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WWE and AEW have been going head-to-head to reign supreme in the wrestling business since the inception of the Tony Khan-led company in 2019. The All Elite Wrestling CEO and president built his homegrown talents and also brought marquee names from World Wrestling Entertainment to his locker room.
In both of those cases, many of the stars left AEW to join WWE. While for some it was an opportunity to take their careers to the next level in the Sports Entertainment juggernaut, others had lackluster runs or issues in All Elite Wrestling, forcing them to make the move.
Here are four former AEW stars who made the right decision to join the Stamford-based promotion:
#4. Former AEW Women's World Champion Mariah May
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The latest name to jump ship from All Elite Wrestling to WWE is Mariah May. The 26-year-old came to prominence during her stint in Tony Khan's company, where she achieved major accolades, including the 2024 Women's Owen Hart Cup and a captivating reign as the AEW Women's World Champion.
The Glamour did everything she could in the company, and she made the right choice at the perfect time to ascend to the next level by signing with the global juggernaut, a lifelong dream of hers. She will perform under the ring name Blake Monroe in NXT.
#3. Ricky Saints
Ricky Saints (FKA Ricky Starks) made waves during his initial days in AEW. However, he was kept off television for an extended period last year, eventually leading to his release from the company earlier this year.
Following his move to WWE NXT in February 2025, Saints made an immediate impact and quickly won the NXT North American Championship. Moreover, he continues to climb the ladder of success, proving that joining WWE was the right call.
#2. Jade Cargill
Much like Ricky Saints, Jade Cargill became a mainstream name in professional wrestling after joining WWE. She had a remarkable run in AEW and was a dominant TBS Champion at one point. However, realizing that she had only a few years left in wrestling, Cargill made the switch to go to the big leagues.
Since joining WWE, The Storm has slowly but steadily established herself as a powerhouse. Despite not winning a singles title so far, Jade has become one of the marquee names on the roster. It will be interesting to see what the Triple H-led creative team has in store for her in the coming months.
#1. CM Punk
CM Punk was fired from AEW following his real-life backstage fight with Jack Perry at All In 2023. Months later, he made a shocking return to WWE at Survivor Series: WarGames for the first time since 2014.
Despite a minor setback initially due to an injury, The Best in The World has had an incredible resurgence in WWE so far. He had an incredible feud with Drew McIntyre last year. Additionally, he accomplished his lifelong dream of main-eventing WrestleMania earlier this year when he headlined a Triple Threat Match involving Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to cap off Night One of The Show of Shows in Las Vegas.
Hence, it's fair to say that The Second City Saint's decision to return to WWE under the Triple H-led creative regime has proven to be a masterstroke thus far.
