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Several in-ring competitors have left WWE for AEW in the past few years. Andrade El Idolo requested his release from Vince McMahon's company in March 2021 before joining AEW three months later. Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole also joined Tony Khan's company last year after their WWE contracts expired.
Meanwhile, a few former AEW wrestlers recently joined Vince McMahon's company after participating in a tryout last December. They are currently training at the company's Performance Center. While some have already debuted on NXT, others are still waiting for their opportunity.
Here are six former AEW wrestlers who recently signed with WWE. (This list is not complete, but we've picked six names that we think are the most impactful.)
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#6. Amelia Herr
Amelia Herr (FKA The Notorious Mimi) competed in a few promotions since 2019, including AEW. She made her AEW in-ring debut against Penelope Ford last October.
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Herr lost her match against Ford and later that same month, lost her next match against Kiera Hogan. After being away from AEW television for more than a month, Herr returned to Dark in December to face Emi Sakura, where she suffered another defeat.
The 18-year-old had her fourth and last match in AEW two months ago, when she teamed up with B3CCA to face Leyla Hirsch and Red Velvet. Herr and her partner lost the bout.
The former MFPW Women's Champion recently signed with Vince McMahon's company, but is yet to appear on WWE television.
#5. Mitchell Lavalley
In 2014, Mitchell Lavalley (FKA Jake Tucker) won the 2014 WWE "Show Us Your Superstar" Contest. The then-19-year-old made a series of videos at the WWE Performance Center before appearing on the SummerSlam Pre-Show Panel.
Five years later, Lavalley teamed up with Mark Sterling to take on The Viking Raiders on Monday Night RAW, but he and his partner lost the bout.
Over the past few years, Lavalley has competed on the independent circuit. He also wrestled in a couple of matches in AEW. In his AEW debut, Lavalley lost to Frankie Kazarian on AEW Dark. He also lost his second bout against The Blade on AEW Dark in July 2021.
Before recently signing with Vince McMahon's company, the Show Us Your Superstar Contest was an active competitor in Coastal Championship Wrestling.
#4. Maddie Knisley
Maddie Knisley (FKA Nikita Knight) has competed in several promotions over the past few years. The 18-year-old made her AEW in-ring debut in September 2021 when she went head-to-head against the new AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa. However, she lost the bout.
Nearly a month later, Knisley had her second and last match on AEW television when she faced Julia Hart on AEW Dark, but lost again.
Last December, Knisley participated in a WWE tryout and cleared it. She recently signed a contract with the company. A few hours ago, the young wrestler celebrated officially becoming a WWE Superstar by posting a photo of herself inside the Performance Center.
#3. WWE Superstar Cole McKinney
Cole McKinney (FKA Cole Karter) kicked off his professional wrestling career in 2020. Since then, he has competed in several promotions, including International Wrestling Cartel, LDN Wrestling, and AEW.
McKinney made his AEW in-ring debut in April 2021 when he lost to Lance Archer on AEW Dark. He later competed in eight other matches on Dark and Dynamite. Nevertheless, McKinney failed to score any victories.
In his final AEW match, McKinney teamed up with Arjun Singh and Carlie Bravo to face Paul Wight in a three-on-one handicap match at AEW Dark: Elevation last October.
Before joining Vince McMahon's company, McKinney held two championships on the independent circuit. He won the LDN World Championship in June 2021 before losing it in December. The 21-year-old also became the IWC Super Indy Champion last October. However, he lost the title two months ago.
#2. WWE Superstar Kayla Inlay
Kayla Inlay (FKA XTina Kay) kicked off her wrestling career just a few months ago. She competed in a few matches in AEW before recently signing with WWE.
Inlay lost to The Bunny in her AEW in-ring debut last September. Nearly a month later, she teamed up with Diamante to face Leyla Hirsch and Ryo Mizunami on Dark. Nevertheless, Inlay suffered her second defeat.
Inlay had two other matches against Riho and Julia Hart in October and December 2021 respectively. She lost them both.
Last February, Inlay lost her NXT 2.0 in-ring debut match against Sarray. Since then, she has competed in two other bouts on NXT 2.0, but lost them both.
#1. WWE Superstar Theresa Schuessler
Theresa Schuessler (FKA Tesha Price) kicked off her professional wrestling career in 2017. A year later, she made her first appearance on NXT, losing to Lacey Evans. Schuessler also lost to Britt Baker in the 2018 Mae Young Classic tournament a few days later.
Schuessler continued her career as an independent wrestler. Over the past few years, she has wrestled in several promotions, including AEW. In 2020, the 24-year-old competed in eight matches on Dark and Dynamite. Nevertheless, she lost them all.
Schuessler also performed in 13 matches on AEW Dark between January and August 2021 but failed to score any victories.
The Florida native began competing again in Vince McMahon's company last September. She has since wrestled in nine matches. Schuessler recently scored her first win against Tiffany Stratton on NXT 2.0.
