5 WWE Attitude Era Superstars currently in AEW

All Elite Wrestling (AEW), spearheaded by Tony Khan, was launched earlier this year as an alternative to WWE. AEW are set to debut their weekly show on October 2, which will go head-to-head with WWE's NXT show.

The AEW roster consists of several top-class wrestlers who have impressed in the indies, and also some familiar faces who have either been a part of WWE or Impact Wrestling.

The competition between AEW and WWE has been compared to that of WWE and WCW in the late 90s, a time when pro wrestling was hugely popular with both promotions pushing the boundaries and putting out an exciting product weekly.

WWE eventually won the Monday Night Wars in the Attitude Era which led to several Superstars becoming household names.

There are a few Superstars from the Attitude Era who have been signed by AEW and will play a key part in the ring as well as backstage. Let's take a look at 5 WWE Attitude Era Superstars currently in AEW:

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#5 Dustin Rhodes (Goldust)

This is telling an exact fact😂#aew https://t.co/R8M9wmNLhn pic.twitter.com/HpBJRQH0HD

— HIKARU SHIDA 志田 光 (@shidahikaru) August 21, 2021

Dustin Rhodes, the brother of Cody Rhodes, and the son of the legendary Dusty Rhodes, had a good mid-card career in WWE, winning the tag team titles, Intercontinental Championship, as well as the Hardcore Championship on 9 occasions.

His Goldust character was unique and was a big part of the Attitude Era. In fact, he was a part of WCW and WWE during the Monday Night Wars, switching between the two promotions four different times in the 90s and early 00s.

After returning to WWE in 2013 for a fifth time, he had a six-year stint with Vince McMahon's promotion before leaving to join his brother at AEW earlier this year. He has so far featured in two matches in AEW, the first a singles match against his brother, and then teaming with his brother to take on The Young Bucks at Fight For The Fallen.

#4 Dean Malenko

Dean Malenko was a producer with WWE for 18 years

Dean Malenko is perhaps one of the greatest technical wrestlers to have stepped foot in a WWE ring, and like Goldust, he too was a part of both WWE and WCW during the Monday Night Wars.

Malenko joined WWE in 2000, and was a part of the Radicalz faction alongside Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn, and Eddie Guerrero. He won the Light Heavyweight Championship twice in his WWE career, before retiring and becoming a producer with WWE.

He was a producer for the WWE for 18 years before joining AEW in 2019 as a senior producer.

In an interview after leaving WWE, Malenko revealed that there were some businesses he had to take care of which led to his decision to leave the company:

“I didn’t know I was going to AEW at the time. I had some other businesses, some other things that I wanted to try outside of wrestling, but also know I could do that. So that was kinda starting at the same time as me leaving.”

#3 Billy Gunn

Billy Gunn was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year

Billy Gunn was another integral part of the Attitude Era, having been a part of the popular D-Generation X faction, as well as The New Age Outlaws. After debuting in 1993, he was a part of the WWE for over a decade before leaving the promotion in 2004.

He won the tag team titles on 11 occasions, while also having reasonable success as a singles star, winning the Hardcore and Intercontinental title.

After a stint with TNA/Impact Wrestling, he returned to WWE in 2012 and had a three-year run with the company, before being released for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

He returned for the RAW 25 years episode in 2018, before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with D-Generation X just days after signing for AEW as a producer.

He even made an appearance at AEW's very first show Double or Nothing, where he was a part of the Battle Royal on the pre-show.

#2 Tommy Dreamer

Tommy Dreamer wrestled in AEW's very first PPV, Double or Nothing

Tommy Dreamer is a hardcore legend, having been an important part of ECW and then WWE. Dreamer joined WWE at the end of the Attitude Era in 2001, after ECW shut up shop.

He won the Hardcore Championship on 14 occasions, as well as the ECW Championship once when it was reintroduced in the WWE. Dreamer spent nearly a decade in WWE before leaving in 2010 and then joining TNA following which he had another brief run in WWE in 2015.

At AEW's Double or Nothing show, Dreamer participated in the battle royal which was eventually won by Adam Page.

It was later revealed that Dreamer was backstage during the show, working as a producer. According to PWInsider, Dreamer was working as a producer even at last month's All Out PPV. We could very well see him feature on AEW television as well as work backstage for the new promotion.

#1 Chris Jericho

AEW World Champion Chris Jericho

One of the biggest signings for AEW was Chris Jericho, who was with WWE for nearly two decades. Jericho joined WWE in 1999, during the peak of the Attitude Era, and went on to become one of the best heels in the business, before reinventing himself multiple times.

He won several titles during and after the Attitude Era, and had great feuds with the likes of The Rock, Chyna, and Triple H during the Attitude Era.

Jericho made several returns to the company as he took breaks to concentrate on his music and acting career. He had a memorable feud with Kenny Omega over on NJPW, which was the first step in him moving away from WWE, which he eventually did in 2019 when he signed with AEW.

Jericho revealed that he kept WWE informed about his decision to leave the company for AEW, revealing that Vince McMahon was his friend and he did not want to stab WWE in the back by joining AEW without informing them.

He became the first-ever AEW World Champion after defeating Adam Page at All Out.

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