Since the early 2000s, we have seen the growth of WWE acquiring several rival companies and conquering the wrestling scene. After Vince McMahon owned WWE dominated the wrestling era for nearly two decades, his rival Tony Khan stepped up with AEW (All Elite Wrestling) in 2019. This certainly changed the game of the wrestling scene as it brought changes to the sports entertainment market.
The billionaires McMahon and Khan went on to build their own rosters of wrestling superstars. Some professional WWE wrestlers even moved to AEW, signing a brand new contract.
Today, we will look at the ten most popular WWE wrestlers in AEW.
10. Brandi Rhodes
Brandi Rhodes’ debut in WWE can be traced back to 2011, signing a development contract as a ring announcer under the name ‘Eden Stiles.’ While she left WWE in December 2011, she rejoined the wrestling scene in 2013 before parting ways again in May 2016. She finally made her ring debut in October 2016 after signing the contract with TNA in September; TMZ broke the news. This signing didn’t last long as the wife of professional wrestler Cody Rhodes left Impact Wrestling in 2017.
After the announcement of AEW in 2019, she became Chief Brand Officer and debuted in the first pay-per-view match in May 2019. She performed in AEW, becoming a wrestler and a top executive. During her AEW career, she worked harder than any other wrestler, as per the reports of andscape.com.
With almost three years’ stint in AEW, she left the AEW franchise on February 15, 2022, alongside Cody Rhodes. AEW announced the duo’s departure on its X page (formerly Twitter).
Brandi, who is now retired from the wrestling scene, often appears alongside her husband, Cody Rhodes, in WWE.
9. Pac
Benjamin Satterley, ring name Pac, debuted with WWE in July 2012. He wrestled in NXT under the name ‘Adrian Neville’ and fought several superstars like the Wyatt Family, Dean Ambrose, and Kevin Owens. He becomes a reigning NXT champion before losing his championship belt to Sami Zayn. He was then drafted to WWE Raw in 2016 and went on to become Cruiserweight Champion. After the contract dispute, WWE announced in August 2018 that Neville was no longer under contract.
The British superstar joined the AEW (All Elite Wrestling) roster in 2019 under the name Pac. While he was absent from AEW during the COVID pandemic, Tony Khan assured that it was due to travel restrictions. Pac made a stunning return to AEW Dynamite in November 2020 after being quarantined for seven months, wrestlinginc.com reports.
He is currently with AEW, where the inaugural champion is performing as a member of the Death Riders.
8. Sting
Sting is one of the greatest professional wrestlers who gained fame from the WWF (World Wrestling Federation). Since his CWA (Continental Wrestling Association) debut in 1985, he has become renowned for holding the Heavyweight Championship. Due to his loyalty to WCW (World Championship Wrestling), it took a decade for him to debut in WWE.
Sting made his first WWE ring appearance in November 2014, attacking Triple H, that build to Sting vs. Triple H for WrestleMania 31. He announced his retirement from the wrestling scene during the WWE Hall of Fame speech in 2016.
In May 2020, WWE announced that Sting was no longer under contract with WWE. After leaving the wrestling brand, he joined AEW in December 2020, making his debut on AEW Dynamite. He retired from AEW in March 2024 with an undefeated record at AEW Revolution 2024.
Even after his retirement, Sting often makes surprising appearances on AEW, continuing his legendary legacy in the wrestling scene.
7. Goldust
Goldust, aka Dustin Rhodes, one of the best wrestlers of the WWF (now WWE), debuted in the pro wrestling scene in 1995. He fought The Ultimate Warrior, The Undertaker, Al Snow and formed a team with Booker-T in WWE Raw. After fighting briefly in TNA, he returned to WWE in 2005 before entering the TNA roster once more in 2007. He then parted ways with TNA in 2008.
Goldust also fought under the SmackDown and NXT brands. He left WWE after his contract expired in March 2019, becoming a free agent. Soon after, in August 2019, AEW announced that he would join as a wrestler and coach.
Goldust, the legendary wrestler Dusty Rhodes’s son, is currently signed to AEW with a multi-year contract extension, joining the coaching staff.
6. Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes, the half-brother of Goldust, debuted in the WWE in 2006, playing in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). He teamed up with Hardcore Holly after a brief rivalry, where the duo won the World Tag Team Championship in late 2007.
During his early-tenure with WWE, Rhodes became known for his feud with D-Generation X, aka Shawn Michaels and Triple H. He partnered with Goldust, and with his name as Stardust, the duo fought with The Shield and had bad blood established with The Authority.
