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Nowadays, whenever a wrestler from WWE is released or leaves the company, fans often speculate if they will end up in AEW.
It's an understandable question to ask when you look at some of the former WWE stars that have done well in AEW. Several wrestlers or teams like Pac (Neville), FTR (The Revival), Chris Jericho, and many more have done extremely well in AEW.
Many fans believe (and rightly so) that AEW is the place to go for wrestlers to show what they can truly do. This is because AEW's management is letting stars do their own thing, and the promotion's fanbase seems quite dedicated as well.
With that being said, let's take a look at ten wrestlers who should find their way out of the WWE, and head on over to the side of All Elite Wrestling.
#1 WWE RAW Superstar Ricochet
Let's start off with the obvious choice, shall we? Ricochet was a fan favorite during his time in NXT. He won the NXT North American Championship, and the Dusty Rhodes Classic with Aleister Black. However, his time on WWE's main roster has been nothing short of disappointing.
Ricochet won the WWE United States Championship a little more than two months after his RAW debut, but his reign lasted only 21 days. Since then, WWE has booked Ricochet to look like nothing more than cannon fodder.
Leaving the WWE to go to AEW would be a fantastic move for the former Prince Puma. Ricochet is perfect in the high spot, fast-paced action setting that we see in AEW. He also seems to be a fan favorite everywhere he goes when booked correctly.
Ricochet was in tag teams with current AEW stars like Matt Sydal and Chuck Taylor. He is also friends with many on the AEW roster. Ricochet seems like the number one option in WWE who should go to AEW.
#2 WWE SmackDown Superstar Aleister Black
Much like his Dusty Rhodes Classic partner Ricochet, Aleister Black was a great success in NXT. He won and held the NXT Championship for 108 days, and won three NXT Year-End Awards — Male Competitor of the Year, Breakout Star of the Year, and Rivalry of the Year for his fantastic feud with Velveteen Dream.
He was then called up to the main roster. Despite a few strong showings early on, Black has fallen further and further down the pecking order. In the indies, Aleister Black (as Tommy End) held titles in promotions like Progress Wrestling, PWG, wXw, and ICW.
Black has an intimidating look and can back it up in the ring. The AEW roster is full of talent that can have barn burner matches with most competitors. So imagine some of the matches we would see if Black was in AEW.
WWE has released his wife, Thea Trinidad (Zelina Vega), and the company reportedly rejected Black's request to go back to NXT as well. Perhaps these two instances and his underwhelming creative direction could add to some bad blood between Black and WWE.
#3 WWE RAW Superstar Peyton Royce
It has been a strange time for Peyton Royce in WWE. In NXT, Peyton and Billie Kay were a popular team called The IIconics.
Kay and Royce were popular with fans. The WWE Women's Tag Team Championships weren't created at the time, but the duo was named the 2016 Breakout of the Year at NXT's Year-End Awards.
The IIconics also had a run on the main roster, but WWE broke up the team in 2020. To this day, WWE fans still don't understand why the split between Royce and Kay was booked in the first place. After the split, Royce was drafted to RAW and began teaming up with Lacey Evans.
Royce is a great talent, but she hasn't had a major opportunity to showcase her true potential in WWE.
Also taking into account that AEW is in serious need of great female wrestlers, Royce's move to AEW would be perfect for both parties.
#4 WWE SmackDown Superstar Chad Gable
Much like everyone that's on this list, Chad Gable is just too talented to be in the position that he is currently in on WWE television.
He was once a part of one of the best tag teams in NXT, American Alpha. Gable is a true Greco-Roman wrestler, having competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
It seemed like WWE was putting more stock into Gable's partner, Jason Jordan after the team split up. Gable went on to partner with various superstars, and also suffered a poor gimmick change to "Shorty G".
More recently, Gable has reverted to Chad Gable and opened up the "Alpha Academy". This may be a turn for the better for Gable, but putting a fantastic wrestler like him in AEW would only elevate the wrestling on AEW television.
#5 WWE RAW Superstar Lana
Lana gets a lot of hate from some of the WWE fans, and it's not really warranted when you think about it.
