PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

 
 

TALENTED WWE WRESTLERS WHO MADE THE SWITCH TO AEW

By Kendall Jenkins on 2022-05-06 10:33:00

Several former WWE wrestlers have signed with All Elite Wrestling since its inception, adding a significant amount of talent to the roster. Recently, a number of WWE wrestlers have left the WWE after their last fights and joined All Elite Wrestling. Although not all of them were pushed to the pinnacle, most of them joined AEW to have a more successful career than they had in WWE. Many aspiring professional wrestlers have set their sights on All Elite Wrestling as a possible destination for their professional wrestling careers.

  • Chris Jericho

As one of the greatest wrestlers in history, Chris Jericho has successfully reinvented and revitalized his character for more than two decades, most of that time spent in WWE. His departure from the company in 2018 led to his announcement as AEW's first major external signee in 2019. AEW's first World Champion, Jericho, is still a top-flight performer.

  • CM Punk

In the end, CM Punk is by far AEW's most significant acquisition to date. Due to a sour relationship with WWE, The Cult of Personality made the decision to retire from professional wrestling and made a vow to never come back. AEW offered Punk a number of offers, but he turned them all down. After observing AEW's work for a few months, Punk decided to return to the ring. On AEW Rampage, The First Dance, he made his debut. He faced Darby Allin, whom he had defeated at All Out 2021 in the rematch. AEW recognizes the importance of punk's upcoming resurgence.

  • Jon Moxley, formerly Dean Ambrose,

Another former WWE star who defected to All Elite Wrestling and went on to win the AEW World Championship is Jon Moxley. Even though bizarre storylines involving him wearing a gas mask and having a vaccine injected into his backside made headlines, WWE announced that Moxley would not be renewing his contract with the company.

  • Bryan Danielson

At AEW All Out 2021, Bryan Danielson made his debut as well. Many WWE fans were taken aback by Bryan's signing, as no one had expected him to ever leave the company. His departure from WWE was even viewed as a career move by some of his admirers. AEW treats Danielson with the respect he deserves as one of the greatest wrestlers in history. One of the most popular wrestlers of the decade was Daniel Bryan. Bryan was forced to retire in 2016 due to injuries, but he was able to regain his eligibility by 2018.

  • Adam Cole

At All Out 2021, Adam Cole reconnected with The Elite. The fans were surprised when Cole decided not to renew his WWE contract. However, they knew that he would join AEW in the future. As soon as Christian Cage was defeated by Kenny Omega for the AEW Championship, the Elite came out to celebrate. Before Omega's short promo, they attacked Cage and the Jurassic Express, which had come to save him. Cole's music was born as a result of this, and his followers went wild. After that initial shocker, the audience knew more was coming from AEW.

Conclusion

All Elite Wrestling hasn't yet reached WWE's level of pop culture relevance, but it's possible that they will in the future. There are a surprising number of superstars and up-and-comers who have chosen to leave WWE and work for AEW as proof of this.

 

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!