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Over the years, AEW has grown its roster size. The company has hired many stars from various promotions to keep up with WWE. As a result, several stars went unused or weren't booked properly in the promotion due to the limited TV time available. Hence, many of them left the Jacksonville-based promotion in search of greener pastures elsewhere. In this post, we will take a look at five released AEW stars will may never return to the promotion again. Without further ado, let's begin.
#5. Rusev
Rusev joined AEW under the ring name Miro. As soon as he arrived in the Jacksonville-based promotion, he was pushed as the next big thing in the company. He dominated his opponents in the ring and even captured the TNT Championship. He was poised to become a future World Champion in the company.
However, out of nowhere, Tony Khan decided to start using him sparingly. Additionally, there were reports that he was turning down ideas. He did make a brief comeback towards the end of 2023 before he was taken off TV again. He never wrestled a single match in 2024 and was eventually let go earlier this year. Following his release, he returned to WWE, where he has already been pushed as a major star. Given his treatment in All Elite Wrestling, it is highly unlikely that he will ever return to the promotion.
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#4. Ricky Saints
Ricky Saints first rose to prominence during his time in Tony Khan's promotion. He had great in-ring skills and could cut an amazing promo, which set him apart from a lot of the other stars in the company. He looked like a star who belonged in the main event scene, and for a long time, it looked like he was headed to the top of the company.
However, his downfall slowly started after he lost the AEW World Tag Team Titles. Following this, he only made a few appearances on AEW TV and wasn't used since March 2024. After spending several months on the bench, he finally parted ways with the Jacksonville-based promotion earlier this year and joined WWE, where he has been a regular feature in NXT. Saints is already the North American Champion and could someday become the NXT Champion. Given his superstar treatment in WWE, coupled with the fact that two of his closest friends in Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill, work there, it is unlikely that he will leave the company any time soon.
#3 and #2. Lucha Bros.
Penta and Rey Fenix were one of the best tag teams in the world when they joined AEW. They were also very popular in AEW and were involved in some major matches. Apart from winning the World Tag Team Championships and the World Trios Championships, Rey Fenix was also briefly pushed as a singles star, and he even held the AEW International Championship briefly.
However, their booking for the last year and a half in AEW was mediocre, which made them want to leave the promotion. While Penta was easily granted his release, the same cannot be said about Rey Fenix, who had some additional injury time added on to his contract. During this time, he even took some shots at the Jacksonville-based promotion, hinting that he was being held against his will. Earlier this year, both Penta and Rey Fenix joined WWE and even competed in major matches at WrestleMania 41. They have been presented well on TV, which could play into them wanting to remain with the sports entertainment juggernaut.
#1. CM Punk had a terrible falling out with AEW
CM Punk first signed with AEW in 2021, marking his return to the world of professional wrestling after seven long years. Initially, things went great for the Straight Edge Superstar. He was pushed as a top star within the company and also won the World Title twice. However, his run in the company started to dwindle after he started to have backstage issues with Hangman Adam Page and The Elite. He was also involved in an infamous backstage fight with The Elite that resulted in all members getting suspended.
When Punk returned from his suspension, he competed mainly on Collision. However, he got into another backstage fight with Jack Perry at All In London 2023. As a result, Tony Khan was left with no other option than to fire the Second City Saint. Following this, Punk returned to WWE, where he has been a prominent feature and even got to main event WrestleMania this year. The WWE star has been vocal about Tony Khan and his company, indicating that there is no way he will ever return to the company.
It will be interesting to see if more AEW stars will leave the company in the near future.
