The talent roster of AEW is loaded in early 2022. The company possesses 119 wrestlers signed to contracts, some of whom are former WWE superstars. It would be a crime if some of those wrestlers hadn’t come over from World Wrestling Entertainment.
Looking at the overall landscape of the AEW Roster, you would think that the influx of talent hired over the last 3 years would be chock-full of former WWE employees. Since their inaugural pay-per-view offering, AEW Double Or Nothing, the company has signed 18 formerly contracted WWE superstars.
That number makes up 15% of the overall roster in AEW. A number you would think that would be much larger than it is. Seeing as the WWE has released or seen the contracts expire of 99 active performers, a staggering number when you see it in print.
When AEW emerged on the scene in early 2019, its roster was pint-sized. Filled with a mix of young and veteran talent, the company promised to bring pro wrestling back to the promised land in America.
3 years later, AEW is the number 2 promotion in America behind the WWE from a popularity perspective. The roster has ballooned in size and the product is on a seismic trajectory upwards. Armed with a National television contract and a vision for the future, AEW is sending shockwaves through the pro wrestling industry.
This brings us to the topic at hand. How have the aforementioned 18 wrestlers who left the WWE over the last 3 years fared since their arrival’s in AEW?
Some don’t have a resume built up yet in All Elite Wrestling. Talents such as Mercedes Martinez, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, Jake Atlas, and Tony Nese have incomplete grades at this juncture.
Also, for this exercise, Paul Wight and Mark Henry are excluded. Wight has wrestled 3 times in AEW and is commentating on Dark Elevation as his main job. While Henry hasn’t laced up his wrestling boots.
Christian Cage and CM Punk also will not be included. Cage only participated in the WWE Royal Rumble after 7 years away from the ring. Meanwhile Punk had been inactive altogether after leaving the WWE in January of 2014.
This leaves 12 men and women who have signed with AEW directly from the WWE to grade. The goal here is to be as objective as possible. I will tell you whether these talents have fared better in NXT, WWE, or in AEW?
Dustin Rhodes- Signed in April of 2019
Dustin Rhodes had an incredible debut promo and match in AEW. His bout with brother Cody Rhodes at Double Or Nothing in 2019 is arguably the best singles match in the short history of AEW. From that point forward, Dustin has been a background character and fantastic backstage hand. The overall body of work in the WWE stands out here, even though his few big matches in AEW have been spectacular.
Edge: WWE
Jon Moxley- Signed in May of 2019
This is a little more difficult than you may think. His arrival brought with some major buzz and a fresher lease on life for the former Dean Ambrose.
It would be hard to omit the great accomplishments he had in the WWE. As a founding member of The Shield, Moxley would become a WWE grand slam champion. While his WWE title reign only lasted 84 days, Moxley was still an interictal part of the company for the near 7 years he was on the main roster. Even if his creative ended in an ugly way.
However, as Jon Moxley, he has arguably been the MVP of AEW over the last 3 years. The 2nd AEW World champion in company history and remains one of the franchise players in the promotion. Feuding with Kenny Omega upon his arrival and the train hasn’t slowed down since. The impact he has made in less than 36 months has spanned multiple promotions. It’s a close call but I lean,
Edge: AEW
Shawn Spears- Signed in May of 2019
The chairman of AEW, Shawn Spears has had a rollercoaster run with the company. Thrust immediately into a feud with Cody Rhodes, it ended with a defeat at All Out. Spears really hasn’t gotten going in spite of a few glimmers of opportunity.
He would align with MJF and The Pinnacle in March of last year. Since then, he has been a side player in major company feuds with The Inner Circle and CM Punk. Often the fall guy in the group, Spears has failed to hit a significant stride in AEW. I have fond memories of his NXT work as Tye Dillinger. His “Perfect 10” persona caught on with the Full Sail crowd and got him over in a big way. With a few solid matches thrown in, Spears is remembered for his black and gold days.
Edge: NXT
Matt Hardy- Signed in March of 2020
The timing was off for Matt Hardy’s AEW debut. It was week 2 of a Global pandemic. No fans in attendance, he could still thrive in this environment. He was left to his own peril and creativity. Something not many other performers are better at than Matt Hardy is.
He arrived onto the scene and befriended the Elite in their faction feud with The Inner Circle. Over the last 2 years, Hardy has had a few memorable matches, yet nothing as legendary as his Hardy Boyz ladder matches in the early onset of his WWE career.
