There is a lineup of prominent WWE wrestlers who are now in AEW. Most times, the WWE roster changes, and some WWE superstars who are regulars on SmackDown Live and Monday Night Raw are suddenly away for an extended period, sometimes due to injury, other times due to back-room politics. Regardless, when the WWE universe misses their champion, especially given the extensive lineup that made its way to the AEW roster, fans are bound to question. From better spots on the food chain to opportunities, here is a list of former WWE wrestlers in AEW.
Who are The Biggest WWE wrestlers in AEW?
With Sasha Banks, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, and other OG WWE wrestlers now in AEW, it’s worth wondering whether WWE might be losing its audience, too.
On the one hand, there are WWE fans who are missing a specific era of WWE—specifically, the era of Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair, Rusev and Lana, and The Shield vs. The Authority, as well as The Shield vs. Seth Rollins. On the other hand, there is AEW (All Elite Wrestling), which is quietly picking up these WWE superstars, who are not only getting to tell the types of stories they never would have had the opportunity to tell in WWE, but are also slowly and surely taking their WWE audience with them to AEW.
The main question now is whether, with these top elite WWE wrestlers now in AEW, this should be a cause for concern for either party involved.
10. Ember Moon (WWE 2018 – 2020)
Despite rising quickly and gaining fans in WWE, Amber Moon never really made the Jump to the top, at least when comparing her level in WWE to what she has attained in AEW as Athena.
During her time in WWE, she was the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion and a former NXT Women’s Champion. This achievement as Amber Moon in NXT made her upgrade to WWE a no-brainer.
Moon made first appearance on the main roster at the 2018 Royal Rumble as one of the women in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match. Following this, she teamed up with the intimidating Nai Jax but was taken out by a shoulder injury.
Her career in WWE was turbulent, taking several losses, and she was even demoted back to NXT. She is the current and longest-reigning ROH Women’s World Champion.
9. Edge – WWE (1998 – 2023)
Edge was the rave of the moment in the 90s in WWE. His portfolio includes major wins like 14 Triple Crown Champions, a 7-time Grand Slam Champion, the 2001 King of the Ring tournament, and the first-ever Money in the Bank ladder match. Edge first retired in 2011 due to neck injuries, then made a glorious return to the ring in the 2020 Royal Rumble match, won the following year’s Royal Rumble, and had brief rivalries with WWE top dogs like Randy Orton and Seth Rollins.
After his WWE contract ended in September 2023, he joined AEW shortly after debuting at WrestleDream, then went on to win the AEW TNT Championship twice as Copeland.
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Why Did Edge Leave WWE?
This time, Edge is leaving WWE for good as he is now signed to AEW. Even though there are many speculations on why Edge left WWE, especially being a WWE Hall of Famer, the general consensus is that it was creative control. During an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Edge admitted, “It felt like I had done everything I was going to do with WWE,” and implied that he and WWE were basically going in different directions:
“I’d worked the people I’d wanted to work like 95% anyway. And it just really felt that they were going in a direction and I was going in a direction and they were kinda going separate ways and I wanted to be with this limited window I have, I wanted to be involved… I wanted to be there on a weekly basis to tell proper stories and it’s tough to do that popping in and out every three months or so. And I also get that well, that keeps it special and I understand that, but again, I’m working with such a limited timeframe here, that I got to go while I can go. And I looked at the roster and I thought man, so many people that I’ve never laid hands on and been in the ring with.”
8. Bobby Lashley – WWE (2018 – 2024)
Former WWE superstar, Bobby Lashley has competed in several stages, including the MMA world. Bobby Lashley had a good run in the WWE. Apart from a 20-year-old rivalry with the beast himself, Brock Lesnar. Outside of these, there are several feats the “All Mighty” Booby Lashley achieved in the WWE, including capturing both the Intercontinental and United States Championship gold. Despite all these accolades and his romantic storyline with Lana, it was great, but it didn’t quite do much for the almighty. Bobby Lashley revealed he felt “awkward doing romantic scenes with Lana” on WWE TV, but she made him feel very comfortable.
Bobby Lashley’s profile includes three national and four All-American championship trophies. He was also a two-time Armed Forces Champion.
In WWE, he was a two-time WWE Champion, a two-time ECW World Champion, and a three-time WWE United States Champion.
Bobby Lashley, alongside The Hurt Business (formerly WWE’s Hurt Business), is part of All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The group still consists of Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP.
7. Ceasero – WWE (2011–2022)
After spending 11 years in WWE and earning a future Hall of Fame level of success, Cesaro chose to leave WWE for AEW. This move was quiet and basically uneventful. A year after leaving, he not only fulfilled his newly minted Rinf of honpr thrphy, but he also opened up about why he went quietly and gave several reasons:
I may have felt for a while that I needed a change and then um leading up to it there was just a bunch of signs um a bunch of stuff that different people said that they may have not even realized that they said it that just kind of helped me make up my mind um one of the things that just popped in my head was a johnny gargano’s last promo on nxt when he said to just always bet on yourself and that was just like maybe the last straw”
WWE’s Cesaro is now an AEW wrestler going by the name Claudio Castagnoli. Since leaving the WWE, he defeated Gran Guerrero to become the new CMLL World Heavyweight Champion, ending Guerrero’s 3-year reign, and is now a two-time ROH World Champion.
6. Big Show – WWE (2008 – 2021)
Big Show made a name for himself in the WWE during his time in the World Wrestling Federation/WWE from 1999 to 2021. He is currently in AEW, where he bears his real name, Paul Donald Wight II.
