Identity of “The Clone” on August 30 AEW Collision Revealed

During the August 30 episode of Collision, AEW dropped a cryptic tease for an evil version of Hologram, simply calling it “The Clone.” While fans wondered who that star might be, his identity has finally been revealed.

Luchablog reports that “The Clone,” teased on AEW Collision during the Hologram segment, is actually Mexican wrestler Arez. At one point, AEW had thought about using Arez, but nothing came from it. They liked him, and he knew they were interested, but AEW already has a huge roster, so there wasn’t a rush to sign him.

Luchablog noted that two things changed that. First, Arez wrestled on the Dean 2 show, where AEW staff saw him perform. Second, about a month ago it was reported that WWE had changed its focus; instead of looking at CMLL talent, they were checking out independent wrestlers. Arez turned out to be one of them. WWE watched him, liked what they saw, and wanted to bring him back to AAA as part of their growing connection there.

When WWE made him an offer, Arez told AEW, forcing them to make a decision. AEW then made their own offer, and in the end, Arez chose AEW over WWE. It was noted that his reasons for choosing AEW aren’t clear.

By signing Arez, AEW not only gains a talented luchador but also keeps WWE from building stronger ties with AAA talent. Bringing in “The Clone” creates new storyline possibilities with Hologram, so we’ll have to see how he will be booked in the coming weeks.

Do you think Arez made the right call signing with AEW instead of WWE? How should AEW book “The Clone” to make him stand out from the rest of the roster? Sound off in the comments.