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AEW President Tony Khan has lost quite a few stars to WWE since the start of the year. Just four months into 2025, WWE has brought in Malakai Black, Rusev, Ricky Starks, Penta, and Rey Fenix. Comparatively, they have been able to sign more former stars from their competitors.
Meanwhile, AEW has tried to avoid signing WWE's released stars. Tony Khan has been hiring the best talent from the independent circuit. While 2023 and 2024 weren't good years for the promotion, they have managed to get back in the game this year. One of the most important things they have done is to fit each star into a particular role.
Tony Khan has lost a lot of star power over the years, but has been steadily building his own army. Let's take a look at some of the stars AEW has managed to replace that WWE took from them.
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#4. Tony Khan found Penta's uniqueness in Mike Bailey
Penta was one of the most unique stars AEW had to offer. His look and moveset attracted fans. WWE did a nice job of showcasing the masked star's distinctness following his debut earlier this year. AEW recently signed former TNA star Mike Bailey, who debuted in the International Championship Eliminator tournament.
Speedball has incorporated a Taekwondo style in his moveset, which has been one of the key merits of his character. He has been constantly featured on Dynamite for the past month.
#3. Ricky Saints has replaced by Kyle Fletcher
Ricky Saints was a cunning heel in the Jacksonville-based promotion. Despite his popularity with the fanbase, he wasn't part of AEW programming for the majority of 2024 and then debuted in the global sports entertainment in February 2025.
Meanwhile, AEW has done a good job of establishing Kyle Fletcher as a top-level heel. He is being pushed to become a future AEW World Champion, albeit slowly.
#2. Tony Khan found a blockbuster replacement for Jade Cargill
Jade Cargill's WWE run has been underwhelming compared to her AEW run so far. She still holds the record for being the longest-reigning TBS Champion. Meanwhile, her run in the global sports entertainment juggernaut has only seen her win tag team gold so far. The current TBS Champion, Mercedes Mone, hasn't disappointed AEW fans and has been the talk of the town since becoming All Elite.
Tony Khan has been booking Mercedes strongly since March 2024 and The CEO remains undefeated in the company.
#1. Swerve Strickland leads AEW after Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes did his best to become the face of AEW, but fans preferred him as a heel. After leaving the company, he became the Undisputed WWE Champion and has been the biggest draw for the global sports entertainment juggernaut.
While Tony Khan struggled to find The American Nightmare's replacement for a few months, he later pushed Swerve Strickland to the moon. Fans have been strongly behind him over the last couple of years, leading to him becoming the World Champion last year.
It will be interesting to see which new stars the AEW President signs in the future. Only time will tell who will assemble a greater roster for their product, Tony Khan or Triple H.
