3 stars Tony Khan could bring back to AEW this week to counter Penta's rumored WWE debut

Since its inception in 2019, AEW has been a direct competitor to the global giant of professional wrestling, WWE. All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan has been building his promotion over the last few years by signing top free agents in the industry.

This week, Tony Khan has another tall task ahead of him. One of his former top AEW stars, Pénta El Zero Miedo, is rumoured to debut on the January 13 edition of WWE RAW on Netflix. Penta's tenure with All Elite Wrestling ended in November 2024.

Moreover, WWE has been airing vignettes for weeks to hype Penta's rumored debut, which could be monumental for the company. However, that puts Tony Khan to the task of countering this highly anticipated debut with stars from his own roster who have not been seen for a while.

Let's take a look at three top AEW stars who could make their return to counter Penta El Zero Miedo's rumored debut on WWE RAW.

#3. Former AEW International Champion Rey Fenix

Tony Khan's brilliant strategy for combating Penta El Zero Miedo's much-awaited debut in WWE would be to bring a talented luchador from his roster back into the mix.

One prominent name that comes to mind is Rey Fenix, Penta's real-life brother and former tag team partner. Like the latter, Fenix has been part of AEW from the very beginning, and the duo has had a successful tenure as The Lucha Brothers.

Rey Fenix has been absent from weekly shows since July 2024. It was rumored that Fenix was leaving All Elite Wrestling with his brother. However, according to reports, Tony Khan added injury time to Rey's existing AEW contract.

Following that, Fenix posted some cryptic messages on X/Twitter, hinting that he was unhappy during his time in the company. However, Tony Khan could make an effort to resolve issues with the talented Luchador and bring him back into the mix now that his partner has potentially jumped ship to the rival promotion.

#2. Ricky Starks

Ricky Starks is considered one of the most remarkable and captivating AEW stars on the roster. His incredible in-ring acumen and ability to win over the audience on the microphone have made him a top star of the Jacksonville-based promotion for years.

Despite being hailed as the next big thing of the company, The Absolute One has been absent from All Elite television for months.

Ricky Starks' last in-ring match for AEW was in March 2024, and his return has been kept quiet. However, he did compete at an indie promotion in November 2024 and was scheduled to compete for GCW in January of this year before All Elite Wrestling pulled him off these events.

Witnessing Penta's rumored debut taking place on RAW on Netflix this week, Tony Khan could bring back one of his brightest and most popular stars to television, which could be a game-changing moment for the company.

#1. Bryan Danielson

Bryan Danielson is undoubtedly one of the biggest wrestling stars, not only in the modern era but also on Tony Khan's roster. The American Dragon was last seen at WrestleDream, where he lost the World Championship to Jon Moxley. Following the match, he was attacked by Moxley and his Death Riders faction, writing him off television.

Despite his full-time wrestling career ending at the pay-per-view, Bryan Danielson is still an integral part of All Elite Wrestling as a semi-retired wrestler. Bryan's return to the company, which, considering the star power, could possibly become a bigger moment than Penta El Zero Miedo's expected WWE debut.

For the last few weeks, all Elite fans have witnessed some of the top stars, including The Rated-R Superstar Cope and Kenny Omega, returning to the company. Tony Khan could bring back The American Dragon this week to boost the momentum.