Former WWE Talent Backstage During AEW Dynamite 300

It looks like a familiar face from New Japan Pro Wrestling made an appearance behind the scenes at AEW this week.

Fightful Select reports that Fred Rosser, a regular on NJPW’s American shows, was backstage for Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite and Collision tapings in Ontario, California. Rosser, best known to longtime WWE fans as Darren Young, has been a key part of NJPW’s U.S. expansion in recent years.

While Rosser didn’t appear on camera, his presence backstage naturally got people talking—especially considering his past interest in AEW. When the company first launched, Rosser publicly expressed his desire to be part of the roster, even pushing for a tag team with Sonny Kiss.

Rosser is well remembered for his time in WWE under the Darren Young name, where he was part of the original NXT competition series and later one-half of The Prime Time Players alongside Titus O’Neil. The team saw success on WWE’s main roster, even capturing the WWE Tag Team Championships. Young was also part of a brief singles run in 2016 with WWE Hall of Famer Bob Backlund as his manager, using the slogan “Make Darren Young Great Again.” Rosser made history as one of the first openly gay WWE Superstars, earning praise from fans and peers alike for his openness and representation.

There’s no word yet on whether this latest backstage visit signals something more, or if Rosser was simply reconnecting with friends in the business. But with AEW and NJPW maintaining a working relationship, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Rosser appear on AEW programming in the future.

Would you want to see Fred Rosser finally get a shot in AEW? Or should he stick with NJPW? Sound off in the comments and let us know where you’d like to see him next.