Matt Hardy reinvents his character better than most in the pro wrestling industry. He has done a solid job with his ‘Broken’ and ‘Big money Matt’ characters. Entering the twilight of his career, it’s quite difficult to exceed what he has accomplished over the last 2 decades.
Edge: WWE
FTR- Signed in May of 2020
Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood found a new lease on life with AEW. Stuck in some forgettable segments on WWE Monday Night RAW towards the end of their days with the company, FTR simply wanted to wrestle. Each and every night if they could, against the best tag team competition in the World.
FTR has put on some wrestling clinics since their AEW debut. Their Match against The Young Bucks at Full Gear in 2020 was an incredible bout. Wheeler and Harwood in the 1st 6 months of their AEW careers started out like gangbusters. It’s been somewhat slow going ever since.
Joining MJF and The Pinnacle was pushed to the forefront. They’ve had solid matches with Proud N Powerful and The Lucha Bros while with the Pinnacle. FTR is still miles ahead of their WWE main roster production. Yet their NXT tag team contests were legendary.
Matches against DIY and American Alpha were bright spots, and they had a match vs The Undisputed Era when they came back to NXT for one night that was a classic. Something we could see in an AEW ring in the near future. This is too close to call, so I’m going to give this a push.
Edge: Tie between NXT and AEW
Miro- Signed in September of 2020
The former Rusev has a near career parallel between his WWE main roster time and his AEW stop thus far. Rusev was undefeated for nearly a year in the WWE before losing to John Cena at Wrestlemania 31. Miro started his career out slow in AEW, being aligned with Kip Sabian as his ‘Best Man’ in a video game gimmick.
Once Miro broke away from Sabian, he went on a rampage in AEW. Much like his WWE run, Miro remained undefeated in singles competition for a year. He won the TNT championship in May of 2021, submitting a red-hot Darby Allin to seize the title away from him. Since losing his title to Sammy Guevara, he has summoned his god for redemption. The character has a lot of intrigue, even if it has been halted for a couple of months since losing to Bryan Danielson at Full Gear in November.
His Rusev Day gimmick in the WWE was well received by the fans but never caught fire backstage with creative. His run ended with him in the middle of a controversial angle with Bobby Lashley taking his wife Lana away from him.
There is no denying how talented Miro is and he is a World title threat no matter what promotion he works for. This is one of the tougher calls to make as to whether or not you prefer “Tank” and “Rusev Day” or ‘The Redeemer’ who has been terrorizing the AEW roster. His lows may determine which side you go within this case. Was his Best Man or cuckold angle worse?
Edge: AEW
Andrade- Signed in June of 2021
It’s been a stop-and-start case with Andrade El Idolo. He’s had 2 incredible matches with PAC on network television and has split contest victories with Cody Rhodes. Currently, he’s joined forces with Matt Hardy to spearhead the Hardy Family Office.
You could almost give him an incomplete grade in AEW. The former La Sombre has shown flashes of the brilliance he showcased in Mexico, New Japan, and NXT. He has gotten lost in the shuffle recently as the roster has become overcrowded with incredible talent across the board and little TV time for everyone outside of the champions and larger attractions.
His WWE main roster days were sideways outside of his awesome series of matches with Rey Mysterio. We look back with joy at his brief NXT title reign, where defeated Drew McIntyre to win the championship and put on a 5-star clinic with Johnny Gargano at Takeover: Philadelphia.
The best is yet to come in AEW for Andrade El Idolo, which leaves me with this grade.
Edge: NXT
Malakai Black- Signed in July of 2021
Malakai Black has been booked very strongly since debut with AEW. Thrust immediately into a program with Cody Rhodes, Black added an extension to his character from the WWE. Having damaged his eye towards the end of his main roster days, Black’s right side of his face has evolved into something you would see in a Sci-Fi series.
Black has had the upper hand in every feud of his thus far. Dominating Cody Rhodes and forming the House Of Black with his PWG tag team championship partner Brody King. Malakai has done a fantastic job thus far in AEW. He’s embroiled in a feud with PAC and the rest of Death Triangle. All of the work he’s done has put his WWE main roster work to shame.
His NXT days were legendary. This current character is an extension of what he started on the black and gold brand as Aleister Black. He had a great run as NXT champion and in-ring wars with Andrade, Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa. Much like Andrade, this is a very tough choice to call as well. It will likely change down the road.
