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WWE and AEW are leading the conversation right now in North American pro wrestling. While the Stamford-based company is enjoying an unprecedented period of success and profits, the Jacksonville-based promotion is continuing to build itself as a rival brand, having recently secured an enhanced and lucrative media rights deal with its network partners last year.
All Elite Wrestling has brought in several former WWE talents since its inception, allowing them to flourish in ways they could not while signed with World Wrestling Entertainment. Let us consider five such wrestlers, whom WWE arguably misused, but AEW has not.
#1. AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm
Toni Storm initially joined WWE as part of its NXT UK brand in 2018 after participating in the previous year's Mae Young Classic. She competed against many of the company's currently most well-known names, including Shayna Baszler and Rhea Ripley, whom she defeated to win the NXT UK Women's Title. The Australian-New Zealander also challenged IYO SKY for the NXT Women's Title, though unsuccessfully.
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In 2021, Storm was called up to the main roster, being drafted to SmackDown. Although she feuded with SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair during her brief stint on the blue brand, her presentation and booking left much to be desired. The former Stardom grappler requested her release from the company towards the end of 2021, which was subsequently granted.
Although WWE underutilized Toni Storm, she spectacularly turned her career around when she joined AEW in 2022. The Timeless One has come a long way since then and sits atop her division as the reigning AEW Women's World Champion, although her run could soon be cut short by the dominant Megan Bayne.
#2. All Elite World Tag Team Champion Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin has long been recognized as one of the most underrated athletes in WWE history. Despite his technical prowess, The Gold Standard never received a main-event level push, remaining primarily in the mid-card and tag team division.
The promotion did showcase Benjamin's abilities during his last run, especially as a member of The Hurt Business alongside MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Cedric Alexander. However, the company disbanded the group within two years and failed to properly resolve its story before eventually releasing Benjamin in 2023.
Shelton is now signed with AEW, having made his debut after MVP himself inked a deal with the Tony Khan-led promotion last year. The duo was soon joined by Bobby Lashley, rebranding their faction as The Hurt Syndicate. Benjamin has already been featured and presented as a dominant singles competitor in his own right. He left his mark on the 2024 Continental Classic, picking up six points in the tournament. Earlier this year, he and Lashley dethroned Private Party for the AEW World Tag Team Titles. Benjamin also expressed interest in Daniel Garcia's TNT Championship following their C2 2024 clash.
Unlike during his final WWE tenure, The Standard of Excellence has been presented on All Elite television as a force of nature, as noted by many viewers and admirers of Shelton's work.
#3. Former All Elite World Champion Swerve Strickland
Shane Strickland built up his value in the independent circuit through promotions like CZW, Lucha Underground, Defy, and MLW before ultimately signing with WWE in 2019. He made his debut in NXT in July and initially competed in the Cruiserweight division. After building a budding fan-following alongside his Hit Row stablemates and a run as NXT North American Champion, Isiah "Swerve" Scott and his allies were called up to SmackDown in 2021.
Bizarrely, all members of Hit Row, including Swerve, were released by WWE in just over a month. Strickland then returned to the indie circuit and eventually signed with AEW in 2022, where his career has blossomed over the past two years. The New Flavour is currently one of the most popular competitors in his division and could be poised to take Jon Moxley's AEW World Title at Dynasty.
In his interviews after his WWE exit, Swerve discussed feeling underutilized by the company relative to his skills and experience. The Realest seems content where he is currently, however, revealing that he is signed with All Elite Wrestling until 2029.
#4. All Elite World Trios Champion Claudio Castagnoli
After capturing the attention of wrestling fans with his incredible performances in Chikara, ROH, CZW, PWG, and other independent promotions, Claudio Castagnoli signed with WWE in 2011. His undeniable talent allowed The Swiss Superman to shine brightly, as he faced off against many of the company's top stars and prospects, including The Miz, Sheamus, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, and John Cena, to name but a few. Cesaro, as Castagnoli was known at the time, connected with the WWE Universe as fans rallied behind him, hoping for a huge push as a main event singles star.
However, such a push never came to pass, as The King of Swing continued to be booked primarily as a mid-card competitor. Despite receiving World Title opportunities, including his Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns in 2021, Cesaro never became a World Champion in WWE. The following year, Castagnoli left the company and debuted in AEW at Forbidden Door as Zack Sabre Jr.'s opponent and the newest member of the BCC.
Not even a month later, at ROH Death Before Dishonor, he defeated Jonathan Gresham to win the ROH World Title, a title he would lose to Chris Jericho and later reclaim before ultimately dropping it to Eddie Kingston in the culmination of their iconic rivalry.
Last year, Castagnoli joined Jon Moxley in turning against Bryan Danielson. Currently, he is a member of The Death Riders, one of AEW's top heel factions, and is also one-third of the World Trios Champions along with Pac and Wheeler Yuta. The Swiss Cyborg regularly appears on All Elite television, where he has been showcased both as a solo performer and as a team player of the highest caliber- something WWE never fully committed to doing.
#5. AEW World Champion Jon Moxley
Since his iconic debut as a member of The Shield alongside Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose swiftly captured the attention of the WWE Universe with his raw, authentic promos and intense in-ring style. He became a fan favorite among the crowds after the stable broke up, and although he held several championships in the company, including a World Title, Ambrose's booking- especially after his heel turn- left him creatively frustrated.
Despite being a performer on par with Rollins and Reigns, Ambrose was never pushed by WWE as a credible top name. This ultimately motivated the Cincinnati native to leave his days as The Lunatic Fringe behind in 2019. Reverting to his old indie ring name, Jon Moxley, the star shocked the world by appearing at the first Double or Nothing and then officially joining the AEW roster.
Moxley is currently the reigning AEW World Champion, and he bested Adam Copeland in a brutal Street Fight to retain the title last week. Although his current run as the leader of The Death Riders has received some backlash lately, the fact that Mox rediscovered his passion and has started thriving as a performer since going All Elite cannot be denied.
