Right now is an exciting time to be a professional wrestling fan. WWE finally has some serious competition with All Elite Wrestling, which is making big moves to position itself as a legitimate threat to Vince McMahon's wrestling empire. AEW's strategy has included taking some moves from the old WCW playbook, signing former WWE talent to lucrative contracts, and rumor has it that some of AEW's biggest hires are right around the corner.
If the rumors are to be believed, AEW could very well be on the verge of signing contracts with Bryan Danielson (known in WWE as Daniel Bryan) as well as CM Punk. Nothing official has been announced at this time, but it's been heavily teased by insiders and even AEW itself that these hires are happening. If this does take place, it will create a shockwave in the professional wrestling world the likes of which hasn't been seen in decades.
Not only would AEW signing people like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk have a massive impact on the weekly television product, but its influence would be felt in other facets of the pro wrestling business as well. Namely, AEW making these landmark signings would be significant for the video game products for both companies, giving the AEW video game a major boost at the expense of WWE 2K22.
Daniel Bryan in AEW
Out of the rumored signings, the one that seems the most realistic is Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson. Reports from reputable sources indicate that Bryan is wanting to jump ship to AEW for a variety of reasons, including its lighter work schedule when compared to WWE, as well as the chance to work for different companies, namely New Japan Pro Wrestling. Bryan has already done just about everything there is to do in WWE, having wrestled all its top stars and main evented WrestleMania on two separate occasions. A switch to AEW would give him fresh opponents and "dream matches" against people like Kenny Omega.
There's already been reports that Daniel Bryan is out of WWE 2K22 due to his potential signing of an AEW contract. Daniel Bryan has been one of WWE's top stars of the past decade, and so his absence from WWE 2K22 will undoubtedly be a blow to the game's roster. If Bryan does sign with AEW, he would most likely be appearing in the AEW video game, which would in turn draw his diehard fans to the game. And from there, that could result in more WWE fans converting to AEW when it comes to tuning in to the weekly television shows and pay-per-view events.
CM Punk in AEW
Daniel Bryan signing with AEW would be huge for the company, but an even bigger signing would undoubtedly be CM Punk. CM Punk walked out of WWE in 2014 and hasn't wrestled a professional wrestling match since, which makes his potential return especially exciting. Punk left the WWE at a time when he was hugely popular and easily one of the company's top stars, and his AEW debut would generate significant buzz to say the least.
Since leaving professional wrestling, Punk has pursued a number of other interests, starring in movies and competing in a couple of UFC fights. He has repeatedly expressed a lack of desire to return to the professional wrestling business, but rumors indicate that he's finally changed his mind. And if he does go to AEW, the company could easily use him as the cover star for its video game and significantly boost its sales potential in the process.
Punk's prolonged absence from professional wrestling is partly what's fueling the excitement of seeing him return to the ring in AEW. Likewise, his absence from video games would also fuel interest in seeing him in a new one. The last WWE video game Punk appeared in was WWE 2K15, and there was famously some legal troubles surrounding that appearance. Punk then appeared in EA Sports UFC 2, but hasn't been in a video game since then.
Not only is there a clear desire from fans to see CM Punk back in a pro wrestling ring, but there is also a clear desire to play as him in a video game. The excitement surrounding CM Punk's potential AEW debut could help the game be a much bigger hit than it would be otherwise, and it will be exciting to see if AEW is able to capitalize on this momentum.
AEW Video Game
As it stands, not much is known about the AEW video game in an official capacity. Fans have gotten brief looks at AEW gameplay, showing off wrestlers like Chris Jericho, Darby Allin, Hikaru Shida, Kenny Omega, but the game's modes, features, and more are being kept secret for now.
Kenny Omega recently suggested that the AEW video game release date would be some point in 2022, so more details should come to light sooner rather than later. Fans of the promotion will just have to standby until then.