6 wrestlers who appeared in AEW, WWE, ECW, WCW & TNA/IMPACT Wrestling

AEW has utilized legacy talent in crucial segments. Be it DDP, who came in for a few segments but in service to a larger story, or Sting who's currently wrestling. AEW has a remarkable ability to book talent that many never thought possible.

On WWE, legends show up without a route to bigger things, but that's another article. Some of the stars on the current AEW & WWE roster have appeared in every major promotion, including the original ECW. This begged the question: how many wrestlers have appeared in AEW, WCW, TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, and ECW?

After some research, it turns out there are six of them.

Before we get into the list, a quick note to the readers. WWE's version of ECW does not count! Most fans consider that to be a watered-down corporate product. Paul Heyman's ECW is the one that matters.

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#6 Christopher Daniels (AEW Head of Talent Relations)

Christopher Daniels is 51 years old. It's amazing to think Daniels has been around for as long as he has. The man, who recently returned to IMPACT, has been wrestling since 1993. Daniels has appeared in several independent promotions.

He has had stints in WWE, ECW, and WCW, but nothing manifested into anything significant. That changed when TNA came onto the scene. Daniels spent several years with the promotion, eventually becoming the Fallen Angel, a severe brooding character.

When AEW came along, Daniels was one of the first to sign, considering his friendship with the rest of The Elite members. Daniel's time as an in-ring performer has been limited; it's behind the scenes as the head of talent relations where most of his energies are spent.

Christopher Daniels will most likely end his career at AEW and, certainly, it has been quite a remarkable one.

#5 Crowbar on AEW Dark: Elevation

On a recent episode of AEW Dark: Elevation, Crowbar made his debut when he took on Joey Janela but, during the match, it seemed he dialed back the years. With his AEW debut, Crowbar joined this elite list of wrestlers.

Crowbar's debuted back in 1992 wrestling across the independent circuit. Then known as Devon Storm, this eventually led him to stints with ECW and WCW.

In 1997, Storm joined WWE competing to crown the first-ever Light Heavyweight Champion. This led to more appearances in the company, but nothing came of it.

Storm went to WCW, where he finally took the Crowbar persona and ran with it. This led to a memorable faction alongside David Flair and Daffney. This was his most successful run. He became WCW Tag Team Champion with David Flair, and a Cruiserweight Champion, and Hardcore Champion.

After WCW closed its doors, Crowbar found his way to TNA as Tempest and became part of Father James Mitchell's stable, The New Church. For the most part, his stint with the original TNA lasted for just a year, though he made an appearance in 2013 at Hardcore Justice 2.

Crowbar did wrestle again in WWE, but it was in dark matches around 2003. Crowbar has worked for several independent promotions such as East Coast Wrestling Association, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and the Pro Wrestling Syndicate.

In 2021, Crowbar wrestled in AEW, which also featured an appearance by the Blue Meanie. It's unclear whether Crowbar will appear again in AEW, but he did express interest in facing Jon Moxley down the line.

Will it happen? Only time will tell.

#4 Tully Blanchard (Current AEW Roster)

There is no AEW episode where Tully Blanchard isn't engaging in shenanigans. Originally Shawn Spears' manager, Tully now manages FTR and The Pinnacle. Apart from Paul Heyman, Tully has proven to be one of the better heel managers in wrestling right now.

Tully's career is well known. He was part of the Original Four Horsemen in Jim Crockett Promotions and won multiple titles under the NWA banner. He later worked in the newly-renamed WCW for a limited time. Tully also worked with Arn Anderson as The Brain Busters in WWE in 1989. They were WWE Tag Team Champions.

Tully briefly appeared in IMPACT Wrestling but watched his daughter, Tessa Blanchard, wrestle Gail Kim at Rebellion in 2019. What is probably the most surprising thing is that Blanchard did wrestle in ECW back in 1995.

Blanchard wrestled ECW World Champion Shane Douglas in a 60-minute match that ended in a tie. He would then wrestle two more times and lose both bouts.

Blanchard has been having the time of his life in AEW and, from the looks of it, that won't be ending anytime soon.

#3 Taz (AEW commentator/manager)

Taz in AEW is something unique. He's part of the AEW commentary team and serves as a Team Taz manager (Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Hook). Primarily, Taz works on AEW Rampage. He's done a great job working as a heel manager, but that isn't what defines Taz.

