Pitch For Ex-Superstars To NXT, Did Bret Hart Almost Sign With AEW?

Samoa Joe is returning to NXT; however, he might not be the only one. Triple H has made a pitch for ex-superstars to come back to the WWE yellow and black brand. 

Pitch For Ex-Superstars To NXT

There have been many superstar releases over the past year and a half. Some that NXT tried to bring in, and some that didn’t end up happening.

For those that may recall, Drake Maverick received an NXT contract after being released in April 2020. Fightful Select reported that there were *almost* more, but things fell through.

WWE had talked about bringing ex-superstars into NXT. No specific names were revealed.

The report noted something interesting. There was also a pitch to bring in a superstar that was let go to NXT, and this was shot down.

Pitch For One Of The Ex-Superstars APPROVED for NXT

The good news is that Samoa Joe is now with NXT. The bad news is that we don’t know exactly to what capacity as of yet.

HHH was quite eager to acquire Joe for NXT, as soon as word hit that WWE released him. There’s potential that the superstar’s role with the company might expand.

Will there be more released superstars joining NXT? Only time will tell.

It’s a good thing that Hunter was able to snag Joe before another promotion did. Speaking of, a new report questions if a WWE Hall of Famer was almost signed with AEW.

Did Bret Hart Almost Sign With AEW?

Bret Hart helped unveil the new AEW World Title during Double or Nothing’s first-ever event. It was a major moment that got a lot of attention.

Source: The New Age Insiders, Twitter, Screenshot

One has to wonder if Bret Hart was ever approached to sign with the AEW. The company signing WWE Hall of Famers is not a new concept.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, Hart signing with AEW wasn’t in the cards. His appearance during the 2019 Double or Nothing event was a last-minute deal.

Meltzer stated that he hadn’t heard any notions of Hart signing with AEW. The angle was presented at the umpteenth hour.

Plus, there was an understanding that if Bret showing up, this would upset Vince McMahon. However, Bret doesn’t have a contract with the WWE stating he couldn’t appear at the AEW event, so he wasn’t overly concerned.

Some Need To Worry

Meltzer went on to note that Bret worries to a degree when he makes decisions, as his niece Nattie is still with the company. The last thing he wants is to do something that upsets McMahon, where Vince takes it out on her.

This is the reason Bret rarely does podcasts anymore. It’s because he says what he thinks, which can garner heat from Vince.

Essentially, this can upset the WWE at times. But, when it came to presenting the AEW World Championship, he knew it would ruffle some feathers and he did it anyway.

Bret Hart knew he’d be presenting the new world title without an AEW contract. Therefore, it sounds like he wanted to be part of a fun and significant moment for the company.