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Tony Khan is often called out for having introduced tribalism in the pro wrestling industry by emphasizing the competition between him and other companies. However, not all of his employees are affected by this rivalry. Those of them who already have friends in other promotions are often seen hanging out with their former co-workers. Another top AEW star did the same recently.

Taking to his social media accounts, Swerve Strickland posted a picture with Carmelo Hayes. While this would have been a normal picture in 2021 before the former’s WWE release, the image shocked many fans online.

Is Tony Khan’s top star suggesting something big?

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Both wrestlers have reigned as the NXT North American Champion before. This was also the root cause behind their feud as Hayes defeated ‘Isaiah Scott’ in October 2021 to win the championship from him. Following this match, Strickland was removed from the leading wrestling promotion’s roster. Since then, Strickland can be found performing in AEW while Hayes continued his journey in WWE.

Now, their paths recently crossed again as the top AEW star uploaded a selfie with his former co-worker. The caption under the image on Instagram reads, “They act like two legends can’t co-exist 😂 🤜🏿🌟🤛🏿“.

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This image simply claims that the two stars still get along despite what went down between them, ignoring the rivalry between the two promotions. However, this could also be foreshadowing a probable alliance between them that might unfold soon. The caption suggests that the two wrestlers could be up to something that we don’t yet understand.

Hayes and Strickland aren’t the only wrestlers from two different promotions who like to reconnect. Cody Rhodes is also known to publicly express his love for his late AEW friend’s family.

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Cody Rhodes still connects with a late wrestler’s family from Tony Khan’s promotion

Unfolding as an unfortunate event, the wrestling industry lost Brodie Lee the same year that he joined AEW. He had grown closer with Cody Rhodes during the time that they worked together. So, even when the former AEW superstar left the company to join WWE, he didn’t give up on Lee’s family.

A few months ago, Rhodes was seen uniting with another AEW top star to celebrate Brodie Lee’s son’s birthday. Given the rivalry between WWE and AEW, it was a wholesome moment to see.

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Carmelo Hayes and Tony Khan’s top stars seem to be walking the same path. What do you think about this unlikely alliance?

READ MORE:- WATCH: Carmelo Hayes Finally Reveals the Motives Behind Attacking Trick Williams on NXT 02/06

Written by

Kaif Ali

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Kaif Ali is a pro wrestling writer at EssentiallySports and a massive WWE enthusiast. Currently pursuing an English degree, Kaif has started his career off strong, having written 1000+ articles at ES. As a huge Dwayne Johnson and John Cena stan, he loves covering their antics both on and off the small screen.
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Edited by

Donna Eva