All AEW stars who joined WWE in 2025

All Elite Wrestling saw multiple high-profile exits this year!
Since AEW was launched in 2019, it has been striving to be a 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.
There were multiple stars from multiple promotions, including WWE, who jumped ship and joined All Elite Wrestling. However, due to creative frustrations, a lack of clear creative direction, or just looking for better opportunities, some of these stars rejoined the Stamford-based promotion.
A few stars also made their WWE debut in 2025, after leaving the Jacksonville-based promotion. Down below is a list of All Elite Wrestling stars who joined the Stamford-based promotion in 2025.
AEW Stars who joined WWE in 2025
- Penta (fka Penta El Zero Miedo)
- Ricky Saints (fka Starks)
- Rey Fenix
- Rusev (fka Miro)
- Lana (fka CJ Perry)
- Mariah May
Penta made his official debut in January 2025 after the historic Raw Netflix debut episode and defeated Chad Gable in his first match. While Ricky Starks returned to the promotion after a brief stint on the Independent Circuit, following his AEW exit.
Starks returned on the February 11, 2025, episode of NXT as an unnamed free agent and adopted the ring name Ricky Saints soon after. Following Penta’s debut, speculations about his brother Rey Fenix’s joining the promotion were rampant.
Fenix made his debut on the April 4 episode of Friday Night SmackDown and has also competed at WrestleMania 41. Furthermore, Miro, known to WWE fans as Rusev, made his highly anticipated return on the April 21, 2025, episode of Monday Night Raw.
Rusev has since made his in-ring return on the May 05 episode of the Red brand, defeating Otis. Additionally, Lana fka CJ Perry, has signed a WWE legend’s deal in April, while her husband, Rusev, made his return.
Former AEW Women’s World Champion, Mariah May, is the most recent addition to the list. She made her debut on the June 3 episode of WWE NXT, putting the entire division on notice with a short and impactful promo.
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Abhijit Singh is a budding sports journalist with over three years of experience in the field, and a photographer capturing stories through his lens since 2018. With a background in philosophy and political science, he brings a thoughtful, analytical edge to his reporting where every word is guided by curiosity and intent. Whether he's capturing the emotion of a moment or unpacking the deeper narratives within the game, Abhijit’s work is rooted in insight and passion. When he’s not covering sports, he’s often exploring new ideas through reading, traveling or just procrastinating.
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