WWE’s New Royalty?

As you know, Ring of Honor was purchased by the Sinclair Broadcasting Group a few months back.  Since then, most ROH talent has been locked down with new contracts.  There are a few notables, however, who are not yet on board for the new era of Honor.  Two of the biggest names not to sign new deals yet are Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero, otherwise known as the Kings of Wrestling.

A couple of weeks back, the Kings of Wrestling received tryout matches with the WWE.  Yesterday, the Wrestling Observer reported that a deal that would bring the Kings into the biggest wrestling company in the world appears to be in place.  According to their sources, background checks and physicals are all that currently remain to be done before the Kings of Wrestling joining World Wrestling Entertainment becomes official.  I cannot tell you how excited I am.  There’s a good chance that the WWE will not properly utilize these guys, but no matter what happens, Claudio and Hero both deserve their crack at the big time.  If they’re somehow incorporated into the saga in which CM Punk is currently starring, perhaps in some sort of Indie Invasion angle, they’d be sure-fire successes.  These guys are a polished product, they’re ready to go at the “big league” level immediately, and I can’t wait to see how they handle the spotlight.

Speaking of CM Punk, Colt Cabana deserves mention here as well.  Outside of the Kings of Wrestling, Colt Cabana is the biggest name not yet to sign a deal with ROH under the Sinclair Broadcasting regime.  He’s also stopped taking bookings for independent shows.  He’s been written off of NWA Hollywood programming with an injury angle.  And he’s not hiding the fact that he’ll be in Chicago for Money in the Bank this weekend, although if he’ll be merely visiting his friend backstage or getting involved in the show remains to be seen.  All signs point to Colt showing up on WWE programming sooner or later, though.

Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, and Colt Cabana are some exciting names to be European Uppercutting their way into the WWE right now.  If they play a role in Punk’s present angle, they become even more intriguing.  It’s a good time to be a wrestling fan.