Potential placement by Tony Khan for AEW star who is heavily speculated to join WWE (Exclusive)

Tony Khan and Triple H are in charge of AEW
Tony Khan and Triple H are in charge of AEW's and WWE's creative respectively [Image Credits: AEW's YouTube channel, WWE's website]

Conjecture continues to thrive regarding an AEW star and his future in the Tony Khan-led promotion amidst rumors that he may be headed to WWE. The star in question is Daniel Garcia.

The Red Death is one of the Jacksonville-based company's most promising young talents currently. Having proven his caliber in programs with top names, including Chris Jericho, Bryan Danielson, and MJF, the 26-year-old is viewed by many as a top star in the making. However, Garcia has not been featured on AEW television since losing to MJF at All Out 2024, which has added fuel to ongoing speculations surrounding his professional future.

Furthermore, recent reports have indicated that WWE is keen to bring the former JAS member in, with Chief Content Officer Triple H supposedly considering Garcia the sport's next great technical wrestler. Despite the rumors, the former ROH Pure Champion has not been announced for the fifth-anniversary episode of AEW Dynamite this week.

During Sportskeeda WrestleBinge's recent live Q&A with Wrestlevotes, a fan asked if Daniel Garcia not being booked on Dynamite's fifth-anniversary special could indicate ongoing negotiations between the star and All Elite Wrestling.

Wrestlevotes responded that not every All Elite talent regularly features on the Wednesday-night show and argued that Garcia not appearing on Dynamite this week would not automatically suggest that he is headed to WWE NXT. They further voiced their belief that Garcia will resume his AEW career, albeit clarifying that the matter is still uncertain.

"I guess, yeah... It could mean, it could mean that he hasn't re-signed or hesitant to re-sign, but in reality, you know, tomorrow is the fifth year anniversary of Dynamite, and if you look historically, not every superstar appears on every Dynamite, so I can't tell you that if he doesn't show up tomorrow night that means he's NXT-bound or something like that, no... I don't think Daniel Garcia is leaving, but I can't be for sure." [7:34 - 8:12]
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Recent reports about Daniel Garcia's status in AEW

For several weeks now, Daniel Garcia's status in All Elite Wrestling has been a major talking point among fans and viewers. Last month, the Wrestling Observer reported that AEW was no longer as sure about the prospect of the budding star re-signing with them as they had been before. This has been rumored to account for Garcia being booked to lose to MJF at All Out 2024 and for his programming absence since then.

A new update from Ibou of Wrestlepurists, however, somewhat contradicted the abovementioned report by claiming that All Elite Wrestling is confident about the reigning PWG World Champion staying on in the company and has supposedly even developed creative plans for Garcia in case he elects to re-sign.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Daniel Garcia in AEW and whether he will jump ship to WWE.


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Edited by Angana Roy