Roderick Strong had wanted out of his WWE deal for most of 2022 and eventually got it.
On Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Strong made his surprise debut. A segment with Adam Cole and Chris Jericho saw Cole call out Jericho only to be attacked by the JAS. Orange Cassidy and Bandido tried to come out to make the save, but the JAS outnumbered them. Strong then ran out to make the save.
After being sidelined with an ankle injury, Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE had no plans to bring him back to television once he healed up.
Also, AEW kept the surprise debut for when Cole could return and hold Dynamite in Florida because Strong lives there, preventing him from being spotted traveling.
Also, Strong’s WWE deal actually expired in November. However, because WWE doesn’t announce NXT departures, and it wasn’t a release but a contract ending, the news never got out.
