At AEW WrestleDream 2026, Nick Wayne defeated Chris Jericho for a second time.
“The Prodigy” has let this success go to his head with a new cocky heel persona that sees him doing Kick streams, telling the world about his wins over Jericho.
Now that he is on his way back from a tour in NJPW after competing in the Super Junior Tag League tournament, Wayne could return to form his own stable to surround himself with likeminded young talents looking to excel in All Elite Wrestling.
Here are four AEW stars to potentially join a Nick Wayne-led faction.
Bustah & The Brain
At the start of 2026, Alec Price and Jordan Oliver, better known as Bustah and The Brain, signed with All Elite Wrestling.
Since then, Bustah and The Brain have been mostly featured on Ring of Honor television in recent months.
During their time on the independent scene, Price and Oliver formed a strong connection and friendship with Nick Wayne.
Bringing these three young stars together, Bustah and The Brain could make for some logical first additions to a potential stable led by Wayne in the near future.
Billie Starkz
Another young star on the AEW roster that formed a friendship with Nick Wayne on the indies was Billie Starkz.
Since signing with All Elite Wrestling, Starkz has become one of the most prominent stars on the Ring of Honor brand.
Aligning herself with Athena, Starks is the lead minion in MIT and is the first ever ROH Women’s TV Champion.
Feeling like she needs a fresh coat of paint, Starkz could lead MIT to join forces with Nick Wayne by his side to take over AEW.
Zayda Steel
After leaving the WWE ID program and Evolve brand, Zayda Steel went on to sign with AEW.
Following her signing, Steel joined forces with Christopher Daniels, Scorpio Sky and Top Flight in the SkyFlight faction.
At 23 years old, Zayda Steel is someone who has a bright future ahead of her, but she could be better utilized in another group.
Steel joining Nick Wayne in a Gen-Z style unit would be fitting and allow her to show her personality in a better way.
The Swirl (Blake Christian & Lee Johnson)
Since forming as a tag team in AEW, Blake Christian and Lee Johnson, better known as The Swirl, has become one of the most cohesive duos in the company.
Regularly featured in Ring of Honor, The Swirl has joined forces with Jay Lethal to become the Lethal Twist.
At ROH Death Before Dishonor 2026, Lethal Twist defeated Dalton Castle and The Outrunners to become the new ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions.
Despite this success in ROH, The Swirl could capitalize on their momentum from their tour in NJPW recently by joining a group that better highlights their personas with Nick Wayne in a new faction on AEW TV.
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