AEW Star Shawn Dean Not Currently Entertaining The Thought Of Going To WWE: ‘I Choose Legacy Over Fame Any Day’

Published: 3 hours ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 1 hour ago by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

AEW/WWE

Signing his first AEW contract in 2021, Shawn Dean recently reflected on leaving it all behind to pursue a career in WWE.

Along with being a member of Shane Taylor Promotions and a former ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion, Shawn Dean also serves as the AEW Enhancement Talent Coordinator, scouting for independent wrestlers to bring to television.

With so much going on for the star, he was recently asked whether he would jump ship for WWE should the opportunity arise, during an appearance on the Kings of the Ring podcast, saying:

“I think at the moment, I don’t. And that’s just because at AEW I’ve carved out a lane for myself. I’ve put myself in a position to where I’m respected by my peers, I’m making a difference, and I’m a part of something that’s growing, something that’s going to be around for a long time.

“So for me, even if that time was to come in 10-15 years, and 10-15 years, I don’t plan on wrestling that long. So I’m already in a position now where I’m changing the future and establishing the next crop of people. So for me at the moment, right now AEW is where my heart is at.

“AEW took a chance on me and put me in a position to be able to get people to go to other places if it’s not AEW. They’re going to the E, they’re going to TNA, they’re in MLW, they’re going overseas. And a lot of them have got these opportunities based off of something they did on AEW Dark. Something that they probably would have never got a chance to do on the other side.”

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Among the names that Dean brought to AEW television before they were signed by WWE were Je’Von Evans and Jackson Drake, with the Captain sharing what caught his attention when he first saw the pair.

Dean would comment on how AEW has been instrumental in getting a number of independent wrestling stars exposure, stating:

“AEW has opened the door for so many people to get exposure, that it’s really crazy how it changed the game for wrestling in general. Because you went from one entity running the whole thing, to now you got another one that’s producing just as much talent, if not better talent on this side.

“So I want to be on a side where we’re continuing to change and grow, and knowing that I got a part in that. Like, that’s my place in history, and I choose legacy over fame any day.”

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Dean would also share advice that he gives to independent wrestling talent who are looking to secure their first major contract.

The Big One Becomes A Bigger Two

For many years, prior to the birth of AEW in 2019, when it came to wrestling in the United States, there was one big place to go, with WWE being the destination for many stars of the independent scene.

That’s not to say that there weren’t international destinations available to stars, such as NJPW, but for those hoping to be seen on major broadcast platforms in the US, it was WWE, with their next biggest competitor as a distant second.

AEW has changed that, not just by attracting former WWE stars to boost interest, but by building stars of its own from the very independent wrestling scene that feeds into the big companies.

WWE may have the capability of turning elite athletes into in-ring stars, but for AEW they focus on bringing in independent wrestling talent with a background in the business, polishing their skills into a television-worthy name.

The independent scene is the same talent pool that WWE looks towards for its future stars, with the WWE ID program being one method that the TKO-owned company uses to ensure that happens, but AEW still attracts names, potentially thanks to its more “indie” leanings.

For many wrestlers, the “WrestleMania moment” is a goal and, arguably, this would still exist for those in AEW who have yet to set foot in WWE. It’s a goal that, for the right talent, can come at any point in their future, even if, for the time being, they feel that WWE isn’t where they want to end up.

A prime example of such a mindset would be Finn Balor, who signed with WWE in May 2014, having debuted on the independent wrestling scene in 2001. A top NJPW star from 2006, he was a touch over 30 years of age when he signed that first WWE deal, having held titles in New Japan and on the independent scene and clearly garnered interest from WWE long before signing.

While much is made of the young stars getting signed to WWE and AEW contracts, age is a variable that seemingly has less impact than talent.

The global independent wrestling scene is replete with talent of all ages, yet it’s the select few that rise to the top and see contracts with AEW or WWE that spur on the stars of the future.

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