Taz worked in WWE in his early years and made a one-off appearance in a Dark Match in WCW. But it wasn't until ECW that Taz truly defined himself. In late 1995, Taz unleashed his "Human Suplex Machine" character. His aggressive in-ring style coupled with mat wrestling skills defined what ECW was all about.

Taz eventually signed with WWE in 2000, debuting at the Royale Rumble and going over Kurt Angle winning by submission. But, as a wrestler, Taz would never be booked the same way as he did in ECW, relegated to feuds with Jerry Lawler and then becoming a mere background character in The Alliance.

The silver lining to this is that Taz made the transition to commentary, where he would work with WWE till 2009. He then went to work for TNA/Impact Wrestling as an on-screen character and color commentator till 2015.

While Taz was essentially not involved with wrestling, AEW signed him to a deal in 2019. There's no better indication of how Taz feels about working for AEW than when he said that it was the best place he's ever worked at.

From the looks, Taz is not going anywhere.

#2 Jake 'The Snake' Roberts (AEW manager)

If anyone personifies pro-wrestling, it's Jake 'The Snake' Roberts. But, at one point, Jake Roberts was the living embodiment of a washed-up wrestler that resembled Randy "The Ram" Robinson from The Wrestler.

Most fans are aware that Roberts suffered from drug and alcohol addiction, which led to him having issues with promoters over the years. But that doesn't take away that Roberts was one of the top stars ever in WWE. He feuded with the likes of The Undertaker, Macho Man Randy Savage, and The Ultimate Warrior.

Jake Roberts left WWE after disagreements with Vince McMahon and found himself working in WCW in 1992. He returned to WWE after four years. He didn't do anything significant during this run and was on the receiving end of Stone Cold Steve Austin at the King of the Ring 1996, which catapulted Austin to superstardom. Roberts' drug issues returned to haunt him, and he was released from WWE in 1997.

This led him briefly to ECW in 1998. Roberts toiled on the independent scene for several years and made appearances in TNA. But Roberts' greatest battle came outside the ring when Diamond Dallas Page took him in and got him sober. This was documented in The Resurrection of Jake the Snake.

AEW brought Jake in to manage Lance Archer, and the pairing has proven to be successful. Jake has said that his AEW deal was extended by two years, and it looks like he's here to stay.

#1 Raven on AEW Dynamite

Raven, who appeared as part of a segment on AEW Dynamite - is synonymous with the original ECW. It could be argued that Raven, Tommy Dreamer and Taz, and a couple of others were what ECW was built on.

Raven (real name Scott Levy) got his first real break in 1992 in WCW as Scotty Flamingo. He would win the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship but would leave the promotion after disagreements with Bill Watts. Levy would then join WWE in 1993 and take the name of Johnny Polo, a spoiled rich kid. But this didn't last as Levy left the promotion.

But really, this is where the true origin of the Raven character truly began. Levy began working on the character, which was inspired by an Edgar Allan Poe poem. Levy changed his whole look to suit the Raven character, a nihilist and a sociopath, and eventually found himself in ECW, where he thrived.

Levy had finally found what he was looking for. The Raven character connected with audiences, and it added to the intensity of his feuds with the likes of Sandman and Tommy Dreamer. Raven would eventually become ECW World Champion and would stay with ECW before returning to WCW in 1997.

Raven, who had a staple in ECW called Raven's Nest, would have a similar one called The Flock. Raven's time in WCW was mixed, as he would become the US Champion, but only for a day. He dropped the title to Bill Goldberg on Monday Nitro. Raven was satisfied with WCW and would leave in 1999 to join ECW.

In 2000, Raven returned to WWE and became a 27-time Hardcore Champion, making the Hardcore Division his own. After his release in 2003, Raven would find his way to TNA, appearing over several years.

CM Punk was in TNA and credited Raven as one of the first people to provide him real direction in the business. As stated earlier, Raven did appear on an episode of AEW Dynamite, sitting in the crowd. Fans thought that Raven was The Exalted One, but this proved to be a red herring.

With that said, there's always a possibility that AEW could use him in the future. Considering how AEW uses legacy talent, the possibility becomes closer to reality.

Would AEW sign Raven down the line? In pro wrestling, anything is possible.