AEW has used wrestling legends in in-ring, managerial and one-off appearances to boost storylines and moments since its inception four years ago, as it simply doesn’t have the same history as WWE or other long-time wrestling companies. At the premiere of Dynamite, for example, Bret Hart made an appearance, while Arn Anderson and Jake “The Snake” Roberts have managed other talent.
On top of that, AEW apparently tried to bring in another popular face of the past.
According to Nick Hausman of Haus of Wrestling, AEW approached Sean Waltman about teaming up with Billy Gunn, but the former X-Pac did not want a one-off appearance. However, he is working to get into wrestling shape, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he showed up on AEW programming at some point. This comes after Gunn said he tried to get Waltman on AEW “a couple of times.”
The 51-year-old, long past his days as a full-time talent, last wrestled in 2022 at two GCW events, including Joey Janela’s Spring Break, before undergoing surgery for a torn bicep. Otherwise, over the past decade, he has made one-off in-ring appearances with a variety of promotions.
Waltman joining AEW would reunite him with Gunn, the only other remaining D-Generation X stable member who still wrestles frequently, and evoke nostalgia for the two working together again. Gunn is currently aligned with The Acclaimed’s Max Caster and Anthony Bowens.
AEW has demonstrated their willingness to have veteran wrestlers, such as Jeff Jarrett, compete for titles on a regular basis. If Waltman takes a more permanent position in AEW, he could work a similar role to Jarrett on Dynamite, Rampage and Collision.
It appears that AEW is eager for Waltman to join, and with him preparing for a comeback, it is possible that he will make an appearance sooner than later.