Kiera Hogan signs with AEW and two former NXT wrestlers appear on Dark

AEW Dark had a busy night on the transaction wire. The signing of Kiera Hogan was announced, and two former NXT wrestlers appeared on the show as more than enhancement talent.

Hogan debuted in AEW in August after exiting Impact Wrestling as a free agent. She was put through the grinder with losses to Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander, and Jade Cargill. The Hottest Flame burned bright enough in defeat to earn a return ticket to AEW. She picked up a win over Blair Onyx in early September, then it was revealed on Tuesday night Dark that Hogan officially signed with AEW.

Excalibur dropped the news on commentary.

Excalibur: “Kiera Hogan, very recently signing with All Elite Wrestling.”

Taz added:

Taz: “I think it’s an excellent signing by AEW to have her. She’s just a tremendous talent.”

Hogan picked up a victory over Leila Gray via roundhouse head kick to improve her singles record to 2-3. Hogan is a two-time Impact tag champ with Tasha Steelz. She ranked 54th in the PWI Female 100 for 2019.

AEW also bolstered their women’s division by bringing in Santana Garrett. Alex Marvez interviewed her to open the show. Diamante acted as welcoming committee to grill the fresh meat. Words were exchanged, punches were thrown, and a match was made for Dark next week.

Garrett has won several championships during her career with the most notable being the NWA World Women’s Championship. She was ranked 4th in the PWI Female 50 for 2015. Garrett competed in the Mae Young Classic and signed with NXT. Now, it is time for the next chapter in her career.

The second former NXT talent debuting with AEW on Dark reunited a Brazilian tag team. The man formerly known as Arturo Ruas went by his real name Adrian Jaoude. He joined Cezar Bononi as a powerful unit. The two tagged frequently in NXT dating back to 2016.

Jaoude and Bononi dominated their competition, Ryzin & Jake St. Patrick, en route to victory.

Time will tell if the Brazilians will remain together in AEW. Taz gave their death metal theme song the vote of approval by singing the notes, so that’s a good sign. Jaoude finished fourth in the 2011 Pan American Games for freestyle wrestling. He’s also a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu with training in capoeira.

Hogan, Garrett, and Jaoude each have a lot of potential to make a name for themselves in AEW. Which of three wrestlers are you most excited for?