Subscribe
Follow Us
In professional wrestling, continuing a family legacy is everything – AEW has Brian Pillman Jr., the Gunns, Brock Anderson, and Hook, to just name a few, WWE has so many multi-generational performers that they literally had a legacy stable headlined by Randy Orton, and both promotions employ one of Dusty Rhodes' sons, with Cody set for a massive push in 2023.
So naturally, when Kerry Morton, the 21-year-old son of Rock ‘N' Roll Express member Ricky Morton hit the open market, both AEW and WWE had conversations with the current NWA Jr. Heavyweight Champion about joining their ranks before he inevitably returned to the NWA in order to finish up the final year and a half of his college degree, as he explained to Matthew Maschler on his Matthew Mania podcast.
“I just re-upped my deal with the National Wrestling Alliance for the next 18 months,” Morton said (h/t Fightful). “It's great how everything worked out, Pat Kenney and Billy Corgan were very open ‘we want you to attend University, we want you to get your education, we want you to be a cheerleader, and still be part of our organization.' Billy gave me some high praise at the tapings. It happened to work out greatly. My contract will come towards an end when I graduate college. Give me 18 months starting January 1 and we'll go from there.”
Asked if WWE or AEW reached out about his status moving forward, Morton happily delivered his answer.
“Yeah, I can happily say that, yes they have,” Morton said. “That opportunity is so surreal. With WWE and AEW, I let them know that I am in college, I plan on graduating from college, and that's kind of the idea of what they had for me so far. When I reached out and they reached out to me and they asked me to come tryout and be part of their squad, I said, ‘I'm in University, I would still love to attend,' which I did. Right now, I'm focusing on getting my education, which is a deal I made with my parents and grandparents before they passed. Get an education before I pursued the professional wrestling business.”
Could Morton be the next third-generation star to carve out a role with a major company? Could he be the next Nick Waye or Ava Raine, who got snatched up by a company before they could even imagine a career outside of professional wrestling, even if those situations are very different? Only time will tell, but with matches against Brian Pillman Jr., nZO, JD Drake, Tony Deppen, and Homicide already on his resume, it's clear the “Future Legend” is on the way to making good on his ambitious nickname.
Article Continues Below
AEW misses their third-generation star that WWE signed away.
Speaking of third-generation stars, one of the hottest names in professional wrestling period in 2022 was “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, who jumped ship from AEW to WWE after helping to found the former company with Keny Omega, the Young Bucks, and Tony Khan. Speaking with the fine folks over at the Grapsody podcast, TK explained just how big of a hole Rhodes left in AEW when he opted to sign with WWE ahead of WrestleMania 38.
“It was, certainly, whenever you lose a star the caliber of Cody Rhodes, it’s going to have a major impact on your company and affect a number of different departments and number of different things in terms of the presentation and the backstage,” Khan said (h/t Fightful). “Personally, I really like Cody, and I know Cody really well, and he was so involved in so many different facets with the start of AEW and what we were. When he left, that was a major challenge. Going into Revolution, we had so many great stories and I think it helped us and helped keep us strong that people were so invested in what was happening in AEW at the time.”
With Rhodes already being linked to massive matches in 2023, with a marquee spot at WrestleMania 39 a borderline forgone conclusion barring a setback in his rehabbing process, it's clear the two-time Intercontinental Champion has a chance to go after the big one in WWE, which is an avenue that simply wasn't available to him in AEW thanks to a self-imposed stipulation preventing him from ever challenging for the AEW World Championship ever again. While there may not be an AEW without Rhodes, returning to WWE was clearly the path he wanted to take, and in the end, it's cool of Khan for not holding too much of a grudge after contract talks broke down and he ultimately left for greener pastures.
