One prominent independent wrestler was the subject of a bidding war after his AEW debut as WWE expressed interest in hiring him.
“Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington, the late Dynamite Kid’s nephew, made his professional wrestling debut in 2018. He occasionally worked with his brother Mark for the Billington Bulldogs.
Billington began working for AEW in May, when he defeated Dax Harwood in a singles match on Collison. He hasn’t competed for AEW since, despite Fightful believes he signed a contract with the company.
Talent also claims WWE NXT had an interest in him. Neither AEW nor Billington have confirmed the announcement, and it is unclear whether he signed a full-time or tiered, per-appearance deal.
Harwood spoke on Instagram Live about how Billington’s AEW contract came together and said that WWE was interested in him.
“Tom got there, and I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this, but he told me about some of his financial woes. He had moved himself all the way to Canada to better his opportunities for wrestling. He told me about his financial woes and I told him that night, I said, ‘After tonight, we’re going to get you a job.’ We had the match, obviously he showed out. He was offered a contract on the spot, right there. He didn’t accept just yet but he was offered a contract right on the spot. I know the very next day WWE also reached out to someone close to Tommy and asked about getting him there. There was I don’t want to say a bidding war but there was some power plays and Tom decided he wanted to come to AEW. So I think you’ll see more of Tommy Billington in AEW to come.”
Billington is hardly the first AEW standout to attract WWE’s notice. Previous names include Jade Cargill, Eddie Kingston, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Ricky Starks. Most notably, Lucha Bros are expected to join WWE, while Stephanie Vaquer was signed just days after her match against Mercedes Mone at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.
Interesting nugget. pic.twitter.com/ESdatBhTRY
— Andrew Ravens l WrestlingNews.co (@Andrew_Ravens) August 14, 2024
