Jon Moxley and 3 AEW stars who were terribly booked in WWE

AEW is WWE's biggest competitor in the modern day and age. Founded in 2019, the Jacksonville-based promotion claims that it is "where the best wrestle." While World Wrestling Entertainment focuses on storylines and character work, All Elite Wrestling puts special emphasis on in-ring action and high-quality matches.

Ever since AEW's inception, Tony Khan has been quite reliant on names who were previously signed to WWE. The reigning World Champion, Women's World Champion, TNT Champion, and World Tag Team Champions are Jon Moxley, Toni Storm, Adam Cole, and Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin respectively. All are former WWE stars.

Many former WWE names who are currently under All Elite Wrestling's banner were booked poorly in the Stamford-based company. Tony Khan has managed to revive their careers and make them massive stars. In this list, we will look at four such names:

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#4. Reigning AEW World Champion Jon Moxley

When Jon Moxley was signed to World Wrestling Entertainment, he was known as Dean Ambrose. The former Lunatic Fringe was initially booked well. He was a member of the Shield faction along with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. This group was immensely popular and over with fans. Eventually, the 39-year-old had a successful solo run and held the WWE Championship.

Unfortunately, as years went by the quality of his booking declined. While his Shield brothers were being pushed strongly, The Purveyor of Violence was mostly seen in irrelevant feuds and matches. He eventually lost all momentum and ended up leaving the company. Thankfully, Tony Khan identified his true potential and made him one of the top names in the Jacksonville-based promotion.

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#3. The current Women's World Champion Toni Storm

Fans often don't realize that Toni Storm was once a WWE Superstar. The Timeless One was signed to the Stamford-based company from 2017 to 2021, a run that is quite forgetful. Even though she held the now-defunct NXT UK Women's Championship once and won the 2018 Mae Young Classic, her overall booking was underwhelming.

Thankfully, Storm joined AEW in 2022 and completely turned her career around. She is currently on her fourth Women's World Championship run and portrays one of the most fascinating professional wrestling characters right now. Furthermore, her recent rivalry with Mariah May was highly acclaimed.

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#2. The Samoan Submission Machine Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe is a modern-day legend. His in-ring domination won him hundreds of matches across several promotions. Furthermore, he has held numerous titles throughout his career. During his WWE run, which lasted from 2015 to 2022, he achieved immense success in NXT. However, his main roster stint was booked terribly.

He held the WWE United States Championship twice, but both of these runs were underwhelming. Eventually, Tony Khan signed The Samoan Submission Machine and gave him a proper push. In the Jacksonville-based company, he held the TNT Championship twice and is a former AEW World Champion. Currently, he is a member of the ferocious Opps faction along with HOOK and Katsuyori Shibata.

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#1. Former Hit Row member Swerve Strickland

It is safe to say that Swerve Strickland was wasted by WWE. Apart from holding the NXT North American Championship once, The New Flavor was mostly overlooked by World Wrestling Entertainment management. He was a member of The Hit Row faction, which never managed to properly get over with fans.

The former Isaiah "Swerve" Scott eventually got signed by Tony Khan and became a massive star. He is currently one of the biggest assets of the company and a dominant babyface. His feuds and matches always deliver, and he has held the AEW World Championship once.