After making his AEW debut, a top independent wrestler had a bit of a bidding war for his services, with WWE showing interest.
“Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington, the nephew of the late Dynamite Kid, made his wrestling debut in 2018. He worked occasionally with his brother Mark at the Billington Bulldogs.
Billington first worked for AEW in May, when he put over Dax Harwood in a singles match on Collison. He hasn’t wrestled for AEW since, although Fightful reported that it’s believed he signed a deal with AEW.
Talent also believes there was an interest from WWE NXT in him. Neither AEW nor Billington has yet to confirm the news, nor is it known what type of deal he signed, whether a full-time or a tiered, per-appearance deal.
While speaking on Instagram Live, Harwood discussed how Billington’s AEW contract came together and noted 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 isn’t the only star to make a splash in AEW that caught the attention of WWE. Past names include Jade Cargill, Eddie Kingston, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Ricky Starks. Most notably, Lucha Bros are believed to be WWE-bound, while the company signed Stephanie Vaquer only 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
