3 Stars who left AEW on good terms and 3 who didn’t 

AEW has emerged as a fierce competitor to WWE on multiple fronts. Besides their weekly TV ratings tussle, the two companies often butt heads whenever a free agent arrives in the market.

Tony Khan has arguably outshined the Triple H-led regime when it comes to signing major international stars. However, Khan has also lost a few prominent talents over the years. Many of them once seemed irreplaceable in the Jacksonville-based promotion.

While the majority of the departed stars left the company on good terms, a few others had a very hostile split with the Tony Khan-led promotion. In this article, let's look at three stars who left All Elite Wrestling amicably and three stars who did not.

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#3 Stars who left on good terms: Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy signed with AEW in March 2020. Having left his mark all over the world, Hardy arrived in the Jacksonville-based promotion to rejuvenate his career, working alongside an exciting crop of talents.

Following years of underutilization in WWE, The Broken One found his home in All Elite Wrestling, where he remained a significant on-screen figure for the first two years. The former WWE United States Champion also had an entertaining tag team run with Jeff Hardy, allowing the fans to watch their favorite duo in action again.

As time passed, Hardy fell through the ranks in the promotion, as other new signings rose to the top of the men's division. Eventually, The Broken One parted ways with the Tony Khan-led company in April 2024, owing to dissatisfaction with his role in AEW.

Although he has pointed out issues with the promotion's booking since his departure, Matt Hardy remains very positive about his time in All Elite Wrestling.

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#3 Stars who left on bad terms: Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly is regarded as one of the most prominent announcers in the pro wrestling business. The 57-year-old veteran assumed the role of a play-by-play commentator on Collision in 2023, hoping to light up the Saturday night show's broadcast with his mic skills. Unfortunately, Kelly was abruptly pulled away from the Collision commentary team a few months later.

The former ROH announcer made some serious accusations against his fellow commentator, Ian Riccaboni, alleging him of sabotaging his career through backstage politics. Kelly's comments drew the ire of higher officials, leading to his sudden release from the company.

The veteran commentator was very unhappy with how the entire situation was handled by the AEW management. Kelly criticized Tony Khan for overlooking his issues with Riccaboni and threatened to sue the Jacksonville-based promotion in the future.

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#2 Stars who left on good terms: Jade Cargill

Jade Cargill was once one of the most protected superstars in the AEW women's division. Despite her in-ring limitations, Cargill oozed a natural charisma, which compelled Tony Khan to push her straight to the top. As the inaugural TBS Champion, Big Money Jade embarked on a dominant run, where she remained undefeated for 508 days.

However, the 32-year-old star eventually left All Elite Wrestling once her contract expired. The WWE management had its eyes on Cargill for a long time and ultimately succeeded in signing her once she finished up with AEW.

Despite being a regular feature on WWE television, the former TBS Champion seems grateful for the exposure she got under Tony Khan’s leadership. Jade Cargill may not have become a wanted commodity if it weren't for All Elite Wrestling, something she is well aware of.

It was ultimately WWE's brand legacy that brought Cargill to the Stamford-based promotion, although she was already in a strong position in AEW.

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#2 Stars who left on bad terms: Big Swole

Big Swole was one of the earliest signings for the AEW women's division. The 35-year-old star had her shining moments in All Elite Wrestling, wrestling top names like Britt Baker and Hikaru Shida during her run.

After a two-year-long stint, Swole was handed her release from the company in November 2021. On her Swole World podcast, Swole took shots at Tony Khan, criticizing AEW for a lack of representation.

Not the one to stay silent, Tony Khan hit back at his former talent on X/Twitter. The AEW CEO blasted Big Swole for her comments, claiming that the Jacksonville-based company indeed promoted diversity on its programming. As per Khan, Swole was let go because her wrestling skills were not up to par, and not because of a lack of racial representation.

Tony Khan’s comments about the female star created a buzz in the pro wrestling world, with several personalities criticizing the All Elite Wrestling CEO for his tweet against Swole.

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#1 Stars who left on good terms: Former AEW EVP Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes was an integral figure during AEW's initial years of existence. As an EVP, The American Nightmare played a major role in helping the company develop a connection with the audience. Rhodes actively carried the anti-monopoly sentiment against WWE, hoping to create a viable alternative to the Stamford-based promotion.

In an unexpected turn of events, The Dashing One moved on from AEW to join WWE in 2022. While the wrestling world was taken aback by his decision, Rhodes went back to the global juggernaut for a reason. Besides receiving a lucrative deal, The American Nightmare signed with the Stamford-based promotion to fulfill his WWE Championship desires.

Despite leaving AEW, Cody Rhodes has praised the promotion's product every time he has been interviewed about his former employers. The reigning Undisputed WWE Champion seems very proud of his contributions to All Elite Wrestling, as they helped boost the pro wrestling economy.

Although he is now at the top of WWE, Rhodes is well aware that his name will forever remain associated with All Elite Wrestling.

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#1 Stars who left on bad terms: CM Punk

CM Punk's departure will forever remain one of AEW's biggest all-time regrets. After signing with the Tony Khan-led company in 2021, The Second City Saint instantly became a top box-office attraction for the Jacksonville-based promotion.

The Straight Edge Superstar was a massive ratings draw, as he helped AEW sell out multiple consecutive pay-per-views.

Unfortunately, CM Punk entered into a real-life feud with The Elite and 'Hangman' Adam Page in 2022, which spelled doom for his run in the Tony Khan-led company. The former WWE World Champion went on a fiery rant at The Elite at the All Out 2022 media scrum, which remains an infamous incident to this day.

The Best in the World's comments led to a backstage brawl between the two sides, which compelled Tony Khan to suspend both CM Punk and The Elite. As things seemed to cool down a bit, Punk got into a backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In 2023, causing Tony Khan to fire him within the same week.

Losing CM Punk turned out to be a huge blow to All Elite Wrestling, which has struggled to overcome the effects of the Punk-Perry fiasco.