19 WWE and AEW stars who are good friends in real-life

WWE and AEW are filled with some of the finest wrestlers in the world today. Many former WWE Superstars have moved to the new promotion in hopes of making their careers even better.

Outside the ring, many WWE and AEW stars have either worked together or competed against each other on different promotions. This has allowed them to become friends.

Even though the two companies come across as rivals onscreen, the wrestlers working for them have a lot of history with each other. Here are 21 wrestlers who have formed cross-promotion friendships over the years.

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#10. Former WWE Champion AJ Styles and AEW star Christopher Daniels

AJ Styles is one of the cornerstones of WWE today. Meanwhile, Christopher Daniels is probably having his final run in AEW before hanging up his boots. Behind the scenes, the two men are known to be the best of friends.

Styles and Daniels never got to work in WWE together. However, they worked together in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) for a long time. Both men have even named their sons' middle names after each other.

Daniels was asked about his relationship with AJ Styles during an interview with Baltimore Sun. The Fallen Angel said he met Styles in 2001, and the two have competed in countless matches over the decades.

“AJ and I met at the NWA 53rd Anniversary show in 2001. That was the first time we ever wrestled each other, too. That match got enough buzz around it to where independent promoters started booking the match itself all around the United States. So there was a period of time in which AJ and I were wrestling each other almost exclusively. He and I got to become real close, traveling, hanging out and working with each other.”

Daniels also said that the new promotions that came up during that time helped both wrestlers work on bigger stages and get closer together.

“Coming up in both of those companies and sort of watching ourselves grow from guys who were names on the independent scene to guys who were names with either company, sharing that experience and then the fact that in our private lives, we're both married and have kids about the same age now, that whole experience has brought us closer together as friends. Being able to work with your best friend in the main event of a pay-per-view is a special feeling.”

#9. WWE Superstar Finn Balor and AEW star Karl Anderson

Finn Balor has known The Good Brothers for a very long time now. The WWE Superstar first met Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson during his time at New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).

During their time in NJPW, the three men formed The Bullet Club. At the time, Balor, Gallows, and Anderson wouldn't have believed anyone who told them the Bullet Club would become the most iconic pro wrestling faction of all time.

The Prince spoke to WWE about how he and The Good Brothers formed The Bullet Club, and how Anderson became his best friend during their time in Japan.

“The Bullet Club was essentially in existence long before it was ever onscreen. Myself and Karl Anderson were best friends in and out of the ring. Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale were the other foreign wrestlers in New Japan. Essentially we lived together, traveled together, ate together, drank together and spent four years being in each other’s company. We were closer to each other than we were to our own families, due to the fact that we were in a foreign country and all going through the same issues of living in a non-English speaking country. That’s an incredible cultural contrast to where we came from.”

After NJPW, the three men worked together in WWE for some time. Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson are now part of IMPACT and AEW. If Balor moves to one of those promotions, he could reunite with The Good Brothers to reform The Bullet Club.

#8. WWE Superstar Kyle O’Reilly and AEW newcomer Adam Cole

Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly were part of one of the most iconic factions in WWE NXT history: The Undisputed ERA.

However, WWE isn’t the only place where the two men worked together and against each other. Cole and KOR have known each other for a long time and competed on different promotions together before joining WWE.

Adam Cole spoke about their friendship and how that helped both men grow as wrestlers.

“That match meant everything to me,” Cole says. “I’ve known Kyle since 2009, and our relationship runs so much deeper than the world of wrestling. He’s one of my absolute best friends. I was in his wedding. Whether we’re partners or enemies, the Adam Cole–Kyle O’Reilly story is so important to me. I’m really proud of what we did together in NXT, Japan, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla…”

All four men from Undisputed ERA are now working separately. But KOR could look to try his luck at AEW down the line and possibly team up with his best friend again.

#7. AEW star Jake Hager and WWE 24/7 legend R-Truth

Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jake Hager tried his hand at MMA before moving back to the pro wrestling ring. He is now one of the top stars in AEW and someone who will become a future world champion for the company.

Meanwhile, R-Truth has been with WWE for a long time and has given fans some of the best comical segments. Behind the scenes, Hager and R-Truth are great friends.

Hager spoke about his friendship with R-Truth after the WWE Superstar performed his Bellator entrance on the WINCLY podcast.

“He was one of the first people I told I was gonna leave the company. I said back then, ‘Hey, when I go and fight, you’re gonna be performing my entrance song.’ We would get goosebumps riding down the road and it was almost a two year journey to make it happen.”

“To have one of my best friends in the world to be there for my MMA debut? pretty cool and something I will take with me and put up there with being managed by Zeb or winning a World Heavyweight Championship.”

Hager also revealed how the two men became friends in the first place. He said that R-Truth is an uncle to his kids.

“It was years and years of riding together,” stated Swagger. “We were both on the same shows and got to know each other. We have similar friends and similar experiences over the last 12 years that really solidified each other in each other’s lives and our kids’ lives. He’s Uncle Ronnie to my kids.”

Hager made his WWE debut in 2008, the same year R-Truth returned to the company. The two have been best friends ever since and have spoken highly about each other during interviews.

