Bill Apter names former WWE star as one of the new pillars of AEW (Exclusive)

AEW features several former WWE stars, including Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho, and Bryan Danielson, among others, who have established a notable presence in the promotion. In the six years since its existence, the promotion has grown leaps and bounds, with all four of its original 'pillars' becoming bona fide stars.

MJF, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, and Jack Perry were built as the four pillars of AEW, and all have gone on to become champions in the promotion. During the latest episode of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine, Hall of Fame journalist Bill Apter was asked to identify the new four pillars of the promotion.

Apter named former WWE star Toni Storm as one of the new pillars in his opinion, along with two more stars who have been with the company since day one. He also stated that Kenny Omega and MJF are two names who are right at the top in the Tony Khan-led promotion as well.

"So we'll say that's one [The Young Bucks], Hangman Adam Page, Toni Storm, and let me think, this is gonna sound really weird, but he's been there since the beginning, Don Callis. He has brought some of the most evil wrestlers in his family," Apter said.

Don Callis' inclusion on the list is one of the most surprising, but the manager has presented himself as a constant nuisance on screen. He has aligned himself with some of the top stars in the promotion, like Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, and Konosuke Takeshita.

The Don Callis Family is one of the biggest heels on the AEW roster currently and holds both the AEW Unified Championship and the TNT Championship in the group. They recently added Andrade to their ranks, who made his return to the company on the latest episode of Dynamite.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed