Backstage Update on AEW Mystery Arrival, Notes on Unrestricted Free Agents, New Name in the Mix

– As previously reported, AEW President Tony Khan has hyped up a new “Forbidden Door” signing for the company who will debut tomorrow night on Dynamite in a qualifying match against Isiah Kassidy for the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match at AEW Revolution. Dave Meltzer discussed the rumors surrounding the matchup and possible candidates on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio.

As noted, the consensus backstage in AEW is that the debuting talent will be former WWE Superstar, Keith Lee. It won’t be Jeff Hardy, as he remains under a WWE non-compete clause until next month. Meltzer added that Hardy is not “legally allowed” to talk to AEW under his non-compete clause until March 9.

Also, it won’t be John Hennigan (aka John Morrison) either, since he was released on November 18, and his non-compete will likely not expire until later this month. Meltzer noted that Keith Lee would be free and clear to sign a contract with AEW, as Lee was released by WWE on November 4. Killer Kross is another former WWE name who recently became a free agent after his non-compete ended last week.

Additionally, former WWE NXT Champion Johnny Gargano is reportedly an unrestricted free agent. However, a past report by Fightful stated that when Gargano has been asked about his status, he made it clear that he’s focused on his wife Candice LeRae’s pregnancy, as she’s due to give birth to their first child soon.

One name that Meltzer reported today who hasn’t really been talked about is former IWGP Heavyweight champion Jay White. According to Meltzer, White is a name that he’s heard “a little bit,” though he said he didn’t know for certain if White was coming in or not. White is currently signed to a deal with NJPW, but NJPW works with both AEW and Impact Wrestling at the moment.

White has recently been working NJPW cards in the US and last month’s Impact Wrestling TV tapings. In promos at events, White has been issuing open challenges that also mention AEW.

One caveat to this rumor is that Tony Khan mentioned on social media that tomorrow’s mystery person is “signing a contract.” Meltzer added on White, “The thing is that he would not sign an AEW contract, so if the guy is coming in to sign a contract, I don’t think that’s going to be Jay White because I think he’s got a deal with New Japan, and he’s advertised for all the new New Japan — I think all the New Japan shows in the United States anyway.”

The mystery person will be revealed tomorrow night on AEW Dynamite. The show will air live on TBS at 8:00 pm ET.