states to Japan is no easy task, but a move to New Japan Pro-Wrestling could help alter Riddle’s entire career. He is the type of wrestler who would thrive in hard-hitting matches, and there is no shortage of opponents for him in NJPW. He would make a fascinating addition to next year’s G1 Climax, and two matches that immediately come to mind are ones against Tomohiro Ishii and Will Ospreay.

Will Riddle draw interest from AEW? The answer to that question will be interesting–he has worked with much of their roster in either NXT, WWE, or the indies, so it will be telling if his peers vouch for him–or if they do not.

Shelton Benjamin: Impact Wrestling

While the initial instinct is to think Benjamin is AEW-bound, he would be an instant fit in the Impact Wrestling world title picture.

Impact has stood out in the Scott D’Amore era because it has developed an identity. Primarily based on in-ring excellence, Benjamin fits the ethos of what Impact is building. He would have excellent matches with Alex Shelley and Josh Alexander, especially with the added benefit of the world title on the line. Unfortunately, and unfairly, that opportunity was never in the cards in WWE.

AEW would also make sense as a landing spot, as would New Japan. He was part of the NJPW roster from 2012-2015, and he would also fit in seamlessly on that roster. If he signs with Impact, that door will still be open, with perhaps even better odds than if he commits to AEW.