Top 10 former WWE Superstars who are now in AEW

Since AEW was launched in 2019, it has been striving to be the potential competitor of WWE. The company seems to be promising with fresh minds and a number of opportunities. Since the company started to boom right from the start, wrestlers across the globe started signing deals with AEW and neglecting equally competitive companies such as WWE. So here are the top 10 former WWE Superstars who are currently signed with AEW.

10. Dustin Rhodes

Dustin Rhodes, who was known as Goldust, had a long past with WWE from 1995 to 2018. He left WWE in 2018 asking for a release following a Knee Surgery and joined All Elite Wrestling in 2019. Despite a undercard run in WWE, Dustin Rhodes is one of the top wrestlers of the company with some of the greatest matches and five star ratings.

9. Miro

Miro, formerly known as Rusev in WWE, is currently signed with AEW since 2020. He was released from WWE in 2020 as a part of Covid19 budget cut. Though he got released from WWE, he was unhappy with WWE’s creative style as he never got the push he used to get in the initial stages. Miro then signed a contract with AEW and won the TNT Champion within months.

8. Claudio Castagnoli

Claudio Castagnoli also known as Cesaro in WWE is currently signed with AEW. He had a 11 year long history with WWE and left the company after his contract expired in 2022. Four months later, he made a surprise debut in AEW at the Forbidden Door as a replacement player to represent the Blackpool Combat Club. He then entered ROH with the association of AEW and won the ROH World Championship twice. He is the reigning ROH World Champion on his second reign. 

7. Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe had a seven year long wrestling career with WWE, where he was the NXT Champion thrice and United Champion twice. He was released from WWE in January 2022 due to back to back injuries vacating his NXT Championship. Three months later Joe signed a contract with AEW and surprisingly made his return on its sister promotion ROH and won the ROH World Television Championship. He also entered AEW and won the TNT Championship twice. He lost the TNT title but still manages to hold the ROH Television title with himself.

Also Read: Who are WWE’s biggest competitors as of 2023?

6. Saraya

Saraya, popularly known as Paige in WWE, is currently signed with AEW and is the current AEW Women’s World Champion on her first reign. Paige retired from wrestling after back to back neck injuries in 2016 and was in a non-wrestling role in WWE. She was released from WWE in June 2022 and got cleared from her neck injury the following months. In September 2022, Paige under her original name Saraya made her AEW debut at Grand Slam in New York. She started a heel stable called The Outcasts with Ruby Soho Tony Storm.

5. Adam Cole

Adam Cole had a long run in NXT, where he was the leader of the Undisputed Era and was the NXT’s second Triple Crown Champion. He left WWE in 2021 following his contract expiring and made a surprise debut in AEW at the All Out pay per view, where he reunited with former Bullet Club members and joined The Elite. Cole is now having a more successful run in AEW, where he main evented one of the grandest events of the company All In for the AEW World Championship.

4. Bryan Danielson

Bryan Danielson, most popularly known as Daniel Bryan in WWE is currently signed with AEW and is the member of the Blackpool Combat Club. Bryan had a great run in WWE, that most of them could only dream of. His contract with WWE expired in May 2021 and the company tried hard to sign him a new contract.

However Bryan dumped WWE’s contract and got signed with AEW. He made his surprise return at All Out pay per view in 2021, following the arrival of Adam Cole to confront The Elite. He then explained how he loved his previous company and yet left it. He is currently a member of Blackpool Combat Club and is having a great time.

3. CM Punk

CM Punk left WWE in 2014 and announced his retirement from professional wrestling following a backstage issue with the company. He instead tried MMA and commentary for a long time, but his return rumors were going viral day by day. At the First Dance event on Rampage, CM Punk made his AEW debut and marked his first appearance in the wrestling ring in seven years. He is a two time AEW World Champion and is the current Real World Champion.

Also Read: Top nine wrestlers who will never return to WWE

2. Jon Moxley

Jon Moxley, popularly known as Dean Ambrose in WWE is currently signed with AEW. Dean Ambrose announced his departure from WWE in 2019 following creative frustrations with the company. He then made an unannounced debut to AEW at the company’s first PPV Double or Nothing.

Where he attacked Jericho and Kenny Omega to make a clear statement to the AEW roster. Moxley is a three time AEW World Champion and two time IWGP United States Champion by using the Forbidden Door. He is currently a member of Blackpool Combat Club with Bryan Danielson and Castognoli.

1. Chris Jericho

In 2018, Chris Jericho was released from WWE after wrestling for 16 years as Vince McMahon asked Jericho to work somewhere. He then wrestled for Independent Circuits and NJPW for a year and surprisingly appeared on the media event of AEW launch in 2019. It was later reported that Jericho was signed with AEW. Jericho then became the inaugural AEW World Champion of the company. He had a stable called the Inner Circle and is now redubbed to Jericho Appreciation Society.

Although signed with AEW, Jericho played a cameo to appear on the video to appreciate John Cena’s 20-year celebration in WWE.

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