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There are plenty of big names in AEW, from the likes of Kenny Omega, 'Hangman' Adam Page and Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Some former WWE stars have also signed with the company, including Chris Jericho, Christian Cage and Miro, who was better known as Rusev.
Since AEW's inception, a number of WWE legends have appeared. Some WWE legends like Paul Wight (fka The Big Show) and Mark Henry are tied down to contracts.
That being said, let's take a look at five WWE legends you may have forgotten appeared in AEW.
#5 Eric Bischoff has appeared in AEW
Since AEW's humble beginnings in 2019, Eric Bischoff has made four appearances for the company in total.
Bischoff's first AEW appearance came on the August 5th, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite, also on TNT. It was being dubbed Eric's first appearance on TNT since 2000. Eric appeared to moderate a debate between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy. He was also involved in a 'town hall meeting' involving Jericho and MJF later that year.
The former WCW Senior Vice President spoke with Fightful about his AEW appearances:
"This is my fourth appearance. It’s varied. Each one was a little bit different. I think the first time it was Tony Khan himself. Chris Harrington, who works with Tony. Chris reached out to me once or twice. Cody Rhodes has reached out. Chris Jericho has reached out. They’re all working together, so I think it’s just who has five minutes to call Eric and see if he’s available type thing.", Eric Bischoff said. (h/t 411 Mania)
Eric's last appearance on AEW came on the March 3rd, 2021 episode of AEW Dynamite. He appeared as part of an Inner Circle press conference. Whether Bischoff will appear on AEW again in the future remains to be seen.
He was also, earlier this year, inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame over WrestleMania weekend in Tampa Bay, Florida. There is no doubt that Eric's contributions to pro-wrestling have earned him legendary status amongst fans all around the world.
#4 Gangrel has appeared in AEW
Gangrel appeared for AEW during a cinematic match at the Full Gear pay-per-view in 2020. He appeared during the Elite Deletion match involving Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara.
Gangrel returned chastising Matt Hardy for being disloyal to him during his days with the New Brood. The moment was out of the blue and was totally unexpected for AEW fans. It was recently reported that Gangeral was due to return again to AEW, but plans were nixed. They were put on-hold due to WWE's use of The Brood Gimmick for Edge on Friday Night SmackDown.
#3 Tommy Dreamer has appeared in AEW
Tommy Dreamer made a one-time appearance at the first-ever Double or Nothing pay-per-view in 2019. Dreamer was an entrant in the Casino Battle Royale. In fact, The Innovator of Violence eliminated fan favorite Orange Cassidy, making him an instant villain to the crowd. The two had come to blows trading low kicks.
Dreamer hasn't returned to All Elite since, and has resumed his career in IMPACT Wrestling. With the companies coming together time and again, it won't be a surprise to see Dreamer in an AEW ring again.
#2 The Rock N' Roll Express have appeared in AEW
The WWE Hall of Fame tag team showed up on AEW Dynamite in October 2019 to crown the inaugural AEW World Tag Team Champions. AEW had chosen one of the best tag teams in the history of pro-wrestling to do the honors. Sadly, they were ambushed by Proud n Powerful, with Ricky Morton being put through the stage.
The tag team returned a week later to the Full Gear pay-per-view, attempting to get revenge on Santana and Ortiz. This resulted in Morton delivering a Canadian Destroyer to Santana. Yes, a Canadian Destroyer. The Rock n' Roll Express returned again a year later involved in a Tag Team Appreciation night. They were once again attacked, this time by FTR with Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard.
#1 Bret Hart has appeared in AEW
Bret 'The Hitman' Hart made a shocking appearance for AEW at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in 2019. The company brought Hart in to unveil the new AEW World Championship and crown the inaugural champion. The move was done to help legitimize the championship by bringing in a legend of the industry.
During the unveiling, Bret was interrupted by MJF, who cut a heated promo on 'The Hitman'. Maxwell Jacob Friedman spoke with Wrestling Inc. about the appearance and whether his promo was unscripted:
"Everything that comes out of my mouth is 110 percent authentic. That’s the difference between me and these losers who try to be confident and try to be anywhere near as good as me. I’m never gonna have some schmuck writer walk up to me and be like, ‘Oh, MJF I had this idea.’ No! I would rip the paper up, chew on it and spit it in his face. I don’t need help being me because I am the only me. There will never be anyone like me ever again." MJF said. (h/t Wrestling Inc.)
This was Bret Hart's one and only appearance for AEW. He did appear for WWE just a couple of months later. He appeared on SummerSlam pay-per-view in a backstage segment wishing Seth Rollins good luck in his Universal Championship match.