#6. WWE Superstar Finn Balor and AEW star Pac (Neville)

Finn Balor is one of the nicest wrestlers backstage and has made some great friends during his time on the road. AEW star Pac has known Balor for long and the two men have been great friends since 2002.

The Sun spoke to Balor before WrestleMania 33 and discussed his relationship with the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Balor revealed that the two men spent a lot of time in Japan before moving to America together.

“Myself and Neville have been friends since 2002 and had similar journeys, so it has not just been injuries that have encouraged us to lean on each other. It’s been the adjusting to dojos in Japan or upping sticks and moving to America, the adjustment of working for WWE. So me and Neville have leaned on each other for everything over the last couple of years.”

Pac is busy tearing it up in AEW, while Finn Balor is still trying to get his hands on the Universal Championship in WWE again. It will be interesting to see if their paths will meet in the ring once again.

#5. AEW World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks and WWE Superstar Kevin Owens

WWE Superstar Kevin Owens is another man who has a few friends in AEW, like Adam Cole, Cody Rhodes, and Matt Hardy. However, The Young Bucks are two wrestlers who are very close to the former WWE Universal Champion.

Nick and Matt Jackson have known KO for some time, and the three men worked together on a different promotion before. The former AEW Tag Team Champions spoke highly of Owens during an interview with Fightful, saying they still love to talk to him and glowing over the history they have with him.

“He was one of the guys who took us under his wing in the early days. He saw something special in us and I think he knew we were going to be a part of the new crop of the top indie guys, and he attached himself to us. He’s one of the very first people who gave us a rub. Just being friends with him by association and being involved with him in storylines and having matches with him people immediately accepted that we were cool. We’ll never forget that.”

Kevin Owens could look to move to AEW once his contract with WWE comes to an end. If he does decide to make the jump, The Young Bucks will be there to help him get to the top of the company.

#4. WWE Superstar Kevin Owens and former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho

Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho had one of the greatest partnerships in WWE. They also remained good friends backstage and spoke highly of each other.

On Saturday Night Special #21, Y2J spoke about his friendship with Kevin Owens and revealed that the two men still stay in touch and are good friends.

“I speak to Kevin from time to time, you know... Definitely still friends. The only thing is when you are on the road, it takes you into different places and you know, you’re in different areas. So he’s doing his gig and he is super busy and I am doing my gig so I am super busy as well. I love Kevin because he’s kind of reinvigorated my passion for the business in 2016.”

Chris Jericho and KO’s Festival of Friendship remains one of the most talked-about angles in WWE.

#3. WWE Superstar Xavier Woods and AEW star Kenny Omega

Xavier Woods has been part of WWE for a long time now, but he’s found most of his success as part of The New Day. He's great friends with Big E and Kofi Kingston, along with several other WWE Superstars.

Fans also know that Woods is good friends with Adam Cole, who was part of his UpUpDownDown channel. Another AEW star who is good friends with Xavier Woods is Kenny Omega.

Woods was interviewed by comicbook.com where he was asked questions about various subjects, including his relationship with Omega.

“We had a lot of mutual friends and I remember it was almost like a cold call. It was like "hey, are you...cool...with video games?". Luckily our friendship blossomed from there. So it's great when I can meet people in this job that love the same games.”

Xavier Woods is a gaming addict and has found someone who shares his passion. Kenny Omega is slowly bringing most of his friends to AEW. Will Woods leave WWE to join AEW someday?

#2. AEW newcomer Ruby Soho and WWE Superstar Liv Morgan

Ruby Soho was surprisingly released by WWE earlier this year. It did not take her long to find a new home in AEW. She's known to be a great in-ring worker who has performed for several promotions.

In WWE, Ruby joined forces with Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan to form The Riott Squad. The three women had a great time together before WWE split them up.

Liv Morgan sat down with Scott Fishman of TV Insider to discuss her relationship with Soho. She said the two still keep in touch.

"We definitely all keep in touch," Liv Morgan revealed. "We’re all so happy about each other’s successes. When I first got teamed up with Ruby and Sarah, I didn’t really speak to either of them. Throughout the journey of being best friends, we realized there are so many things that make us alike rather than different."

Liv Morgan is still working hard to climb the ladder in WWE. Meanwhile, Ruby seems to be heading right to the top after her recent AEW debut. Will she defeat Britt Baker to become the new AEW Women’s Champion?

#1. Former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and AEW star CM Punk

Kofi Kingston and CM Punk worked well together for some time in WWE. The two men teamed up in 2008 and have remained good friends ever since.

Kingston was recently asked about his current relationship with Punk, and whether the two men were still friends. The former WWE Champion said that he always considers Punk his brother, and was happy to see him return to the ring for AEW.

"I’ll always be grateful for the time that we had and always consider him to be my brother, regardless of what happens from this point forward. I was glad to see him get the gig with FOX and kind of be back in the fold, because to me it seemed like he had found something, like a sense of happiness. And that’s really all that I want for him is to be happy. So as long as he’s happy and enjoying life, then I’m happy for him and I always will be.”

Kingston and CM Punk spent a considerable amount of time together on the road during their WWE years. They are still good friends and are happy to see each other reach new heights.