Windsor, Ontario just became ground zero for the biggest free agent sweepstakes in professional wrestling. Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor are currently co-promoting Global Wars. The St. Clair College SportsPlex is packed. But the real story is happening behind the curtain.
According to live event coverage from PWInsider, former TNA World Champion Josh Alexander is in the building. He is not booked on the card. He was not advertised to the live crowd. Multiple sources indicate he is backstage visiting.
In this business, top-tier free agents do not make surprise backstage visits just to say hello. When a former world champion shows up at a Ring of Honor co-promoted show, negotiations are happening. The timing is completely deliberate. Alexander’s TNA contract officially expired recently. He is the most sought-after free agent in North America. Tony Khan might have just secured his signature.
The Canadian Connection
You cannot discuss Josh Alexander's future without discussing Scott D'Amore. D'Amore resurrected Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling after his highly publicized exit from TNA. When Anthem Sports unceremoniously fired D'Amore, they alienated a massive chunk of their locker room. Anthem management completely misunderstood the culture of their own wrestling company.
Alexander was at the top of that aggrieved list. He carried TNA through its darkest periods. He worked through a gruesome triceps tear that would have sidelined most men for a year. He put the company on his back during the empty-arena pandemic tapings, delivering classic matches when the world was shut down. His hour-long Iron Man match against TJP is still regarded as a modern masterpiece. His emotional World Championship victory over Moose at Rebellion was a masterclass in long-term storytelling.
When his contract expired, the industry assumed he would follow D'Amore. Loyalty means something to him in a business known for cutthroat politics.
Now, we have MLP partnering directly with Tony Khan. Khan has always favored technical Canadian wrestlers. He also possesses a massive checkbook. The math here is incredibly simple. D'Amore brings the local credibility and the personal relationship with Alexander. Khan brings the global television platform and the financial muscle. It is a perfect storm for a major signing. Windsor is historically a hotbed for wrestling. Having a Canadian hero finalize his next major contract backstage at a Canadian show is fantastic optics for AEW.
A Technical Masterpiece Waiting to Happen
If you watch Alexander wrestle, you know exactly why Ring of Honor makes sense. He is a grappling machine. He wears the amateur headgear for a reason. He will stretch you, suplex you, and make you tap out. His ankle lock is vicious. His C-4 spike piledriver looks legitimate every single time.
Imagine the potential matches waiting for him on the Tony Khan roster. Alexander versus Claudio Castagnoli in a Pure Rules match would be a violently beautiful struggle. They are two of the strongest pound-for-pound athletes in the industry. A thirty-minute clinic against Katsuyori Shibata would test the limits of both men. A hard-hitting slugfest with Tomohiro Ishii would tear the house down.
These are the kinds of bouts that built the ROH legacy in the early 2000s. Alexander wrestles like he belongs in a 2005 main event against Bryan Danielson or Samoa Joe. He doesn't rely on flashy flips or convoluted high spots. He breaks opponents down piece by piece.
Tony Khan built the Continental Classic around this gritty style. Alexander would immediately legitimize the top of the ROH card. He could step up and challenge Mark Briscoe for the ROH World Championship tomorrow. Nobody would question it. Briscoe has been a great fighting champion, but he needs a credible, dangerous challenger to anchor the main event scene. Alexander is the perfect candidate.
The Harsh Reality of the HonorClub
But let's be totally honest about what Ring of Honor actually is in 2026. It is not a thriving third brand. It is a streaming show heavily reliant on hardcore diehards paying a monthly fee.
Signing with ROH right now carries massive professional risks. We have seen this exact scenario play out dozens of times over the last four years. A huge name debuts. Tony Khan hugs them on the stage at a premium live event. The internet rejoices. Six weeks later, they are wrestling in front of 1,500 exhausted fans in a dark arena after Dynamite goes off the air.
That is the absolute worst-case scenario for Josh Alexander. He spent years being the big fish in the small TNA pond. He was the focal point of their television show. Moving to ROH might just mean becoming a forgotten fish in a massive, bloated AEW ocean. If he signs, he needs ironclad guarantees about television time on Dynamite or Collision. Working dark matches in front of half-empty arenas in Toledo is beneath a wrestler of his caliber.
Tony Khan has a terrible habit of collecting expensive toys and forgetting to play with them. The roster is painfully congested with talent fighting for scraps of television time. Alexander cannot afford to be another action figure left in the box. He needs a prominent weekly role with dedicated storyline focus.
The ROH roster is already stuffed with guys like Lance Archer, Brian Cage, and Dalton Castle who vanish for months at a time without any explanation. Alexander has to avoid that trap at all costs. If he signs this deal, his agent better have secured a guaranteed number of television dates.
The WWE Factor
Why wouldn't WWE make a play for him? Triple H has signed top independent talent before. He brought in Shawn Spears and Ethan Page to help anchor NXT.
The reality is that WWE seems entirely focused on their own internal pipeline right now. They are aggressively recruiting college athletes, Olympians, and younger independent talent. Look at their recent Performance Center classes. They want 22-year-old gymnasts and football players they can mold from scratch into sports entertainers. A 30-something technical wrestler with a history of serious neck injuries simply doesn't fit their current recruitment profile, no matter how excellent his matches are.
Furthermore, WWE demands a grueling travel schedule. Alexander has a family in Canada. He has spoken openly about wanting a schedule that allows him to be a father first. AEW and ROH offer significantly lighter travel demands. Wrestlers usually only fly out once a week for television tapings. That lifestyle balance is a massive selling point for veterans.
Assessing the Probability
So, does this deal actually get done? Yes, it is highly likely.
The probability here is incredibly strong. I would put it at an 85% chance of happening. The professional wrestling industry is heavily driven by personal relationships and timing. Alexander trusts D'Amore completely. D'Amore is working closely with Khan on these co-promoted shows. The bridge is already built and the contract is likely already being negotiated.
Alexander has nothing left to prove on the independent scene. He has wrestled everyone on the indies. He has won every conceivable title outside of the big two companies. He needs a secure, long-term contract with a major promotion to secure his financial future. Tony Khan has the funds to make that happen without blinking. The deal makes too much sense for either side to walk away.
Expected Timeline and Debut
When will we actually see him on television? That is the trickier question to answer.
AEW Dynasty is coming up fast on March 30. That is only two days away. Tony Khan already has a stacked card for Kansas City. Jamming a surprise debut into an already crowded premium live event doesn't make much sense. It would get completely lost in the shuffle of the major title matches and ongoing storylines.
Look a little further down the calendar. WrestleMania 41 weekend is approaching in late April. Ring of Honor traditionally runs Supercard of Honor on that Friday night. That puts us right around April 17 in Las Vegas. That is the perfect stage for a massive debut.
A debut at Supercard of Honor gives Alexander the spotlight he deserves. It allows him to confront the ROH World Champion in front of a hardcore crowd. It sets up a major summer program and provides a significant talking point during the busiest wrestling weekend of the year.
If the reports from Windsor are accurate, the ink might already be drying. Josh Alexander in Ring of Honor is a fascinating prospect. It could be the move that finally gives ROH a distinct main event identity and separates it from AEW. Or, it could be another cautionary tale of Tony Khan's roster bloat. The next few months will reveal exactly how management plans to use him.
