Tony Nese signs contract with AEW

Image: WWE

On Monday’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that former WWE wrestler Tony Nese has signed with AEW.

Nese made his on-screen debut during Saturday’s Dynamite in Orlando, Florida, as he was shown sitting in the crowd twice watching the action and referred to as “one of the hottest free agents in wrestling.”

Nese made his in-ring debut during Dark’s Sunday doubleheader of tapings at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. He wrestled twice Sunday, but neither of his matches are scheduled for tonight’s show. It’s expected that AEW won’t officially announce the deal until one or both of those matches air.

The 36-year-old was released in June as part of a mass amount of cuts by WWE. Nese spent five years on the company’s main roster, but was mainly seen on 205 Live or NXT the past few years. He held the Cruiserweight title for nearly three months in 2019.

His signing is the latest for AEW as they recently locked down both Daniel Garcia and Lee Moriarty to full-time deals. It’s unknown if this is also a full-time deal.