5 wrestlers who were considered WWE lifers but jumped ship to AEW

Multiple WWE Superstars jumped ship to AEW after their time in the Stamford-based promotion. Some were not quite household names and sought to make a mark on the industry elsewhere. However, several of them shocked fans as they were already legends.

For this list, we will look at five former WWE legends who surprised fans by debuting at AEW.

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#5. Jake Hager (FKA Jack Swagger in WWE)

Jack Swagger began his wrestling career in WWE. In 2006, he began his wrestling journey and joined Deep South Wrestling, followed by a stints in Ohio Valley Wrestling, Florida Championship Wrestling, and finally, the rebranded ECW.

He was one of the main stars on WWE-ECW and even captured the ECW World Championship. Later on, he would win the Money in the Bank Briefcase and cash in to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He also found success as a part of The Real Americans with Zeb Colter and Cesaro.

He departed WWE in 2017 and briefly appeared for Lucha Underground, Major League Wrestling, before finally making his AEW debut in 2019, where he performs as Jake Hager. He also tried his hand at MMA in Bellator.

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#4. Miro (FKA Rusev)

Rusev was one of the dominant and popular stars in the WWE from the moment he joined the roster in 2010. He captured the United States title and had an unforgettable feud with John Cena that solidified himself as a future cornerstone of the company.

Despite having a less serious character, he remained a hit with the fans when his "Rusev Day" gimmick took the WWE Universe by storm. However, he was one of the stars released as a part of the COVID-19 budget cuts in 2020. He debuted in AEW in 2020 as Miro "The Best Man" and later took on the title of "The Redeemer". He currently performs on the company's Collision brand.

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#3. Bryan Danielson (FKA Daniel Bryan)

Not many wrestlers can claim to have beaten John Cena, Randy Orton, Triple H and Batista in the same year, but Daniel Bryan has made a career out of defying the odds. He may not have won the inaugural season of NXT (when it resembled a reality TV show), but he came out as one of the biggest stars in the brand's history.

He feuded with some of the biggest stars in the business including Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and many, many more. Despite being one of WWE's biggest faces, the company could not persuade him to re-sign when his contract expired.

He debuted in AEW in 2021 under the name Bryan Danielson and later joined the Blackpool Combat Club with Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, and Claudio Castagnoli.

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#2. Mark Henry

Mark Henry began his wrestling career in 1996 at the Stamford-based promotion. He rose to prominence during his run with The Nation of Domination, a faction led by the Rock in the mid-90's.

Mark's physical appearance and in-ring ability proved to be a major obstacle for his opponents. His reign as the World Heavyweight Champion where he inducted opponents into his "Hall of Pain" may have been short, but it was a sight to see.

Henry retired in 2017 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2021, he debuted in AEW as a commentator and backstage host, and has also taken a mentorship role backstage.

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#1. Paul Wight (FKA Big Show)

Big Show was a prominent name in WCW and later in WWE during the Attitude Era. He remained with the company for decades, and has always been presented as one of the biggest threats in the WWE.

While in the company, he routinely switched alignments between heel and face. Despite his intimidating appearance, he won fans over by portraying comedic roles just as well as serious ones.

The Big Show departed from the company in 2021 after creative frustrations. In that same year, he signed with AEW.

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Which WWE legend would like to see make the jump to AEW? Let us know in the comments section below.