Lana may not be the greatest talent in the world, but she is constantly working on her craft and has continuously gotten better. As a manager for her real-life husband, Rusev, she was fantastic. She really put Rusev over as an effective heel on countless occasions.
Once Rusev left, it was a bumpy road for Lana. She had been consistently put through a table by Nia Jax in 2020. But during Survivor Series, Lana became the lone survivor by chance.
Despite this strange booking, Lana hasn't complained and has kept pushing on. Lana leaving WWE for AEW would add a more commercial name to the AEW women's division. It would also give Lana a great opportunity to hone her in-ring skills.
#6 WWE RAW Superstar Shayna Baszler
Shayna Baszler had a fantastic career in NXT and quite possibly is the greatest NXT Women's Champion of all time. Baszler was the first two-time NXT Women's Champion, with her second reign being the second-longest in NXT history.
When Baszler debuted in WWE's main roster on RAW, it looked like she was going to be a devastating force for some time. Baszler had her initial feud with Becky Lynch, but she couldn't win the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania 36. Baszler took a two-month hiatus after that feud. She is now a two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Nia Jax.
Baszler leaving WWE for AEW would give the AEW a woman that can be booked as an absolutely destructive force. She could wreak havoc over the entire women's division, much like Nyla Rose. A matchup between Rose and Baszler would be something that fans would definitely love to watch.
#7 WWE SmackDown Superstar Cesaro
WWE has done Cesaro a great disservice and there is no way around it. Claudio Castagnoli is one of the best performers in the WWE today but has been bogged down by poor booking decisions.
Since winning the United States Championship in 2012, Cesaro has yet to hold singles gold in the WWE. However, he has held tag team gold on seven separate occasions.
His strength is unlike any performer his size, and he has the innate ability to get over with the fans in a way that many performers strive for.
Cesaro could easily become a top star in AEW due to his connection with the fans. Plus, can you imagine if AEW brought in Cesaro and Chris Hero and we got The Kings of Wrestling back together?
#8 WWE RAW Superstar Randy Orton
While this one may be a bit of a stretch, Randy Orton leaving WWE for AEW would arguably be one of the most surprising moves in all of wrestling history.
But it's not totally outside of the realm of possibility. Orton obviously keeps up with other wrestling promotions, even if he is critical of some of them.
Randy Orton has interacted with AEW and indie wrestlers on Twitter. Back when he was negotiating a new contract with WWE, he himself had fans believing a switch to AEW was in the works.
Randy Orton appearing on AEW would be like Hulk Hogan leaving for WCW, but Orton hasn't worked on any other major promotions, unlike Hogan.
Having a wrestler the caliber of Randy Orton show up in AEW would only increase viewers on the still relatively new promotion. It would also give Orton the chance to try new things in his career.
#9 WWE RAW Superstar Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy going to AEW right now in his career seems very unlikely. After all, he has recently signed a new contract with WWE.
But when Matt Hardy was atop the wrestling world with his "Broken Matt" gimmick, Jeff Hardy was right next to him with "Brother Nero".
Jeff Hardy has established himself as a fantastic wrestler over the years. There is no doubt that Matt and Jeff together make magic, especially if they had the kind of freedom they would have in AEW.
Jeff Hardy is one of the most creative performers in WWE right now, and his presence in AEW would only enhance that creativity.
#10 WWE SmackDown Superstar Ruby Riott
Ruby Riott's career in WWE has been lackluster, to say the least. Riott debuted in NXT in 2016 but wasn't really ever able to gain any traction.
When WWE announced the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble, they needed more women to fill the 30 slots. This led to them pillaging a number of women from the NXT roster.
When Riott debuted on the WWE main roster, she formed The Riott Squad with Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan. The group could've been a top women's stable in WWE if booked correctly. But following the Riott Squad break-up and an unfortunate injury, Riott has fallen down the pecking order.
Riott is a very talented star, judging by her work in the indies. Adding her to an AEW roster that is in dire need of talented women would help both Riott's career and AEW.
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