5 stars who took their AEW gimmicks to WWE 

In the past three years, WWE has signed several major AEW stars. Earlier, the flow of talent between the two promotions was unidirectional, as only wrestlers from the formerly Vince McMahon-led regime switched companies.

Lexis King and Penta witnessed notable changes in their characters after joining the Stamford-based promotion. However, numerous former AEW stars have stuck with the same gimmick that they had in All Elite Wrestling even after they arrived in the sports entertainment juggernaut.

Playing a familiar character serves a huge benefit to the wrestlers, allowing them to connect with the audience rather easily. However, Triple H has also been at the receiving end of criticism for not trying anything new with these ex-AEW talents. In this article, let's look at five stars who took their AEW gimmicks to WWE.

---

#5. Jade Cargill continues to be a dominant entity in WWE

Jade Cargill was presented as an invincible force throughout her AEW run. The Storm was the inaugural AEW TBS Champion and held the title for 508 days.

During her time in All Elite Wrestling, Cargill was portrayed as an unstoppable heel, who finished off her opponents in a matter of minutes. The 32-year-old has had a similar presentation in WWE, as she has been booked as a monstrous entity in the Triple H-led regime.

Although she is now a babyface, the former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion continues to be an intimidating figure in the women's division.

Both companies have been well aware of Cargill's limitations in the squared circle, which is the reason she has been kept away from the Women's titles. When it comes to Cargill's look, theme music, and overall presentation, her run in WWE has been almost identical to how she was in All Elite Wrestling.

#4. Shawn Spears is currently honing his craft in NXT

During the early days of AEW, Shawn Spears had a mini-feud with Cody Rhodes. At Fyter Fest 2019, Spears busted open The American Nightmare's head by hitting him with a legitimate chair shot to the head. The incident earned him the moniker of The Chairman.

Throughout his run in the Jacksonville-based promotion, Spears was presented as an obnoxious heel who relied on underhanded tactics to demolish his opponents. Although he was never presented as a main event talent, The Chairman's persona in All Elite Wrestling was vastly different than the babyface character he played in WWE.

After a five-year-long stint, the erstwhile Tye Dillinger left AEW and joined NXT in February 2024. Surprisingly, Spears kept his AEW gimmick after returning to the Black & Gold brand. The former member of The Pinnacle also retained the elements of his Chairman character, as he assaulted Ridge Holland with the same weapon in his first NXT appearance in seven years.

The former AEW star also did not tweak his overall look much. Although Spears could not achieve any considerable success in the Jacksonville-based promotion, he managed to win the North American Championship in NXT while keeping the same character.

#3. Ethan Page's character has not changed much after his NXT debut

Ethan Page made his AEW debut at Revolution 2021. The former member of The North remained with the Jacksonville-based promotion for the next three years before eventually debuting in NXT in May 2024.

During his run in All Elite Wrestling, Page portrayed the role of a loudmouth heel, who was known for his cocky attitude and stylish outfits. The 35-year-old star also never backed down from hurling insults at the fans in the crowd.

Unfortunately, Ethan Page could never get his breakout moment in the Tony Khan-led company, as he remained stuck in the mid-card throughout his run. Instead of changing his character, Page decided to test his fortunes with the same persona in WWE.

The NXT crowd fell in love with the arrogant personality of the former AEW star. Ethan Page fully embraced his "All EGO" moniker in the Black & Gold brand, which allowed him to become a main event player in NXT.

Page's character resonated well with the NXT audience, allowing him to impress the Shawn Michaels-led booking team. While he could not win any major titles in All Elite Wrestling, All Ego's conceited personality led him to the NXT Championship in WWE.

#2. Rusev recently returned to WWE with his AEW gimmick

Rusev (fka Miro) spent six years on the WWE main roster. During 2014-20, The Bulgarian Brute played a variety of characters on television.

The former United States Champion joined All Elite Wrestling in September 2020 after his release from the Stamford-based promotion. A few months after his debut, Rusev introduced The Redeemer gimmick to the AEW audience.

Rusev's new gimmick revolved around him being a merciless heel, who demolished his victims with his brute strength. The former TNT Champion constantly dedicated his victories to God, believing he was the one who led to his redemption in AEW.

Following his recent exit from the Tony Khan-led company, Rusev recently made his return to WWE after five years. In the latest episode of RAW, The Bulgarian Brute cut an intense promo, where he called himself a righteous man, who was back to "fix" all the directionless stars who never fulfilled their true potential.

The promo reminded the fans of Rusev's AEW gimmick. It was a bold decision on Triple H's part to have the erstwhile Miro continue with The Redeemer persona, instead of reviving the Rusev Day movement.

It remains to be seen if the character would work in WWE or not.

#1. Cody Rhodes has found immense success in WWE and AEW

Cody Rhodes played a massive role in the establishment of All Elite Wrestling. In February 2022, The American Nightmare left WWE's biggest rival company to join the Stamford-based promotion.

However, he decided to carry on with the same gimmick that he had in AEW even after parting ways with the company. Rhodes retained almost all the elements of his ultra babyface persona, which drew huge criticism from the fans towards the end of his AEW run.

WWE let Cody Rhodes use "The American Nightmare" persona in front of its audience, allowing him to use the same look, promo style, and even the iconic "Kingdom" theme song.

It was a smart move on Cody Rhodes' part to continue with the same gimmick he took so much time to craft. The decision worked wonders for Rhodes, as his character became an instant hit in WWE.

It is highly debatable whether Rhodes would have achieved the same level of success during his second stint in the sports entertainment juggernaut if he had come back with a different persona.