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AEW has welcomed a whole slew of former WWE Superstars ever since its inception in 2019. From main eventers such as Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole to misused talents like Cody Rhodes, Miro, PAC, Malakai Black and Andrade El Idolo, just to name a few.
While many of these wrestlers were able to prove their former employers wrong by thriving in a new company, there's only so many spots when it comes to potential titleholders. AEW only has two titles for its singles division in the AEW World Championship and TNT Championship while there is only one Tag Team Championship. Unless the company plans on creating more titles in the near future, not every former WWE roster member will have a chance to hold gold.
AEW owner Tony Khan spoke of the possibility of adding new belts to the company in the new future during a conference call for All Out earlier this year:
"I mean, we see matches sometimes that don't always have title implications but absolutely, I think it would be great to add trio's titles," Tony Khan said. "Right now, it's a lot of stuff I'm getting in three hours, and I think a lot of probably trying to cover a lot, a two-hour Dynamite and then Rampage is very different... I also cover a lot of stories in a Dynamite in a very different way than I would on Rampage, so it's a lot right now."
There's also the fact that a few of AEW's former WWE signings are reaching the twilight of their careers. It wouldn't then make sense for them to be placed in prominent positions on their television shows. Instead, these veterans are better off helping to put over younger talent. This might cause them to unfortunately miss out on winning championships any longer at this stage of their journey. Here are 5 former WWE stars who might never win a title in AEW.
#5 AEW's HFO leader: Matt Hardy
At 47 years old, Matt Hardy has done it all in pro wrestling. A young star during the Attitude Era, the elder Hardy has won multiple championships as a tag team wrestler and singles star, whether it's in WWE, Impact Wrestling or ROH. He has also managed to reinvent himself numerous times, from his hilarious Version 2.0 character to, of course, the super popular Broken Matt Hardy character.
By the time Matt made his debut at AEW last year during the pandemic, it was clear that his wrestling days were winding down. He had a brief run aligning with the Elite and also batting with Sammy Guevara, but has recently taken up more of a manager role as 'Big Money' Matt, the leader of the Hardy Family Office (HFO) which comprises Private Party, TH2 and Butcher and the Blade alongside the Bunny. Matt Hardy will always be a legend for his contributions to pro wrestling but the chances of ever holding a title again look slim to none. Unless, of course, a certain Jeff Hardy joins him in AEW.
#4 AEW's mentor to young talent: Christian Cage
AEW surprisingly announced the signing of Christian Cage at their Revolution PPV earlier this year in February. It was totally unexpected as Captain Charisma had just featured in the WWE Royal Rumble just one month prior where he shared the ring with long-time tag team partner Edge.
When Christian made his in-ring debut against Kazarian on AEW Dynamite, he looked fresh and in great shape and the possibility of him featuring in the AEW main event scene didn't feel out of place. In fact, he went on to challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW Championship at All Out in a losing effort, having beaten him to the Impact World Title just a few weeks before that.
However, it seems like Christian Cage has slipped down the pecking order in AEW and is now looking to mentor Jungle Boy and Jurassic Express. It is admittedly a great landing spot for Christian as he is able to share his vast knowledge of the wrestling business with a future star in Jungle Boy. But his brief with Omega seemed like the last chance he had to be viewed as a top star in the industry. At 48 years old, Christian has nothing left to prove and he may be best served as a veteran figure.
#3 AEW's hired gun for the Elite: Bobby Fish
AEW's signing of former NXT superstar Bobby Fish was unexpected to say the least. When WWE released him back in August, he was part of a whole slew of other releases it didn't make much news. Like his time in the Undisputed Era, he was destined to be lost in the shuffle. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Fish spoke about his reaction to being let go:
"It was a phone call, the same one that everybody gets," Bobby Fish revealed. "It's just that it is what it is. The beauty of it is that now there are all of these opportunities, and it's about figuring out what ones are worth taking and see where it goes."
The 45 year old wrestler is definitely a great hand in the ring and featured in some awesome matches as a tag team tandem with Kyle O'Reilly in WWE and ROH. He certainly has the legitimate wrestling and MMA skills to put on a great match with anybody. He wasn't exactly a big name even with his WWE connections, and his advancing years didn't exactly make him a hot commodity.
So it was a pleasant surprise when he showed up in AEW shortly after and started competing in great matches on Dynamite and Rampage. He had a great outing challenging Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship and impressed mightily against the likes of CM Punk.
Bobby Fish definitely benefitted from a change of scenery and his on-screen reunion with Adam Cole as the Elite's hired gun definitely made things interesting. But it seems like Fish's age and lack of star quality will hurt his chances of ever winning a title with AEW.
#2 AEW's Old school locker room presence: Dustin Rhodes
When AEW made Dustin Rhodes one of their first signings for the company in early 2019, most wrestling fans were skeptical. The long-tenured WWE legend is already in his 50's and clearly reaching the end of his career after spending the majority of it in WWE as Goldust.
But Dustin turned back the clock with his outstanding debut match in AEW's first PPV Double Or Nothing when he faced off against Cody Rhodes. Since then, however, he has only featured in lower card matches and has made sporadic appearances in AEW Dark, Elevation and segments with the Nightmare Family.
It is clear that AEW is positioning him to be a backstage mentor for the next generation of young AEW wrestlers. His experience is invaluable and will be a great asset to the company. But even Dustin would agree that the time for him to hold a title has passed him by.
#1 AEW's Inner Circle Enforcer: Jake Hager
AEW has unleashed Jake Hager on the very first episode of Dynamite. His appearance was a surprise and quickly aligned himself with Chris Jericho as part of the Inner Circle. Big things were expected of the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion. His run with the company left a sour taste in his mouth. Hager spoke about his WWE contract situation in an interview on Talk Is Jericho:
"So in 2017, the company had an option in my contract where they only had the option to pick it up and pay me at the same price. I was finishing up my second five-year contract with them, and so I was a little fed up. I finally grew some balls, and stood up for myself, and said, 'no, we're going to renegotiate now.' This was December '16, and then by February '17, I finally got some straight answers out of them." H/t Wrestling Inc
It was great for Hager to join Jericho's faction and he credits the wrestling legend for giving him a new lease of life in pro wrestling. But if truth be told, Hager's run at AEW has been disappointing. He has mostly been reduced to a bit-part role as an enforcer in the Inner Circle and has been outshined by everyone else in the group. With his Bellator and MMA training commitments, he also might not be able to really make an impact in the company and is now mostly lost in the shuffle.
At 39 years old, time is fast running out for Jake Hager to win championships in AEW and with such a deep roster in the company right now, he might not be destined to be anything more than a supporting role.
