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Over the past two years or so, a string of former WWE Superstars have made their debuts in All Elite Wrestling. The first big debut was made by Jon Moxley at AEW Double Or Nothing 2019 and many more followed suit.
A lot of these WWE Superstars felt that they weren't being used to their potential in Vince McMahon's promotion and wanted to showcase their skills elsewhere. The existence of AEW gave these wrestlers an opportunity to bet on themselves and start afresh in Tony Khan's company. What's interesting is that the real-life partners of some of these former WWE Superstars were still working for WWE (some still do) when they made their way to AEW.
Real-life couples working for rival promotions sometimes result in intriguing scenarios. Die-hard fans are usually on the lookout for backstage gossip that comes out of these inter-promotional relationships. In the following list, we will be looking at an interesting aspect of the topic at hand. Let's take a look at five female WWE stars and focus on how they reacted to their real-life partners debuting in All Elite Wrestling.
#5 WWE's Zelina Vega reacts to Aleister Black's AEW debut
Aleister Black wrestled his final WWE match back in October 2020 and was taken off TV following the contest. He remained on the sidelines for months on end, leading to speculation that WWE could let him go in the near future. Black returned to SmackDown after WrestleMania 37 and was donning a new character. In a shocking turn of events, Black was released by WWE on June 2, 2021.
Exactly a month after Black's release, his wife Zelina Vega made her surprise return to WWE. She was previously let go in November 2020 due to a breach of contract. Aleister Black made his AEW debut as Malakai Black on the July 7 episode of AEW Dynamite, and here's how Vega reacted:
Aleister Black attacked WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson and top AEW star Cody during his big debut. He has a bright future ahead of him in AEW and fans are excited to see him start anew after a disappointing WWE main roster run. Zelina Vega is doing fine for herself as well. She will be participating in the Women's Money In The Bank Ladder match at the upcoming WWE event.
#4 WWE's Renee Young reacts to Jon Moxley's AEW debut
Renee Young (now Renee Paquette) was still working in WWE when Jon Moxley parted ways with the company due to creative differences. Many fans were hopeful that he would make a jump to AEW as the promotion was about to present its first event named Double Or Nothing 2019.
Moxley came out to a loud pop after the conclusion of the show's main event that pitted Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega. He attacked both men to close the show and took the wrestling world by storm.
Moxley's wife Renee Young left WWE at SummerSlam 2020. In early 2021, she opened up on Moxley's jump from WWE to AEW:
Your schedule is what it is when you’re in WWE, so for him to be able to step away from that and breathe some fresh air – it’s been really cool to see him grow.
It’s just such a reminder to bet on yourself. When you really believe in yourself and you know that there are other things that you want to achieve, so just lean into that and swing for the fences.
Jon Moxley is a former AEW World Champion and he won the belt last year by defeating Chris Jericho at AEW Revolution. Moxley carried the belt for months before losing it to Kenny Omega. He is currently on hiatus following the birth of his first child with Paquette.
#3 WWE's Lana reacts to Miro's AEW debut
Miro's WWE storyline with his wife Lana and Bobby Lashley destroyed his character beyond repair. The angle garnered millions of views on social media on a weekly basis but was criticized by most fans. Miro lost the feud to Lashley and was removed from WWE TV on the road to WrestleMania 36.
Following WrestleMania, Miro was released from WWE. He soon made his debut in All Elite Wrestling. Lana posted two tweets referencing Miro's big debut in AEW but ended up deleting both. You can check out the screengrabs of the tweets HERE.
Miro opened up on his WWE run shortly after, and here's what he had to say:
“I won’t be happy until I’m the talk of the whole business, of course. But somewhere along the lines, and this is going to tie it into it, I kept saying yes. I became this circus bear. I was a killer. I came in 2013-14 (to NXT) and killed everybody and then they gave me a little bit of something else. I showed how good I was at that, too. I became like a circus bear. The more I said yes, the more cr*p I have to eat. I said yes to the wedding and yes to the dancing and yes to this and that, but that’s not who I am, man. You have to go through these moments until you finally reach your destination. I wouldn’t change a single step. I’ll take the weddings. I’ll take everything because it leads me to my destination and now being the TNT champion.”
Lana remained a mainstay on WWE TV for another year and was recently released from the company. Miro is doing well for himself on AEW TV and is currently holding the TNT title that he won from Darby Allin.
#2 WWE's Chelsea Green reacts to Matt Cardona's AEW debut
Matt Cardona was a popular name in WWE and is regarded by many as the first wrestler to utilize social media to get over with fans. His 2011 YouTube series named "Z! True Long Island Story" became an overnight hit and resulted in fans urging WWE to give him a push.
Cardona was given a mid-card push in 2011-12 but it didn't last long and he soon went back to being an afterthought on the main roster. He was released by WWE last year. Cardona went on to make his debut for All Elite Wrestling and had a short-lived stint in the promotion.
Chelsea Green, Cardona's fiancee, was a WWE Superstar at the time of Cardona's debut and she tweeted the following after his appearance on AEW TV:
Green didn't do much during her WWE run and was finally released on April 15, 2021. Cardona is currently working for IMPACT Wrestling. He had tremendous potential to become a big name in WWE in the early 2010s. Cardona's biggest moment came at WrestleMania 32 in 2016 when he won the Intercontinental title in a multi-man Ladder match.
#1 WWE's Charlotte Flair reacts to Andrade's AEW debut
Andrade showed promise while he was wrestling in WWE NXT and won the promotion's top title on one occasion. His fans had high hopes when he was moved to the main roster. Sadly, Andrade spent the entirety of his main roster run as a mid-card act and his run ended with a loss to Angel Garza on October 13, 2020.
Andrade was then removed from WWE TV. In early 2021, it was rumored that Andrade had asked for his release and the Mexican star later confirmed the same.
The rumors are true and I don’t know what the future holds but I want to make my dreams come true. Thank you for giving me so much support these last days. Los rumores son ciertos y no se lo que me prepara el futuro, pero quiero hacer realidad mis sueños. Gracias por tanto apoyo🙏🏼
Andrade was finally given his release in March and he made his AEW debut in June. His fiancee Charlotte Flair took to Twitter to react to the debut and posted a heartfelt message:
Charlotte Flair and Andrade have been together for a while now and got engaged on January 1, 2020. Charlotte is still going strong in WWE and it won't be a surprise if she ends her career in the company in the distant future.
