AEW: Why they should sign Fred Rosser, formerly Darren Young

Known as Darren Young in WWE, professional wrestler Fred Rosser has been a free agent since October 2017. Here’s why AEW should end his free agent status and make him one of the newest additions to their growing talent roster.

AEW has yet to produce its first show, which will take place later this month on the 25th in Las Vegas, yet its empowering message of inclusiveness has made quite the statement in professional wrestling. For far too long, pro wrestling has lived in an outdated state of hatred, where words like “representation” and “celebration” have fallen by the wayside.

With signings like Nyla Rose, Kylie Rae, Sonny Kiss, Britt Baker, Sammy Guevara, Hikaru Shida, and Pac, AEW have built a diverse and talented initial talent roster for its Double or Nothing event. As the impressive list of wrestlers begins to take shape, fans continue to wonder who the final signings will be.

While they are on a mission to assemble a roster of young, up-and-coming performers, AEW does have a few veterans of the business. Christopher Daniels and Chris Jericho are two of the biggest names on the men’s side, while Aja Kong has been announced for the Double or Nothing show as another icon in this business.

But AEW could still use a veteran performer who brings the same “What can they do?” buzz that an up-and-comer would: they should strongly consider signing Fred Rosser.

Known as Darren Young in WWE, Rosser was one of many wrestlers relegated to the lower card, passed over for superstars who were liked more backstage. Rosser’s biggest moments came as a part of a collective, as he was a member of Wade Barrett’s fabled “Nexus” stable. He also formed a championship-winning tag team with Titus O’Neil and the Prime Time Players had some tremendous backstage segments that often get overlooked.

Rosser worked in WWE for eight years without ever receiving a look as a singles competitor, save for a doomed “Make Darren Young Great Again” gimmick with manager Bob Backlund. Like so many superstars, Rosser was suppressed by the WWE machine, except, in his case, this suffocation was even more insidious.

That’s because Fred Rosser is one of the few openly gay men in professional wrestling and when he publicly came out in 2013, he was the first person in wrestling history to come out while actively wrestling for a major promotion. It was a groundbreaking moment and it makes Rosser a trailblazer in this sport.

Yet, WWE didn’t let him represent his sexuality with pride.

Read this heart-breaking quote from Rosser to Wrestling Inc. in April:

"“When I was released in 2017, I was more hurt, not about the release, but more about months later, at WrestleMania, the LGBTQ colors were embraced by a good friend of mine, a straight ally, Finn Balor, who’s an amazing wrestler, an amazing talent, and good human being. But I was kind of upset because, why not let me embrace the colors while I was still with the company? Why not let me show my pride and all that other good stuff?“I cried like a baby, honestly. I was just… I was just devastated that I wasn’t even invited to the festivities at that WrestleMania.”"

I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for Rosser to not be a part of that. He spent three decades of his life unable to truly show to the world who he is and instead of allowing him to celebrate that important part of his identity, WWE asked him to hide that in favor of tired gimmicks that went nowhere. Rosser has a chance to represent the LGBT+ community with an organization in AEW that, on the surface, appears to be ready to celebrate LGBT+ wrestlers. They have, of course, already signed another openly Black, gay wrestler in Sonny Kiss.

Rosser has all the tools to help fill out the AEW roster as a mid-card talent. Since leaving WWE, he has evolved into an intelligent performer with an incredible physique and more than enough athletic ability in the ring. In addition, he has a solid understanding of wrestling psychology with a willingness to entertain the crowd in a humorous way.

With a roster of up-and-coming stars like MJF or established superstars like Kenny Omega and Jericho, AEW could benefit from a 35-year-old who has yet to receive proper booking as a singles superstar – a superstar who is willing to help elevate younger talent.

He even had a pitch for a program with Sonny Kiss.

"“I’ve talked to Brandi, I’ve sent her ideas about teaming with Sonny Kiss. If no one has ever heard of Sonny Kiss he’s an incredible talent. And the story would be like, I’m the big brother, he’s the little sister, you know? So no one messes with my little sister Sonny Kiss. I think we could rock-and-roll in AEW as a team. Me, making sure no one messes with him, me having his back, and him wowing the crowd with his athleticism, and me wowing the crowd with my ground-and-pound attack."

Should Kiss and Rosser form a tag team if Rosser were to sign with AEW? That’s a debate for another time and I’d rather allow both competitors to work separately as singles competitors. However, it is notable that Rosser has already reached out to AEW with pitches for storylines, and it is another example of how proactive he has been since leaving WWE in 2017.

Though Rosser qualifies as a veteran of the business having spent a decade at the largest professional wrestling promotion in the world, we have only yet to see a small glimpse of what he’s capable of. And those glimpses occurred when he worked with Nexus or Titus O’Neil.

AEW has the opportunity to sign and showcase a talented wrestler with a chip on his shoulder, a point to prove and plenty to offer that’s unique. There’s room for another veteran on the roster, especially someone with a compelling message to #BlockTheHate and an upside we’ve yet to see fully unleashed. And of all people, I’m sure Cody Rhodes knows what it’s like to be in your 30’s with a point to prove towards wrestling’s largest company.

The point Rosser is out to prove means something extra, especially to the fans who relate to him: He can celebrate his identity, show how good he is as a performer, and get the rest of the world behind him in a movement to block the hate.