The giant, Big Show, has shared the ring with WWE’s finest—from defeating Eddie Guerrero, to ending Lesnar’s undefeated streak, chokeslamming Stone Cold Steve Austin, and even sharing the ring with The Undertaker and Kane.
He has earned 23 major championship titles across WWF, WWE, and WCW. His accolades include two WCW World Heavyweight Championships, the André the Giant Memorial Trophy, two World Heavyweight Championships, the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, and the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Big Show (Paul Wight) was formally welcomed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on February 24, 2021. There, he started as a commentator alongside Tony Schiavone on a YouTube series titled AEW Dark: Elevation.
Soon after, he faced and defeated Q. T. Marshall at All Out. This match marked his first match in AEW after he initially joined the company as a commentator weeks before.
5. Ricochette – WWE (2020 – 2025)
Ricochet joined WWE in 2020 and quickly gained attention for his high-flying wrestling style, innovative acrobatics, agility, and athleticism. Despite his remarkable abilities, he never truly reached the pinnacle of success. He is a former WWE Intercontinental Champion and made history in 2024 by becoming the first-ever WWE Speed Champion after defeating Johnny Gargano.
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After spending five years in WWE, Ricochet expressed: “I want to be doing something else.” He felt like he was still one of the new guys despite his tenure, and during an interview with Chris Van Vliet, he explained why he left WWE for AEW.
“I felt like I was starting over with the Bron Breakers and the elas and the Carmelos and the the new guys just coming in like I feel like Ricochet was with those guys coming back in I like man I’ve already been here for five or six years like I want to be doing something else you know I felt like that fire that was burning inside of me was like still there but it was just like little Embers at the time I felt like aew could be that gasoline for my my fire and since being there I felt I I I feel like I made the right choice”
After feuding with the likes of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and other top WWE stars, Sasha Banks vacated her position as one of WWE’s top dogs to continue her career at the highest level elsewhere.
Ricochet joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in August 2024 and is currently the leader of The Dark Order (other members include Toa Liona & Kaun), and is the current and inaugural AEW National Champion.
4. Samoa Joe – WWE (2015 – 2022)
Samoa Joe is easily one of the most ruthless superstars ever to grace the WWE ring. In fact, he is one of the most decorated wrestlers not just in WWE, but across several brands. With his personality and the brutality he brings, it’s no wonder that The Samoan Submission Machine has shared the ring with some of the most elite wrestlers in the world.
During his time in WWE, Samoa Joe faced off against the likes of John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, and Cesaro. Throughout his storied career on WWE Raw and SmackDown Live, he also battled opponents such as AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, and even Brock Lesnar.
His hard work and ruthlessness have earned him two NXT Championships and multiple WWE United States Championships, as well as two AEW TNT Championships and one ROH World Television Championship.
After a successful career in wrestling, Samoa Joe has revealed that he plans to retire from professional wrestling once his AEW contract expires.
3. Daniel Bryan – WWE (2010 – 2021)
The Yes Kicker stepped away from WWE and found a new home in AEW. Every OG WWE certainly appreciates the era of the Yes Movement. In fact, the WWE website once described Daniel Bryan as “a pure force to be reckoned with.”
Regardless, Daniel Bryan was released from WWE. This was following a controversial segment in which he strangled the ring announcer, Justin Roberts, with his necktie, an angle the company felt crossed the line. WWE later explained that the decision was influenced by concerns about sponsors.
The President of the Yes Movement is a WWE Grand Slam Champion and holds the record for the longest single appearance in a Royal Rumble match. Additionally, he was also appointed as SmackDown General Manager from 2016 to 2018.
WWE’s Daniel Bryan is now signed to AEW as Bryan Danielson since he made his surprise debut at All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at the All Out pay-per-view event. Since he has won the AEW World Championship eight-man single-elimination tournament, and received a future AEW World Championship match.
2. Sasha Banks – WWE (2012 – 2022)
The female wrestler later opened up about her battle with depression, explaining that it was one of the reasons she stepped away from WWE and spent time wrestling in Japan.
Sasha Banks is now signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Mercedes Moné (muh-NAY). Her career has spanned several wrestling promotions. In fact, she is the only woman to have won championships across major promotions, including WWE, AEW, NJPW, and CMLL.
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1. Dean Ambrose – WWE (2011 – 2019)
The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins) was an absolute match made in wrestling heaven. The group, both as a team and later as rivals, will no doubt go down as one of WWE’s greatest creations. However, with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins developing bigger personalities according to most WWE fans, The Lunatic Fringe at the time did not receive the love and attention he truly deserved.
With The Shield eventually breaking up, fans said their final goodbye to Dean Ambrose on April 8, 2019, following his departure from WWE. Since then, Ambrose has moved on to AEW, where he has remained at the top of his game, racking up numerous wins and records.
Dean Ambrose signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in May 2019 under the name Jon Moxley. Since then, he has achieved the quickest world championship victory in AEW history, pinning lineal champion CM Punk in just 3 minutes and 10 seconds in a match to determine the undisputed champion, becoming the AEW World Champion.
Mariam Emily Adama is a copywriter, SEO strategist, and digital marketer passionate about using words to inform, inspire, and influence. With over seven years of experience writing for global brands and managing digital campaigns, she brings a data-driven yet creative approach to content creation. When she’s not writing or analyzing trends, Mariam enjoys exploring new cultures, reading, and documenting stories that celebrate African excellence.