5 AEW stars who should have won the WWE Championship - Former AEW Champion, Hall of Famer

#2 Former AEW TNT Champion Miro should have had his day as Rusev

Former AEW TNT Champion Miro has had an exceptional run with AEW thus far. Debuting as the best man to groom Kip Sabian and his bride Penelope Ford, Miro has been presented as an unstoppable and relentless behemoth. Miro has proved to be every bit the main attraction his early WWE days promised.

Rusev graduated from NXT to the main roster, amassing an unstoppable singles streak that saw him topple Sheamus for the United States Championship. Rusev defended the strap against established names like Jack Swagger (Jake Hager) and John Cena before losing to the latter at WrestleMania 31.

From there Rusev endured a downward spiral that he could never quite recover from. Despite capturing the US title twice more and reaching peak popularity with his Rusev Day gimmick, Rusev would depart WWE during mass releases in 2020.

Having seen the promise and potential of Rusev in WWE realized by Miro in AEW, it has been proven that fans were right when they clamoured for a WWE Championship run.

#1 The longest-reigning AEW World Champion Kenny Omega

If WWE recognized the star they had on their hands in Kenny Omega, then they may have prevented the birth of AEW and the transcendence of independent wrestling altogether. The former AEW World Champion has proved he is a glutton for gold this past year, defending world titles belonging to AEW, AAA and Impact Wrestling.

Before that, Omega plied his trade in NJPW, where he reigned as IWGP Heavyweight, Intercontinental, and United States Champion. It was in New Japan where Omega found mega-stardom as he battled Kazuchika Okada in a saga that ignited widespread interest in wrestling outside WWE.

Kenny Omega wrestled for WWE developmental territory, Deep South Wrestling, up until having a request for his release granted in 2006. Omega has since criticized DSW's management for his time there. WWE has shown genuine interest in bringing him back on multiple occasions and it's proven that they recognize the star they let slip.

Kenny Omega sits atop wrestling's Mount Olympus as a legitimate main event attraction along with the likes of Roman Reigns, Jon Moxley, Seth Rollins and Bryan Danielson. The difference? WWE never saw Kenny Omega as the WWE Champion he should have been.