It's probably unfair to say WWE ever treads water, but if there was ever a time when the promotion was taking some downtime, it's right now. Usually a quieter time of year in WWE since it's the holidays, and the next premium live event isn't until the end of January, most in the company currently have the better part of a week off, not hitting the road again until the MSG show on December 26. The perfect time for Triple H to have a long, hard think about the free agents he'll be targeting in 2024.
Signing Free Agents
According to Fightful Select (via PW Chronicle), that process has already begun. The outlet has claimed WWE is planning to renew talks with multiple free agents in 2024, but who exactly those free agents will be remains unclear. Topping the pile when it comes to speculation is, of course, Mercedes Mone. Seemingly set to become a member of the AEW roster after being shown in the crowd at All In, Mone has been confirmed to be a free agent but doesn't appear to have plans to work with AEW.
WWE Has Been Crudely Editing Mercedes Mone Out Of Archive Footage Again
Who is Bayley looking at in that clip? How could anyone possibly know?Another name potentially near the top of WWE's list is Kazuchika Okada. The Rainmaker's New Japan contract expires in early 2024, and it's believed the multi-time World Champion will be exploring his options. Already confirmed to be returning to Impact when it reverts to TNA at Hard To Kill next month, it's believed the change to Shinsuke Nakamura's character, and increased amount of screen time, is an attempt to prove to Okada that Japanese wrestlers are treated with respect in WWE in 2023.
Returning Releases
Pro wrestling's free-agent pool will actually get a lot busier later this week. All of the wrestlers with 90-day non-compete clauses in their contracts who were released in September will be free to appear elsewhere from December 21. If they don't show up at AEW World's End later this month, perhaps some will find their way back to WWE. Shortly after the most recent batch of releases, reports emerged suggesting WWE might be interested in hiring some of them back.
What is usually a quiet time of year for wrestling is set to be far busier this festive season. Not only will we start to hear about where released wrestlers have found new homes by the end of the week, but there's still one more PPV to look forward to. As for Mone and Okada, I can see the former signing with WWE, but not so much the latter.
