Dave Meltzer 'Certain' This Former AEW Star Will Land In WWE

Yesterday afternoon, news emerged that a trio of absent AEW stars were no longer contracted with the company; Ricky Starks, Malakai Black, and Miro are now reportedly free to appear with any promotion they'd like. Since the story broke, the general assumption from wrestling fans is that all three men will sign with WWE, and speaking on "Wrestling Observer Radio," Dave Meltzer stated that he is more than confident regarding one of them.

"Ricky Starks I would almost be certain [to see] in WWE, Black I am certain, and Miro — I would just say I expect but I cannot say I am certain," Meltzer said.

Meltzer stated that Black's contract was close to expiring, while Starks and Miro had more time but were given their releases. Though he frequently denied their veracity, there had long been rumors that Black wanted to depart AEW in favor of WWE under Paul "Triple H" Levesque's leadership. However, Black had continued making appearances on AEW TV before his release, while Starks and Miro have not been utilized in quite some time.

Rey Fenix was seemingly not among yesterday's releases, as he is still featured on the company's website. Fenix has publicly expressed displeasure with his treatment in AEW, and his brother and tag team partner Penta already made his WWE debut earlier this year with a great deal of fanfare.

Meltzer had no definitive answer as to why Fenix was not included in yesterday's releases, but he speculated that it has to do with the "wrestling war" between the two promotions. The podcast host stated that if the shoe were on the other foot, WWE would almost certainly keep a performer under contract rather than granting an early release so they can work in the rival company.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.