He left WWE in May 2016 and later claimed that Triple H took his departure personally, as per his interview with Bleacher Report. After a brief stint with TNA and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Rhodes joined AEW as an executive vice president with a five-year contract in 2019.
After three years of his tenure with AEW, he, alongside Brandi Rhodes, left the franchise on February 15, 2022. Cody then returned to WWE during Wrestlemania 38, where he currently performs with SmackDown.
5. Brodie Lee
Brodie Lee was a professional wrestler known for his ring name Luke Harper. Before joining WWE in 2012, he worked on the independent circuit. He joined ‘The Wyatt Family’ with Eric Rowan and Bray Wyatt in November 2012, and the trio went on to conquer the NXT circuit.
Brodie fought several superstars like Jon Moxley, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Brock Lesnar, to name a few. He left WWE in November 2019 after settling the contract with the giant wrestling company.
After WWE, he debuted in AEW Dynamite in March 2020 as ‘The Exalted One.’ But he suffered an undisclosed injury that AEW confirmed in November 2020.
The American wrestler had a sad demise on December 26, 2020; he was 41. His wife, Amanda Huber, confirmed Lee’s death due to a non-COVID lung-related issue via her Instagram.
4. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho made his WWF (now WWE) debut in 1999 and became renowned for his longtime feud with fellow wrestler Chyna. He fought several legends like Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, The Rock, Christian, and has left WWE on several occasions.
The greatest professional wrestler of all time, Jericho, has won several titles, including the World Heavyweight Championship, the World Championship, and the Intercontinental Championship. After Wrestlemania 33 in April 2017, he made a departure from WWE.
After leaving WWE, he signed a three-year contract with AEW in 2019, and since then, he has become one of the top wrestlers of AEW.
Jericho resigned the contract with AEW in October 2022, which was set to expire in late 2025. He recently sparked rumors about returning to WWE, but according to Newsweek, he is still under contract with the AEW roster.
3. Matt Hardy
One half of ‘The Hardy Boyz’ tag team, Matt Hardy is best known as the WWF Tag Team Champion alongside his brother Jeff Hardy. He and Jeff feuded with Edge, Christian, and The Dudley Boyz before both stormed as solo competitors.
Matt left WWE on multiple occasions before making his debut with TNA in January 2011. Due to his TV tapings, he got suspended from TNA in June 2011. Later, he reunited with his brother in WWE, but Jeff suffered a knee injury that prompted Matt to appear less. In March 2020, WWE announced that his contract had expired.
Nonetheless, one of the greatest WWE showrunners, Matt, joined AEW in March 2020 and kept his wrestling spirit firm. After his contract expiration with AEW in April 2024, he became a free agent.
The American wrestler soon made his return to TNA and even made his surprising return to WWE in February 2025. He is currently signed to the TNA roster.
2. Jon Moxley
Jon Moxley is highly recognizable for his WWE appearance as Dean Ambrose from 2011 to 2019. He was one of the trios of ‘The Shield‘ alongside Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. After Rollins betrayed ‘The Shield’ with ‘The Authority,’ the group went their separate ways and continued to feud with each other.
During the time with WWE, Ambrose fought several superstars like Kane, Big Show, Sheamus, and even became the WWE World Heavyweight Champion after winning the 2016 Money in the Bank ladder match. His wrestling stint continued with WWE before Vince McMahon tried to introduce his character with a new storyline.
During his podcast with Chris Jericho on Talk is Jericho in May 2019, he revealed that he left WWE due to a disagreement with McMahon. Regardless, he joined AEW as Jon Moxley and became renowned for his feud with Chris Jericho.
He is currently with AEW and is the leader of the Death Riders alongside his former WWE partner, Pac.
1. Big Show
Since his WCW days, Big Show, aka Paul Wight, was a massive star feared by all wrestlers as ‘The Giant.’ One of WWE’s fan-favorites, he won multiple championships and initially served as McMahon’s enforcer.
Big Show built rivalries with several superstars like Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Triple H, and more during his tenure. After appearing for 22 years, Big Show and WWE couldn’t come to financial terms. He left the company in February 2021.
Soon after ending his long-term run with WWE, it was reported on February 24, 2021, that he would be joining AEW as a wrestler and commentator on the show AEW Dark: Elevation.
While famous for the ring-name Big Show, he is currently with AEW under his real name, ‘Paul Wight.’
