Kevin Sullivan Wants AEW To Hire Controversial Former WWE Star

Former WCW head booker Kevin Sullivan believes every wrestler deserves a second chance. On the latest episode of "Tuesday with The Taskmaster," Sullivan urged AEW President Tony Khan to sign former WWE star Ryback, who has mostly remained away from the spotlight since his acrimonious WWE exit in 2016. 

"I think that if he came back, he'd have a better chance coming back to AEW — fresh start, fresh thought, no sins," Sullivan explained. "If he really apologized, from the heart, everybody deserves a second chance."

Back in December 2019, Ryback teased a possible stint with AEW when he spoke glowingly about former AEW EVP Cody Rhodes and the vision that AEW had for competing with WWE. Speaking on his "Big Guy" podcast, Ryback noted that AEW's rise to prominence was good for the health of the wrestling industry as it was going to "force WWE to change" and no longer rest on its laurels. 

Following his WWE departure, Ryback was embroiled in a seven-year legal battle with WWE over the rights to his stage name. Earlier this year, "The Big Guy" announced that he had secured the rights to the "Ryback" name, thereby officially changing his name from Ryan Reeves to Ryback. During the entire time, Ryback did not hold back on his thoughts about Triple H, Vince McMahon, and CM Punk, the three men he harbored a public grudge against, both before and after his WWE exit. 

In an interview on "K100" earlier this year, Ryback even explained how his relationship with Triple H soured over the years and became irreparable towards the end of his six-year WWE run between 2010 and 2016. 

Should AEW give Ryback a shot at returning to wrestling? The 41-year-old last wrestled at a NEW Wrestling indie event in August 2018.