5 Current AEW stars who rejected WWE contracts

AEW came into being around two years ago, with its first show. 'Double Or Nothing', ending up being a major success. The promotion had started signing top talents from the USA and around the world a long time before they came up with their very first event. Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega were two of the top stars that AEW signed to a contract early on.

AEW also signed Dustin Rhodes to a deal quickly after he parted ways with WWE. He eventually had a banger with his brother Cody at AEW Double Or Nothing. Over the past two years or so, All Elite Wrestling has been doing well for itself, and AEW Dynamite has been dominating WWE NXT in weekly ratings ever since, minus a few exceptions.

In this list, we will take a look at five AEW stars from the current crop, who were once approached by WWE, but they ended up rejecting offers from Vince McMahon's promotion.

#5 Kenny Omega provides reason why he decided to sign with AEW over WWE and NJPW

Kenny Omega was one of the biggest stars to sign with AEW. The promotion made it a point to promote his AEW Double Or Nothing match against Chris Jericho as the main attraction for weeks on end, finally culminating in a blockbuster No. 1 contender's match at the show. He had a strong showing, and has been an integral part of AEW ever since. In early 2019, Omega explained in an interview why he chose to sign with AEW.

"So WWE's offer was fantastic, as [Meltzer] reported. And a lot of people just know, it's common knowledge, but they went about it in a very professional, courteous way and those guys are nothing but constant professionals in the way they dealt with me. But at the end of the day, AEW presented something that was – they just couldn't be beat. I'm with my best friends in the business, I have a little bit of control in the creative, which is always, of course, very important. And I really feel like it's the true platform for me to sort of have my voice be heard and I always like challenges."

Kenny Omega certainly made a wise decision by signing with AEW

Kenny Omega defeated Jon Moxley a while ago on a special edition of Dynamite, to become the new AEW World Champion. He is still carrying the belt and is hands down the most crucial aspect of the current storyline between AEW and IMPACT Wrestling.

#4 MJF opens up on why going to AEW was the right decision on his part

One look at AEW star MJF is enough for a fan to realize that the guy isn't a regular bloke, and has a bright future ahead of him. WWE legend Jim Cornette, who usually has nothing but criticism for AEW, has praised MJF on several occasions. He is currently one of the biggest heels in the business. Last year, MJF opened up on his decision to sign a deal with AEW, instead of WWE. He believed that WWE would try to change his character and the way he handles himself, and decided to head over to AEW.

"Deep down, I wanted to be part of something new and something fresh and something where I'd be able to control everything going on with me, because I knew if I went to the other place, and this isn't me shi--ing on the other place, it's just a fact, they would try to change me, and there is nothing to change."

MJF is doing quite well in AEW

MJF's first major feud in AEW was with his ex-mentor Cody Rhodes, which ended with MJF picking up a big win over the AEW EVP. He possesses excellent mic skills, and is fully capable of producing a great pro wrestling outing. At just 24-years-old, MJF has a long road ahead of him, and is certainly going to be a multiple-time AEW World Champion in a few years' time.

#3 Adam Page turns WWE down, shortly before signing a contract with AEW

An interesting aspect of Adam Page is that he is one of those AEW talents who are homegrown, and not already-established megastars from other promotions, like Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega. As in, he wasn't much of a big name when he signed with AEW. It was clear as day from the beginning that AEW had big plans for him. Page rejected a WWE offer not too long before signing a deal with AEW. Here's Page opening up on the same:

"That was an option for me at one point. It was something for me that I heavily considered, but you know, it didn't feel right for me at that time, and I really couldn't say enough how pleasant everyone was to deal with the talks and negotiations."

"They were more after me than most I would say. They put a lot more effort into me and time than others did, so it was a real consideration, but I guess when I was a kid that was [what] you wanted to do—you wanted to grow up and be in the WWE because it's the biggest thing ever—but it just didn't feel right and didn't become a goal for me anymore."

Hangman Page was pushed from day one in AEW

Hangman Page was a surprise entrant in the Casino Battle Royale at AEW Double or Nothing 2019. He ended up winning the whole thing by last eliminating MJF. Page was thus given a shot at the newly-formed AEW World title, but failed to defeat Chris Jericho at All Out. He later won the AEW World tag team titles with Kenny Omega, and many believe that he will be the one to take the AEW World title off Omega in the near future.

#2 AEW star Will Hobbs didn't mince words while rejecting WWE offer

Team Taz is currently a mainstay on AEW TV, and consists of some promising young talent. Will Hobbs is one such talent, and at 30-years-old, has lots of years left in the tank. In his appearance on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Hobbs revealed that he had a WWE tryout a while ago, but didn't make it in the end. Later, WWE contracted him for a deal when he had a match in AEW. Here's what he told WWE:

"The (WWE) try-out was good. They said 'we don’t have anything for you right now.' Years later, they carrot dangled in front of me and I pretty much told them, 'F you.' Right when I appeared on AEW, you wanna be like, 'Hey, remember me?' The way I was raised, I don't have time for that s**t. I'm not 'boo boo the fool' as my Grandma would say. 'Hey, we've been thinking about you and are interested in you.' No, f**k you. I ain't no sucka. I'd rather you tell me 100% no than try to BS me."

Hobbs kicked off his AEW journey in July 2020

Hobbs initially wrestled in a bunch of matches on AEW Dark. His work in the 21-man Casino Battle Royale at AEW All Out 2020 impressed AEW President Tony Khan, and he soon bagged a contract with All Elite Wrestling. He is currently aligned with Team Taz, a heel stable that's feuding with Darby Allin and WWE Hall of Famer, Sting.

#1 Jon Moxley turns down a lucrative five-year deal offered by WWE

Current AEW star Jon Moxley was fed up with the way he was being handled on WWE TV, by the time 2018 was approaching its end. He had made a decision, and was going to stick with it, no matter what. In early 2019, Wade Keller of PWTorch reported that Moxley had a meeting with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Moxley had been offered a five-year WWE deal, which included a raise, but he ended up rejecting the same. Reportedly, his deal was worth around a million dollars per year. Moxley didn't flinch one bit, and parted ways with WWE months later.

Jon Moxley made an explosive debut at AEW Double Or Nothing

Moxley came out following Chris Jericho's win over Kenny Omega at AEW's first show, and attacked both stars. Last year, Moxley defeated Jericho to become the second-ever AEW World Champion, and held it for several months. Moxley finally lost the belt to Kenny Omega on AEW Dynamite, but it's safe to say that he doesn't regret his decision to reject WWE's offer and sign with AEW, at all.