3 Former AEW stars that are likely to return to the company and 3 that possibly won’t

Ever since its inception in 2019, AEW has become one of the biggest wrestling promotions across the world, also gaining a large group of hardcore fans. While the company is the biggest rival to WWE, many stars have left the promotion to join the competition.

Let's take a look at three former All Elite Wrestling stars who are likely to return to the company.

#3. Jade Cargill

The Storm made her WWE debut last year during the Women's Royal Rumble match. Since then, she has won the Women's Tag Team Championship and also competed at two WrestleManias.

However, Jade hasn't gotten many opportunities to shine as a singles star in the Stamford-based promotion. While she won the Queen of the Ring Tournament and had a short singles feud with Naomi, she was a bigger singles star in AEW. It wouldn't be surprising if she returned to the Jacksonville-based promotion in the coming years.

#2. Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy

The Hardy Boys are one of the greatest tag teams of all time, having won major tag team gold in promotions across the world. However, they haven't won the AEW World Tag Team Championship despite having worked there before.

To add another title to their already stacked list of accolades, Team Extreme could make their way back to All Elite Wrestling. It would be great to see them become Tag Team Champions in Tony Khan's promotion before they retire, allowing them to complete the set by winning tag team titles in WWE, TNA as well as AEW.

#1. Andrade

Andrade also returned to WWE in 2024 during the Men's Royal Rumble match. Since then, he has had some great matches with Carmelo Hayes on SmackDown and is currently teaming up with Rey Fenix on the blue brand.

While he's doing well in the SmackDown tag team division, El Idolo hasn't seen much singles success since his return to WWE. Therefore, he could leave the Stamford-based promotion to give his singles run another shot in AEW in the coming years.

While these stars may return to the company soon, several other former AEW stars may possibly never return to the Jacksonville-based company.

Here are three stars who potentially won't return to Tony Khan's promotion:

#3. Ricky Saints

The Absolute one made one of the craziest NXT debuts after being released from his contract with the Jacksonville-based promotion only 48 hours before. Since then, he has won the NXT North American Championship and recently had a great match with Ethan Page at NXT Great American Bash.

The star has also been involved in segments with a lot of big names and could get called up to the main roster soon. It's very unlikely that Ricky Saints will return to Tony Khan's promotion in the near future, considering the manner of his exit and his prolonged absence from programming before his contract expired.

#2. CM Punk

The Best in the World made his return to professional wrestling after nearly seven years in 2021 when he debuted in AEW. While he won the company's World Championship twice, his tenure was filled with controversies. After he was released from the company in 2023, CM Punk returned to WWE in December of that year.

Since returning, he has main-evented WrestleMania and also won the World Heavyweight Championship once. He also burned a lot of bridges when he left All Elite Wrestling, so it would be right to say that he may never return there.

#1. Cody Rhodes

The American Nightmare was one of the most important people involved in the creation of All Elite Wrestling. He, along with Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, helped build the company from scratch. Despite contributing so much, Cody didn't get much love from the fans there and eventually left in early 2022.

He then made his blockbuster return to WWE at WrestleMania 38, and since then, he has won two back-to-back Royal Rumble matches. He has also main-evented three WrestleManias, including this year's, and is currently the Undisputed WWE Champion. Now that he is considered the quarterback of the Stamford-based promotion, it looks highly unlikely that he will return to AEW anytime soon.

About the author

Ishan Dubey is a pro wrestling writer for Sportskeeda, with a lifelong love for professional wrestling that began when he was 5, watching the 2011 Royal Rumble. While pursuing a BCom Hons degree at the University of Delhi, his dedication to wrestling has driven his career.
With years of freelance writing experience, Ishan reports on WWE, adhering to strict guidelines and using official sources to maintain accuracy and give readers the best stories and information. His favorite wrestlers include CM Punk, for always sticking to his beliefs, and Kenny Omega, whom he considers the "god of professional wrestling."
Outside wrestling, Ishan enjoys watching sitcoms, listening to rock and metal music, and writing poems and stories. A passionate debater, he often finds himself in front of a podium when not at his laptop.
One of his favorite moments was having a Kenny Omega poster he made reshared by Omega himself on Instagram.

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Edited by Arsh Das