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AEW has been building its women’s division extremely well over the past couple of years. The promotion has given a chance to several newcomers to make a name for themselves in the company.
AEW has also signed several international wrestlers to the company to strengthen its women’s division. There are a few active wrestlers from Japan who are signed to AEW.
Surprisingly, there aren’t too many former WWE Superstars performing in AEW’s women’s division. There are a few big names who have competed in WWE before. However, the numbers are much lesser than that of the male division.
However, there are still a few AEW stars who competed in WWE without being signed to the company. With that in mind, take a look at the eight female AEW stars who have previously competed in WWE.
#8. Tay Conti was part of WWE NXT for some years
Tay Conti is becoming a big name in AEW. She has competed in some big matches and picked up good victories to come across as a threatening competitor. At AEW Full Gear 2021, Conti challenged Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. for the AEW Women’s Championship.
Before becoming a top name in AEW, Conti was a WWE Superstar. She signed with WWE in October 2016 and made her professional wrestling debut at WrestleMania Axxess in Orlando, Florida on April 1, 2017.
Conti competed on WWE NXT for several years but never made it big. She was released from her contract in April 2020 as part of budget cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conti has been critical of her bookings in WWE and got a chance to prove herself in AEW.
#7. AEW has been the right place for Brandi Rhodes
Brandi Rhodes was working as a model when she was invited to a WWE tryout in 2011. Things went well for Brandi, who signed her developmental contract with WWE in March 2011.
She worked with the company for a few years and competed in several matches. She also met her husband Cody Rhodes while working on the promotion. In 2016, she asked for her release from WWE.
In 2019, Rhodes became Chief Brand Officer of AEW, a promotion that was co-founded by her husband. Brandi has since competed in several matches for AEW over the past couple of years.
She recently returned from her maternity leave to once again enter the ring. Brandi has significantly improved as an in-ring performer over the years.
#6. Vickie Guerrero has already competed in a match in AEW
Vickie Guerrero was an entertaining character in WWE before she made her move to AEW. She is known in the wrestling industry with her work on the mic and excellent acting skills.
Vickie’s has competed in matches in both WWE and AEW. Her first known televised WWE match came in 2008 when she teamed up with Edge, Zack Ryder, and Curt Hawkins in a handicap match against The Undertaker.
Ever since, Vickie has competed in gimmick matches, usually teaming up with male competitors. In June 2021, Vickie competed in her first match for AEW. She is one of the few elite wrestlers who have competed in the ring for both WWE and AEW.
#5. Leva Bates competed against some top stars in WWE
AEW star Leva Bates has competed in many different wrestling promotions, including WWE. Bates became part of WWE NXT in 2014, where she competed under the ring name "Blue Pants."
She performed as an enhancement talent for WWE and took losses from top stars. Bates’ sole victory in NXT was against Carmella.
Bates joined AEW in April 2019. She has had some good rivalries in the promotion and could become a breakout star for the company in the years to come.
#4. AEW star Kris Statlander is looking to make it big in the company
At All Out 2021, Kris Statlander challenged and failed to win against Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. for the AEW Women’s Championship. But has continued to impress fans with her in-ring work in the company.
Statlander was signed by AEW in December 2019 - a month after she competed in her first match for the promotion and has quite a bit of success. What many fans may not know is that Statlander once competed, unsuccessful, in WWE.
She teamed up with Karissa Rivera to challenge Billie Kay and Peyton Royce (The IIconics) for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships in April 2019.
#3. Serena Deeb became popular during her short stint with WWE
Serena Deeb is one of the more recognizable former WWE Superstars competing in AEW today. Serena became part of WWE back in 2005 and competed at Ohio Valley Wrestling for a couple of years.
She officially joined WWE in 2009 and joined The Straight Edge Society to work with CM Punk in 2010. She only competed in one match before being released by the company the very same year.
Serena returned to WWE to, unsuccesfully, compete in the 2017 Mae Young Classic. She is now part of AEW where she has competed in a few good matches.
Serena also defended her NWA Women’s Championship on AEW before losing the title. She is among the top competitors working in AEW today.
#2. Ruby Soho was part of WWE for several years
AEW star Ruby Soho shot to fame on the independent circuit before signing with WWE in 2016. She competed under the ring name Ruby Riott and formed her own faction known as The Riott Squad.
Ruby performed in some great matches for WWE during her time with the company. Unfortunately, mediocre bookings held her back and did not let her get over or win a title with the company.
Ruby made her AEW debut at All Out 2021 after She was released by WWE in June of the same year . She entered the Casino Battle Royale and won the match to get a shot at the AEW Women’s Championship.
#1. AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker also competed in WWE
Britt Baker is arguably the most successful AEW star who once competed in WWE. Baker is the current AEW Women’s World Champion, and there is no stopping the star.
Baker’s rise in the wrestling industry has been phenomenal. Baker started well in AEW and made her way up the ladder. It took a lot of hard work for her to reach the top of the promotion and lead the women’s division.
In 2016, Baker competed in her first match for WWE, where she took a loss from Nia Jax. She also competed in a match at the 2018 Mae Young Classic for WWE. However, she never signed with the company.
