'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Throughout the past few months, several wrestlers have jumped from WWE to AEW. On Sunday night, three new ones made their debut at the All Out pay-per-view.
Many former WWE Superstars such as Miro, Chris Jericho, and Tay Conti all started 2021 under the All Elite flag, except for a few.
A number of current AEW Stars have appeared on WWE TV earlier this year before jumping ship and joining Tony Khan's company. While some of them chose to walk out on WWE after their contracts expired, others were let go by Vince McMahon.
Here are seven wrestlers who have appeared in both WWE and AEW in 2021.
Trending
#7. AEW Star Paul Wight
Paul Wight (F.K.A. The Big Show) is one of the best Superstars in WWE history. Coming from WCW, Wight joined Vince McMahon's company in 1999. The 49-year-old spent more than two decades in WWE, where he won almost every title available to become a Grand Slam and a Triple Crown Champion.
Despite this, Wight made a surprising move joining AEW earlier this year. Days before becoming an AEW Star, he made his last WWE appearance on the Legends Night edition of Monday Night RAW in January.
On February 24, AEW sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling world by announcing the signing of Wight. The 49-year-old's contract stated that he would become a color commentator and an in-ring competitor.
Despite joining Tony Khan's company last February, Wight has competed in only one match so far. He made his in-ring debut last Sunday Night at All Out, defeating Q. T. Marshall.
#6. AEW Star Mark Henry
Mark Henry enjoyed a long and successful career in WWE. He joined Vince McMahon's company in the mid-1990s and spent nearly 25 years under its roof.
The 50-year-old held three titles in WWE. He is a former ECW Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, and European Champion. In 2018, The World Strongest Man was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
After retiring in 2017, Mark Henry worked in backstage roles. He also made a few TV appearances, including participating in the 50-man Royal Rumble match at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in 2018.
Henry made his last WWE appearance in January on the Raw Legends Night edition of Monday Night RAW. A few months later, AEW announced the signing of the WWE Hall of Famer. The 50-year-old joined the AEW roster last May to become a color commentator and coach.
#5. AEW Star Christian Cage
On his AEW debut, Paul Wight announced that they would sign a Hall of Fame-worthy talent. The talent Wight referred to was Christian Cage.
Cage spent many years in WWE and held several titles. Like Wight, he is a Grand Slam and Triple Crown Champion. Although he retired a few years ago because of injuries, Cage made a return to the ring earlier this year.
Like his best friend Edge, Captain Charisma came out of retirement last January. He made a surprise entry into the 2021 Royal Rumble match. However, Cage's WWE contract expired shortly after.
Last March, Cage made his AEW debut at Revolution. In his first match, Cage defeated Frankie Kazarian on the March 25 episode of Dynamite.
The 47-year-old is now one of the top stars on the AEW roster. Last month, he defeated Kenny Omega on the first-ever Rampage to capture the Impact Wrestling World Title.
Cage recently enjoyed an eight-match winning streak. However, the streak was broken at the All Out pay-per-view when Captain Charisma lost to Omega in an AEW World Championship match.
#4. AEW Star Malakai Balck
AEW Star Malakai Black (F.K.A. Aleister Black) joined WWE in 2016 after wrestling on the independent circuit for 14 years. He became one of the biggest stars on NXT, capturing the Championship in April 2018 after defeating Andrade Cien Almas at TakeOver: New Orleans.
In February 2019, Black made his main roster debut, joining Monday Night RAW. Despite having much success on NXT, the 34-year-old was not as successful on the Red brand.
On RAW, Black joined forces with Ricochet to chase the RAW Tag Team Championships. However, they failed to achieve their goal. They also failed to win the SmackDown Tag Team Titles in a Fatal Four-Way match at WrestleMania 35.
After spending a little over a year on the Red brand, Black was drafted to SmackDown in October 2020. He only made one appearance on the Blue brand last May before being released from his WWE contract the following month.
Two months following his WWE departure, Black joined AEW. He made his debut on the July 7 episode of Dynamite. The Dutch wrestler is currently undefeated in AEW. He has competed in three matches so far, in which he defeated Cody Rhodes, Brock Anderson, and Lee Johnson consecutively.
#3. AEW Star Ruby Soho
AEW Star Ruby Soho (F.K.A. Ruby Riott) kicked off her wrestling career nearly a decade ago. After wrestling in a few promotions, she joined WWE in 2016.
The 30-year-old tried to capture the NXT Women's Championship on a few occasions between May and June 2017 but came up short. A few months later, Soho made her main roster debut alongside Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan as part of The Riott Squad.
During her time in WWE, Soho also chased the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championships. She challenged Ronda Rousey twice for the RAW Women's Championship but came up short. She also failed to beat Charlotte Flair in a SmackDown Women's Championship match at Fastlane 2018.
In 2021, Soho competed ten times on WWE TV. Her last match came on the May 28 episode of SmackDown when she teamed up with Liv Morgan to challenge Natalya and Tamina for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships in a losing effort. A few days later, Soho was released from her WWE contract.
Ruby Soho recently made her AEW debut at the All Out pay-per-view, making a surprise entry into the Casino Battle Royale match. The 30-year-old came out victorious to earn a Women's World Title match against Britt Baker.
#2. AEW Star Adam Cole
Adam Cole spent nearly four years in WWE before recently joining AEW. During his time in WWE, Cole remained on NXT and never joined the main roster.
The 32-year-old became the second-ever NXT Triple Crown Champion after winning the NXT Championship, the North American Championship, and the NXT Tag Team Titles. Cole wrestled his last match against Kyle O'Reilly at NXT TakeOver on August 22. A few days later, his WWE contract expired.
Subsequently, the former NXT Champion signed with AEW and made his debut last Sunday night on the All Out pay-per-view, joining the Elite.
On the AEW All Out post-show media scrum, Cole revealed why he left WWE to join AEW.
"I had a very excellent four-year experience (in WWE) but I wanted to come back and work with a crew who I love being around 24/7, a crew that is just as passionate about pro wrestling as I am and fans that feel the exact same way as we do. So, making the decision was a fairly easy one," Cole said.
Cole has several real-life friends in AEW, including all members of The Elite. The 32-year-old is also in a romantic relationship with AEW Women's World Champion, Britt Baker.
#1. AEW Star Bryan Danielson
AEW star Bryan Danielson (F.K.A. Daniel Bryan) is one of the all-time greats. The Leader of the 'Yes!' movement has been one of the top names in WWE throughout the past decade, winning all available titles and creating a legacy as the Ultimate Underdog.
Danielson had retired once in 2016 due to a neck injury. However, he returned to in-ring competition two years later.
The 40-year-old was a regular competitor on SmackDown. At WrestleMania 37, he faced Edge and Roman Reigns in a Universal Championship match but came up short. The Tribal Chief emerged victorious after pinning both his opponents at the same time.
On the April 30 episode of SmackDown, Danielson challenged The Head of the Table to a Career vs. Title match. Again, the Ultimate Underdog failed to defeat Reigns. Following that, Danielson stayed off-screen and his WWE contract expired on May 4.
Bryan Danielson recently signed a contract with AEW. He made his AEW debut last Sunday on the All Out pay-per-view. On AEW All Out post-show media scrum, the former WWE Champion spoke about leaving WWE and his relationship with Vince McMahon.
"WWE was so gracious with me as far as the offer that they gave me. They were gonna let me go do some other stuff on the outside, but, I hate to say this, Vince sometimes - he and I have a great relationship. I love him, I do. Sometimes he's overprotective of me," Danielson said.
Danielson also explained why he joined AEW. He said that he likes the physicality in Tony Khan's company and wants to push his limits.
