AEW wrestlers becoming frustrated with bloated roster size

AEW has an exceptionally talented roster. Tony Khan has been gathering elite talent from all over the world. Khan was also building out a deep rotation during the company's early years. With the consistent influx of elite wrestlers, AEW's roster has become bloated. Multiple stars are still under contract but are getting little-to-no air time. 

”AEW talent are frustrated over the roster size, resulting in a lack of ring time and exposure," Dave Meltzer reported in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. "AEW went from the fun place to work with the great backstage camaraderie when WWE talent for the most part were walking on eggshells, to a place with a lot of frustration from wrestlers making a nice and even great living but not getting anywhere near the ring time nor upward mobility hoped for.”

Khan has consistently honored the contracts he's handed out. As such, talent will likely be forced to wait until their current deals expire before looking for new opportunities. Of course, they could also request their deals be terminated by mutual consent. 

For AEW, having a deep roster is an issue. Not only does it create animosity backstage, it also makes life difficult for the fanbase. It's hard to get behind a wrestler who hasn't been seen in six or nine months and is then suddenly thrust into a major storyline, only to vanish again a few months later. If AEW wants to build compelling long-term storylines, having a tighter roster would go a long way to making that happen. 

Khan could also follow the WWE model and split the roster by promotion, so Dynamite and Collison have dedicated stables, with Rampage acting as the development brand. There are options available for the company to explore. 

Nevertheless, with a constant push to add more elite-level wrestlers to the roster, Khan needs to begin letting some of the roster leave – not only for the company's good but also for the good of their respective careers.