I know this probably sounds pretty stupid on the surface, but if he could somehow maintain peace in his home-life with Steph, I could actually see him going to AEW in a backstage capacity. He can't be happy with having NXT taken away from him, and after twenty years of being looked at as the next-in-line to eventually take over WWE, it now seems like he's completely out of contention for that spot. Not that he'd eventually take over AEW, either, but it would certainly be quite the retaliatory move. Plus, AEW is definitely closer to Trips' vision for the future of wrestling than anything Vince is doing right now, so he may want to be there when the tiny flippy guys start beating “Raw” in the ratings.
I also have to think that there are many people in AEW that would vouch for him. Cole, Fish, Malakai, Moxley, Danielson, Andrade, Pac, FTR, Lio Rush, Ruby Soho, Big Show, Mark Henry, Jim Ross, Billy Gunn, 2point0, Arn Anderson and Dean Malenko from working backstage with him, possibly Owens, Zayn, and Gargano in the future… and while I'm not sure of their personal feelings towards him, I could also picture Jericho, Christian, Dustin, and Matt Hardy all feeling that the pros would outweigh the cons. In TK's opinion, that many backers may outweigh Cody and Punk's feelings on the subject.
And if he DID jump ship, he'd be one hell of a pipeline for pretty much anyone released or with a contract that's about to expire. And not just obvious picks like Ricochet, just think of all the former NXT Women's Champions, “205 Live” stand-outs, a big chunk of the NXT-UK roster, tag-teams like “The Viking Raiders”, and legends/trainers like Shawn and Regal that might be willing to follow him.
So what do you think? Would Trips be willing to jump ship, especially if it means working under Tony and alongside the “Elite” guys, probably for less money (but for his own pride)? Should Tony and the EVPs even consider bringing him in? Or is it just not worth the family drama and reduction in pay? I know, it's the last one, but it is fun to think of just how much he could bring to the table.
Take care,
– Stu
I think it’s the last one. He’s just got too much financial stake in WWE and a family to support.