Edge: NXT
Adam Cole- Signed in September of 2021
This is the most controversial signing from an online wrestling fan perspective. In my mind, this was an easy choice for Adam Cole to make. Signing with AEW ensured that he would have full creative freedom. Ultimately, he’s happier at the end of the day with his girlfriend, Britt Baker and his best friends, The Young Bucks already with the promotion.
With NXT 2.0 overhauling the process of how developmental talent will be portrayed if and when it moves to the main roster, Adam Cole would have been caught in WWE purgatory. He’s likely too small and potentially deemed “not worthy” of a main event slot in Vince McMahon’s eyes. In spite of the incredible all-around talent he possesses.
You can see the wheels spinning in the mind of Cole’s character in AEW. The1st few months of his run have been filled with 6-man tags and huge crowd responses everywhere he goes. It’s looking like he’s headed towards a main event program with AEW World champion Hangman Page very soon.
In the end, Adam Cole will likely have a better run in AEW and probably a World title within the next couple of years. For now, it’s hard to deny that his legendary run in NXT has been better than 5 months’ worth of AEW TV. A grand slam champion in the original NXT, Adam Cole will go down as one of the most decorated performers in the black and gold brand’s history.
Edge: NXT
Bryan Danielson- Signed in September of 2021
So many superlatives can describe Bryan Danielson’s initial run with AEW. I’ll use 2, otherworldly and remarkable. Danielson has channeled his Ring Of Honor days in the mid-2000’s and brought back the pro wrestler persona who will kick your head in within a matter of moments.
The reincarnation of Danielson has been incredible to watch. Instant classic bouts with Kenny Omega, Minoru Suzuki, and two with Hangman Page have already topped any match he had as Daniel Bryan from a wrestling standpoint in the WWE.
What WWE fans saw out of Daniel Bryan for a decade was 75% of what Bryan Danielson was capable of. Funny thing is, his 75% trumps the entire roster’s best performances on a near-nightly basis. The guy in the ring is capable of matches that wrestling fans and wrestlers themselves dream of.
Having main evented Wrestlemania twice and won the WWE Championship 4 times, you’d think this answer would be a slam dunk in favor of the company from Stamford, Connecticut. I’d say you’d be wrong.
While Bryan Danielson has had so many history-making performances in every promotion he’s stepped foot in, you can argue his last 5 months have been the absolute best matches of his legendary career. I’m not going to sluff his WWE career off to the side for the point of this exercise. A decade’s worth of equity should be lauded, even if it was 75% of who Bryan Danielson is.
Edge: push between WWE and AEW
Tay Conti- Signed in July of 2020
Tay Conti is arguably the most improved performer on the AEW roster from the time she arrived at the company. Conti was lost in the NXT shuffle and rightfully so. Only 26 years old, Conti was competing for time with the likes of Io Shirai, Bianca BelAir and Rhea Ripley to name a few of the incredibly talented women on the roster.
You cannot fault the WWE for how they handled Tay Conti. At the time, there was an embarrassment of riches on their roster, in which she was lost in the shuffle. The move to AEW was perfectly timed and she has prospered in her time since then.
Already having received two title matches, Conti is in for a few more and has the skills to become a World champion with the promotion someday. The future is incredibly bright for this young and talented Brazilian.
Edge: AEW
Ruby Soho- Signed in September of 2021
Speaking of talent who desperately needed a change, Ruby Soho fits that bill. Another fan favorite of the internet wrestling community, Soho was at the back of the line within the WWE pecking order. It had nothing to do with her in-ring ability.
Ruby Soho led ‘The Riott Squad’, a group of underutilized talents who never received a rightful push in the WWE. Her work in Chikara, SHIMMER, and STARDOM speaks for itself, Ruby can go in the ring. She was lost in the shuffle behind the likes of the Four Horsewomen, Asuka, and Ronda Rousey when she arrived on the WWE scene.
Never really given the opportunity, Ruby was released in June of last year. It gave her a new lease on her pro wrestling career. Armed with a new name influenced by the song title, “Ruby Soho” by Rancid, Soho looks like a completely different performer than her WWE days.
With charismatic, solid mic work, and in-ring ability, Ruby has connected with the AEW fan base. Already having received 2 title opportunities, she’ll be near the top of the AEW women’s division for a long duration. The ‘Runaway’ has run towards a situation that suits her natural abilities in pro wrestling.
Edge: AEW