{"id":154731,"date":"2026-03-11T07:00:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=154731"},"modified":"2026-03-10T22:28:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T02:28:01","slug":"why-wwe-covets-aew-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/03\/11\/why-wwe-covets-aew-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"Why WWE Covets AEW Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

By now, broader audiences have seen an influx of wrestlers coming to WWE with a lot of buzz. Many of these talents are former AEW talents, often homegrown. Other times, indie and international talents, maybe some pluckings from TNA. But across the board, it\u2019s clear that some of the highly coveted stars are those who came somewhere All Elite.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, some jumped ship from AEW who might not have become stars in the company. There are the Cody Rhodeses, the CM Punks, and the Rusevs; people who had previously breached stardom in WWE. I\u2019ll touch on the alternative to this later.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite many talking heads\u2019 insistence otherwise, the way AEW has approached its talents has proved to make stars. Sometimes they make more of them than WWE can. Sure, NXT has shone up the ultra-talented Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams, Oba Femi, and Tiffany Stratton, and they\u2019ve done a neat job for some of these talents.<\/span><\/p>\n

But AEW does things differently.<\/span><\/p>\n

Re-Shining Former WWE Talent<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo by Ralph Arvesen, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As mentioned before, talents who either left or were released by WWE have found new ground in AEW. One of its early members, Cody Rhodes, achieved the form that would bring him back to the Stamford promotion, having gone \u201cfrom undesirable to undeniable.\u201d Despite being a divisive act<\/a>, he’s one of the company’s tippy-top stars.\u00a0 The allure of being an alternative company would entice the long-embittered CM Punk to return to wrestling. Though he left on vitriolic terms, his time in AEW rejuvenated him enough to swallow his pride and rejoin WWE. Both of these men are top stars in WWE currently.<\/span><\/p>\n

The same can’t be said for those who also returned. In AEW, the Bulgarian Miro started strong before refusing certain bookings, especially those that required him to lose matches. Back as Rusev in WWE, he\u2019s back to losing matches. Andrade El Idolo briefly rejoined, having also believed the grass was greener on the other side, and now he\u2019s back with AEW, where he seems happier. Aleister Black, formerly Malakai, also stepped back into the company after being presented relatively stronger in AEW, to have mostly losses. Idolo holds the distinction of all three in terms of depth, having had an acclaimed series against Carmelo Hayes and a tag team run with fellow AEW departee, Rey Fenix.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other talents took to AEW like water. Toni Storm underwent a \u201cTimeless\u201d character change that made her a top star. Swerve Strickland embraced his full storytelling and aesthetic to become a main eventer. Athena is currently the top act in Ring of Honor. So long as talent is willing to put their best out, win or lose, Tony Khan will book them well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New Talent From AEW<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On March 2, 2026, lucha superstar Penta won the Men\u2019s Intercontinental Championship from Dominik Mysterio. He joins Rhodes, Punk, and Jade Cargill as one of the recent AEW defectors to have such a status. Upon first glance, it\u2019d be understandable to perceive former AEW wrestlers as a bigger deal in WWE.<\/span><\/p>\n