PARKS’S TAKE: Is the WWE main roster heading toward a refresh with potential arrivals of several more ex-AEW wrestlers

It appears WWE may be in store for a main roster refresh of sorts.

Rey Fenix already has video packages playing on Smackdown, advertising his impending debut on the brand. Reports are Miro was at WWE headquarters recently, and Aleister Black is expected back in as well. All three were recently let go by AEW, in an about-face by owner Tony Khan, who had previously been happy to let them sit out the duration of their contract, knowing they were likely WWE-bound.

As I wrote last week, if feels like WWE is in a bit of a lull during this part of WrestleMania season. I’d expect a few if not all three of the wrestlers above to make their debuts after WrestleMania on what has traditionally become a heavily anticipated Raw and Smackdown in the days that follow the big show (though in recent years, the luster has worn off a bit). Fenix appears to be yet another attempt by WWE to market the next masked superstar after Rey Mysterio; so far, none have really taken, though his are big shoes to step into.

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If Miro is motivated (which he didn’t always seem to be in AEW), there are a lot of interesting feuds for him on the horizon. Bron Breakker, Jacob Fatu, and Logan Paul are some that come to mind immediately. Based on those names, you can see I don’t imagine Miro slotting into the main title picture, at least not right away. I think he has the upside to get there eventually, and building him up by having him battle with some of those stars will raise his profile in a way necessary for fans to take him seriously at the top of the card.

Black is more of a wildcard to me. Triple H certainly likes his dark, brooding characters, and Black fits that bill, so I’d expect a pretty significant push of some sort. There seems to be a jockeying of position for leadership roles within Judgment Day, a group that has been pretty aimless since Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley departed for babyface runs. Perhaps Black, coming off his run in AEW as the head of the House of Black, will find his way into the Judgment Day group to give them direction?

Read more of Greg’s analysis of where these three could fit into the WWE roster in his full-page article in next week’s Torch newsletter.