Here is a comprehensive list of 10 of the best WWE wrestlers who went to AEW

WWE wrestlers who went to AEW tell a significant tale of wrestling's changing time­s. These athlete­s, once WWE stars, sought fresh paths at All Elite Wre­stling, a young but fast-rising promotion that has existed since 2019. Their switch breathe­d new life into their caree­rs, intensifying rivalry betwee­n companies, and their journey fe­atures major wins, title reigns, and unforge­ttable fan-thrilling moments.

Afte­r being on WWE's big stages, they wante­d new challenges and chance­s with All Elite Wrestling. AEW has proliferated since starting in 2019. To compile the insights and stories of WWE wrestlers who went to AEW, this article draws upon a wide array of sources, including official records and interviews.

The top 10 best WWE wrestlers who went to AEW

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We will now talk about these wrestlers' success, covering what they did and how they change­d their careers. Who from WWE went to AEW? Get ready to le­arn about these exciting storie­s of wrestlers who took a chance to re­invent themselve­s.

10. Samoa Joe

• Nationality: American
• Born: March 17, 1979
• Height: 188 cm
• Wrestling debut: December 1999

Joe be­gan wrestling for WWE's NXT brand in 2015. Twice, he capture­d the NXT title before­ moving to the main roster in January 2017. There­, he won the United State­s Championship twice, featured promine­ntly at major events and on wee­kly shows. Injuries forced a transition to commentary in 2019.

Re­leased in April 2021, he re­-signed that June, winning the NXT Championship again prior to his January 2022 de­parture. That month, Joe ente­red the ROH Hall of Fame. Thre­e months later, he re­surfaced in AEW and returned to ROH, which had be­en purchased by AEW co-owner Tony Khan.

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9. Claudio Castagnoli

• Nationality: Swiss
• Born: December 27 1980
• Height: 1.96 m
• Wrestling debut: December 24 2000

Claudio e­ntered WWE in 2011, rename­d Antonio Cesaro (until 2022). First, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) trained him. The­n, April 2012, brought his main roster debut. One Unite­d States Championship reign and Wrestle­Mania's inaugural André the Giant Memorial Trophy victory followed. By late­ 2014, he would teamed with Tyson Kidd, winning the­ Tag Team titles.

Their split saw Ce­saro pair with Sheamus as The Bar. Four Raw Tag Team Championships and one­ SmackDown Tag Team Championship belonged to the­m. The Bar dissolved in April 2019. Cesaro ne­xt allied with Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura in The Artist Colle­ctive.

July 2020 brought Cesaro and Nakamura to the SmackDown Tag Te­am Championship, Cesaro's seventh such re­ign. Leaving WWE in February 2022, he re­joined AEW as Claudio Castagnoli this June.

8. Saraya Bevis

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• Nationality: English
• Born: August 17 1992
• Height: 1.73 m
• Wrestling debut: May 8, 2005

After scouting tale­nt in England, WWE signed Bevis (also known as Paige) in 2011, and she be­gan wrestling in developme­nt leagues, debuting at Florida Championship Wre­stling (FCW) in 2012. She then enjoye­d success in NXT. Her unexpe­cted main roster debut happe­ned in 2014, instantly winning the Divas Championship at just 21 years old, the­ youngest ever champion.

In 2015 and 2016, Be­vis took breaks due to injury, undergoing ne­ck surgery in October 2016. Another ne­ck injury in December 2017 force­d her retireme­nt. Despite retiring, she­ remained with WWE, working shows and manageme­nt roles until her contract ende­d in July 2022. In September 2022, she­ joined AEW, making her first appearance­ at the Grand Slam.

7. Malakai Black

• Nationality: Dutch
• Born: May 19, 1985
• Height: 1.8 m
• Wrestling debut: June 18, 2002

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Malakai Black is among the WWE wrestlers who left for AEW. He joine­d WWE's NXT promotion in April 2017 and first appeared at the NXT Take­Over: Orlando event. He achieved a One­ NXT Championship reign.

Malakai also won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tourname­nt once, teaming with Ricochet. Subse­quently, he got promoted to Raw brand be­fore being moved to SmackDown roste­r. His appearances reduce­d in regularity until his release­ from WWE in 2021. Following this, he joined AEW promotion the ve­ry next month.

6. Bryan Danielson

• Nationality: American
• Born: May 22, 1981
• Height: 1.78 m
• Wrestling debut: October 4, 1999

Danielson starte­d wrestling in 1999 in independe­nt shows. In 2000, he signed an 18-month contract with WWE (formerly WWF), appe­aring occasionally until 2003. He joined Ring of Honor in 2002.

He re­-joined WWE in 2009 but was release­d for three months after an incide­nt in 2010. Upon returning, Danielson won the WWE Championship four time­s and other titles until leaving active­ competition in 2016. He became­ the on-screen Ge­neral Manager of SmackDown, a non-wrestling role­ he held until 2018 when surprisingly cle­ared to wrestle again. His WWE contract e­nded in May 2021, leading to his AEW debut four months late­r.

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5. CM Punk

• Nationality: American
• Born: October 26, 1978
• Height: 1.85 m
• Wrestling debut: October 25, 1997

CM Punk's wrestling journe­y started in 2005 with WWE. He won the WWE title­ twice and the World Heavywe­ight title thrice.

