Wrestlers Making Their Own Way.

No longer is the WWE the end all be all for a professional wrestler in 2019. In recent history, dozens of unhappy “independent contractors” that worked with the largest wrestling promotion in the world have found extraordinary success in other organizations.

John Moxley, F.K.A Dean Ambrose in the WWE is the most recent person to blast off by betting on himself and working the upstart All Elite Wrestling (AEW).  Moxley then went to New Japan Pro Wrestling and won their United States Championship form another former WWE performer Juice Robinson, F.K.A CJ Parker.

Moxley stated many times how restrictive the WWE could be creative to wrestlers. Moxley has made the podcast tour and has aired displeasures with the creative team. Moxley has followed the model set by Cody Rhodes, who left WWE with his disapproval of not getting the opportunity to be the wrestler he believed he could be.

The list of wrestlers wanting out of their contracts with the WWE runs the gambit of talents in women, men, and tag teams. The biggest star that has made plenty of public statements of wanting to be set free is Sasha Banks. Banks has not appeared WWE television since WrestleMania. On that list include Luke Harper and the tag team The Revival. Many performers believe their prime years' talent wasted with incoherent and ignorant storylines. Banks is a member of the WWE Four Horsewomen who is over with the fans, a great worker, celebrated on the mic, and has wrestled in a few of the best matches male or female in the past five years.

There have been plenty of wrestlers that have turned down WWE offers such as The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and others, who all have gone on the found their promotion AEW with the financial backing of Tony Khan, son of the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Khan, a lifelong wrestling fan, went into business himself with his biggest signing being Chris Jericho. Jericho spent nearly 20 years with the WWE and is now a top star in the upstart company.

Jericho has worked with NJPW as well. Jericho became their Intercontinental Champion as well a recently competing against Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Jericho will be in the main event for AEW in their next pay-per-view, All Out in Chicago August 31.

The movement is to the power of social media. Wrestlers do not need the backing of the WWE machine to expand their brand. Looking at many of the biggest stars in WWE now, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and half of the Raw, Smackdown and NXT rosters, all have made names for themselves outside of the WWE. Their names have become so big; the WWE had to offer them contracts. There are not too many WWE made stars on the roster as we speak.

Not to forget other promotions that have television deals with large social media followings such as Ring of Honor (ROH), Impact Wrestling, Major League Wrestling (MLW) and the resurgence to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).  Many of these organizations have working relationships where they share talent, primarily ROH, NJPW, and the NWA, which leads to new and innovative matchups; reminiscent to the territory era of wrestling since WWE put the final nail in that coffin in 2001.

Wrestlers now can bet on themselves to become the wrestler they want to be. No longer must a wrestler strive to WWE to make a name for themselves. Wrestling has not been as deep when it comes to the number of options performers can work.