Former WWE star Tony Nese signs contract with AEW

Former WWE 205 Live star Tony Nese has confirmed he has signed a contract with AEW. Billed as “the hottest free agent”, Nese confirmed his signing on Insight with Chris Van Vliet.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter was the first to report a deal had been struck.

Nese was shown sitting in the crowd on Saturday at AEW Dynamite. Nese has also been performing in Orlando for AEW Dark’s taping for next week.

Speaking with Van Vliet, Nese discussed the details around his Dynamite appearance. “They invited me to Orlando (for AEW) and I would say it was literally 10 minutes before they went live on the air and I got pulled aside, and they were like, ‘Hey, would you be cool to sit out in the crowd and we just keep showing you on camera?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, why not? TV time? I’ll take it.’ So I just kinda sat out there and at first, when they asked me I was laughing, like ‘Is the house low? Do you need me out there cheering or something?’”

Details of his signing were also discussed as Nese confirmed that AEW wanted to bring him in to “build him up as a star.”

Tony Nese secures AEW move

Tony Nese is a former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and was one of the standout performers on their weekly 205 Live episodes. WWE didn’t really have anything for him and it appeared that there was clearly no long-term future for him at the company.

He was eventually released in June 2021, and Nese hasn’t taken too long to find his next stop, as he has appeared on AEW immediately following his 90-day no-compete clause had expired. Nese will be a great addition to the roster, and we certainly can’t wait to see how they intend on building him up as a star moving forward.

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