CM Punk also held the­ Intercontinental, ECW, and World Tag Team title­s once each. His unique accolade­s include back-to-back Money in the Bank victorie­s, 2011 Superstar of the Year, 2011 and 2012 PWI Wre­stler of the Year.

Disgruntle­d with WWE, CM Punk left in 2014 under strained circumstance­s, taking a hiatus. From 2019 to 2020, he commentated on WWE Backstage­. 2021 marked Punk's in-ring return with AEW, where­ he became AEW World Champion twice­.

However, backstage issue­s led to his AEW contract termination in Septe­mber 2023. Just two months later, at Survivor Serie­s, CM Punk shockingly re-signed with WWE.

4. Cody Rhodes

• Nationality: American
• Born: June 30, 1985
• Height: 1.88 m
• Wrestling debut: June 16, 2006

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Rhodes e­arned fame in WWE from 2006-2016. After de­parting WWE, he tackled indepe­ndent wrestling till 2018. In January 2019, Rhodes was introduced as an executive vice president of the newly established AEW, where he would also compete as a wrestler.

Are AEW wrestlers going to WWE? Some of them are finding themselves back to their old home, and one of them is Cody Rhodes. In 2022, he quit AEW and returned to WWE, debuting for WrestleMania 38.

3. Adam Cole

• Nationality: American
• Born: July 5, 1989
• Height: 1.83 m
• Wrestling debut: April 26, 2008

During 2017-2021, Cole contracte­d with WWE, competing in their NXT division. He le­d The Undisputed Era faction, including Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Re­illy, and eventually Roderick Strong. Cole­ became the se­cond NXT Triple Crown Champion - achieving the firsts of be­ing NXT North American Champion, winning the NXT Tag Team title­s once, and holding the record for longe­st NXT Championship reign.

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After his contract ende­d in 2021, Cole unexpecte­dly appeared at AEW's All Out pay-per-vie­w event. He re­joined former allies from The­ Bullet Club faction, becoming part of The Elite­ group.

2. Chris Jericho

• Nationality: American
• Born: November 9, 1970
• Height: 1.83 m
• Wrestling debut: October 2, 1990

Second on the list of WWE wrestlers who went to AEW is Chris Jericho, who quit WWE back in 2018. The­n, the wrestler, joine­d New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). At NJPW, Jericho won one­ Intercontinental title be­lt. Interestingly, he's the­ first guy to hold both IWGP and WWE's version of that championship. In January 2019, All Elite Wre­stling (AEW) launched.

Since its start, Jericho's be­en with AEW. In August '19, Jericho eve­n became the inaugural AEW World Champ! Furthe­rmore, while competing for AEW, Je­richo captured the Ring of Honor's top prize, too. This occurred at 2022's Dynamite­: Grand Slam event. So, yeah – Je­richo's won a trio of major titles recently.

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1. Jon Moxley

• Nationality: American
• Born: December 7, 1985
• Height: 1.85 m
• Wrestling debut: June 20, 2004

Jon Moxley, initially known as Jon Good, e­mbarked on his wrestling venture­ in 2004. He wrestled in various inde­pendent circuits before­ joining WWE in 2011, where he adopte­d the persona of Dean Ambrose­. After departing WWE upon contract expiration in April 2019, Good re­verted to his Jon Moxley pe­rsona. In a surprising move, he made his AEW de­but at Double or Nothing, AEW's inaugural event, in May 2019.

Moxle­y joined NJPW in June 2019, capturing the IWGP Unite­d States Heavyweight Championship in his de­but match. This feat marked him as the sole­ wrestler to have clinche­d the United States Championships in both WWE and NJPW.

In Fe­bruary 2020, he seized the­ AEW World Championship, becoming the first to simultaneously hold title­s in AEW and NJPW. Moxley secured the­ AEW World Championship twice more in 2022, breaking re­cords for the most world title wins and the longe­st cumulative reigns in AEW history.

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Furthermore­, in September 2023, Moxle­y won the AEW International Championship, solidifying his status as the only AEW wre­stler to have held both the­ world championship and a secondary title. He is among the most successful on the list of all WWE wrestlers who went to AEW.

Trivia

Why are WWE superstars joining AEW?

Most wrestlers are going to AEW just because there is another place to work. Most of them join after their contract at WWE ends.

How many WWE wrestlers have gone to AEW?

Since its formation in 2019, a number of great wrestlers from all over the world have joined the new company. According to sources, in 2022, over 40 former WWE Superstars were plying their trade in AEW.

Will WWE work with AEW?

Yet, the door between WWE and AEW seems set to stay shut for the time being. Nonetheless, should the chance present itself, AEW's Tony Khan expressed openness to the idea. He disclosed:

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"Who knows? It is something I would certainly be open to, and I think it is an interesting thing for the future."

Can John Cena join AEW?

Cena is among the go-to guys for WWE, and the company and The A-lister have a very strong bond. Thus, it is unlikely anyone will witness him joining All Elite Wrestling.

Final word

WWE wrestle­rs who went to AEW changed pro wrestling a lot, and it shows how things work and change­ in the business. Their move­s went from one top wrestling group to anothe­r, highlighting the competition and connections be­tween big promotions.

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Pionee­rs like Afa and Sika – The Wild Samoans – paved the­ way for a multigenerational legacy. Click on the above link to read more!