Ex-WWE Star Contacted AEW But Tony Khan Had “No Interest”

One former WWE star won’t be finding a home in AEW.

Since AEW was formed in 2019, the company has signed several former WWE Superstars with the expected mixed bag of success.

While names such as Toni Storm and Swerve Strickland have taken their careers to a whole new level since becoming All Elite, Aleister Black and Rusev have already found their way back to WWE.

Another AEW success story is Big Bill. After leaving WWE, the star continued to battle mental health issues and addiction, but after getting his life back on track with the help of Diamond Dallas Page, he signed with the Tony Khan-led promotion in 2022.

He initially formed part of The Firm before going on to win the World Tag Team Championship with Ricky Starks, and later working with Chris Jericho as part of The Learning Tree.

However, it seems a former tag team partner won’t be following the same path.

AEW Turned Down Enzo Amore

During an appearance on the No Contest podcast, Enzo Amore, now known as Real1, revealed that he’s reached out to AEW in the past, but the company had no interest in working with him.

“AEW is something I considered. I reached out, but they had no interest in me. And I’m at a point where if it’s f**k me, it’s f**k you. I mean, what do I care? What, are you going to cancel me? I have nothing to lose, bro. I’ve already lost everything. I’ve been dragged through the mud. And you know, when you treat ’em like dirt, they stick like mud, bro. I don’t care. If you treat me a certain way, I’ll treat you the same way.”

The star signed with WWE in 2012 before debuting in NXT and teaming with Big Bill (Big Cass) in July of the following year.

Over the next four years, the duo became one of the most successful tag teams in the company after spells in NXT and the main roster. However, in 2017, the team was disbanded, and they went their separate ways.

Enzo Amore was released by WWE in January 2018 in relation to allegations of sexual assault. A police investigation was later dropped due to insufficient evidence. Cass was let go later the same year.

The pair briefly reunited on the Jericho cruise back in February 2025.

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H/t to WrestlingNews.Co