6 Wrestling legends who have appeared only once in AEW 

Fans following AEW know that the company's one thing in spades is how it has treated its legacy talent. AEW has gone out of their way to ensure their legends are booked in clever angles and given the respect they deserve.

Talents like The Rock-n-Roll Express, Eric Bischoff, and Diamond Dallas Page have been used sparingly but effectively. Other legends like Sting, Arn Anderson, and Jake the Snake are booked with a larger story at hand. Their experience is used to put over younger talent.

Moreover, the wrestling legends are not used as fodder for dominant champions. It's in service to a larger storyline that comes off as organic and not shoe-horned in, as some fans have complained about WWE.

There's a method to the madness, and, for now, AEW has perfected its use of legacy talent. They've done this by using them to their fullest potential without demeaning or redacting their past accomplishments.

In the midst of all of this, some appeared only once in AEW. Here are six wrestling legends who did so.

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#6 Jazz at AEW All Out 2019

Jazz was briefly part of the original ECW promotion, which translated into a career at WWE, where she was a two-time Women's Champion. Jazz has had a remarkable pro-wrestling career.

Sporting a bald look, Jazz entered the Casino Battle Royal at AEW All Out 2019. While not winning the match, Jazz was part of a 'staredown' between herself, ODB, Awesome Kong, and Nyla Rose. In her very brief AEW appearance, Jazz made an impact.

Jazz did retire from in-ring competition but appeared in IMPACT Wrestling for one last run. This culminated in a career vs. title match with Deonna Purrazzo in 2021, her last pro-wrestling match. She's still active in the promotion serving as a manager for Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering.

#5 Greg "The Hammer" Valentine on AEW Dynamite

AEW having wrestling veterans on their shows is nothing new, but Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine is. Greg Valentine is a name wrestling fans are familiar with. The man has had quite a career that harkens back to the 1970s. Greg Valentine was part of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and was a two-time NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion.

He made appearances in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), the precursor to WWF/WWE, and shuffled between them and Mid-Atlantic. Once WWE expanded, Valentine decided to stay with the company and reap the rewards. Valentine would be a WWE Intercontinental Champion, as well as a WWE Tag Team Champion.

Valentine was invited as a special guest for AEW's first-and-only Dog Collar match between Brodie Lee and Cody Rhodes. The match is significant as it ended up being Brodie's last match. But Valentine being in attendance held a greater significance. Valentine and Roddy Piper were the ones who invented this hellacious matchup, with the first occurring at Starrcade in 1983.

On a special AEW Dynamite episode, Cody Rhodes defeated Brodie Lee for the AEW TNT Championship. It was everything that most people thought it was, and so much more. It extended both men in more ways than one and served as a testament to Brodie Lee.

In a sense, Valentine's appearance on AEW Dynamite was in line with other legends that appeared on the show. Respectful and honoring those that came before. This has always been AEW's motto and, hopefully, it will continue to be so.

#4 J.J. Dillon on AEW Dynamite

AEW couldn't get more WCW than this. The upstart wrestling organization loves to reference history, and J.J. Dillon accompanying Tully Blanchard and FTR on an episode of AEW Dynamite was a clear example of that.

J.J. Dillion is an icon in pro-wrestling and, more importantly, one of the greatest managers in wrestling history. His most popular run was as the manager of the original Four Horsemen. The group at the time consisted of Ric Flair, Ole, Arn Anderson, and Tully Blanchard. To be clear, J.J. was Tully's manager at the time.

Interestingly enough, Dillon was also part of WWE, but as a front office executive. Fans during the Attitude Era probably remember Dillon as the on-air commissioner of WCW. Fans would probably recognize him trying to get Sting back in the ring after he donned 'The Crow' gimmick.

As with keeping with others, AEW has taken the best things about WCW, Jim Crockett Promotions, and even WWE and put it together on Dynamite & Rampage. It's history in making, and AEW fans are the ones that benefit the most.

#3 Gangrel at AEW Full Gear

AEW loves to tease its audiences and embrace the weirdness that comes with it. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara were in the midst of their feud. Their feud culminated at 'The Elite Deletion' match at the Hardy Compound, which aired on the Full Gear pay-per-view.

The match itself could be described in two words: Glorious Insanity. Given that Matt Hardy was involved, the match was entertaining. Hardy was one of the progenitors of the cinematic match; it referenced a more expansive wrestling universe and had cameos by The Hurricane and Gangrel.

For those unaware, Gangrel has been part of pro-wrestling for many years now. He was at the height of his popularity when he formed The Brood with Edge and Christian in WWE. The faction would be integrated into the Ministry of Darkness, but they eventually split from the group.

The Brood would feud with The Hardy Boyz. Gangrel would turn on Edge and Christian and then manage Matt and Jeff Hardy, but that alliance never lasted. Like all of Matt Hardy's Deletion matches, it references wrestling history, and Gangrel showing on an AEW PPV is just a tip of the hat to that history.

#2 Raven on AEW Dynamite

Remember when The Dark Order was wreaking havoc in AEW? The group was first introduced as a modern-day Ministry of Darkness. At the time, references were constantly made to The Exalted One, the supreme leader of The Dark Order.

For the most part, this mystery box mechanism worked from a booking standpoint. Fans were intrigued that the group could have a big star as the mysterious leader. AEW indulged this idea by throwing 'red herrings' to keep fans guessing.

On an episode of AEW Dynamite, Raven was seen sitting quietly as Scorpio Sky tackled Stu Grayson. Fans were buzzing that Raven was The Exalted One but was booked to distract the fans.

Raven knows a lot about 'Dark' factions. He formed Raven's Nest in ECW and created a similar faction in WCW called The Flock. Raven eventually joined WWE where he became a 27-time Hardcore Champion.

Raven even had a stint in the early days of TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, where he formed The Gathering, which included a young CM Punk. In an interview recently, Punk credited Raven as one of his first mentors in the business.

Raven has a storied history in pro-wrestling. It made sense for AEW to use that to their advantage during the early days of The Dark Order.

#1 Bret Hart at AEW Double or Nothing 2019

Bret 'The Hitman' Hart unveiled the AEW World Heavyweight Championship at Double or Nothing in 2019. His appearance at the event was a surprise, but the move gave the company and the AEW World Title the legitimacy it needed.

As many fans know, Bret Hart is still considered one of the best of all time. Wrestlers reference him in their matches to significant effect, and some would say he had one of the best work rates in the business. If a poll was conducted to determine the better in-ring wrestler between Hulk Hogan and The Hitman, Bret would win by a large margin.

With regards to his AEW appearance, Bret has only appeared once in the company. This might be partly due to Natalya working with WWE; Bret didn't want any repercussions to fall on her. Moreover, Bret revealed that Cody Rhodes gave him a personal call to appear, and he couldn't say no.

No matter how wrestling evolves, Bret Hart will always command respect everywhere he goes, and AEW certainly did that back in 2019.