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WWE has been at the top of the professional wrestling industry for a long time. However, with the emergence of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), gone are the days when they didn't have a proper rival to give them tough competition.
In just two years, AEW has managed to make a prominent place for itself in the pro wrestling industry. They have managed to shock their fans time and again by signing several former WWE Superstars. No one expected the likes of Christian, Big Show, Sting, and even Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) to leave WWE and sign with AEW.
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Most recently, former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush and WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry showed up at AEW Double or Nothing 2021. In all likeliness, this list will continue to get bigger and bigger in the coming years.
Let's take a look at six former WWE Superstars who could show up in AEW next. Be sure to comment down and let us know which of them would you like to see in Tony Khan's promotion the most.
#6 Former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan joins AEW
One of the biggest names that is currently not signed to WWE is Daniel Bryan. The former WWE Champion was a part of the main event of Night Two of WrestleMania 37. He competed against Edge and Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a triple threat match.
A few weeks after that, Bryan challenged Reigns for his title on SmackDown, with the stipulation that if he lost, he would be banished from the Blue brand. After he failed to defeat The Tribal Chief, fans started wondering whether Bryan will move over to RAW or NXT.
Surprisingly, it was revealed that his WWE contract had expired and the company silently moved him to the alumni section on their website.
Daniel Bryan doesn't have a non-compete clause and could technically wrestle for any promotion anytime. Many were speculating him to be the "mystery entrant" in this year's Casino Battle Royal at AEW Double or Nothing.
While that didn't happen, Bryan showing up in AEW in the coming months is a real possibility since he has previously stated his desire to wrestle for different promotions.
#5 Former WWE Superstar Samoa Joe signs with AEW
One of the most shocking WWE releases of this year was Samoa Joe, who got released alongside many others on April 15, 2021. He signed with WWE in 2015 and had a dominating run on NXT, winning the NXT Championship twice. However, his booking on the main roster was heavily criticized by fans, who thought WWE did not do justice to a star of his potential.
While Joe's WWE career seems to be done now, he might still have one last run left in him that we could see in AEW. Recently, former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho named Samoa Joe as someone he would love to see in AEW.
"If it’s the right place for someone to bring in, we’ll do it. I’m a huge fan of Samoa Joe. You can always use a guy like him on your roster. A lot of guys might have to take the international route or the independent level until they can be at the level to come to AEW. There are a lot of talented people out there and obviously, AEW is where they want to come to," said Chris Jericho.
For all we know, he could already be talking to AEW to figure out a deal with the promotion. Tony Khan will definitely be interested in signing The Samoan Submission Machine, who could bring a lot of star value and experience with him to AEW.
#4 and #3 Former WWE Women's Tag Team Champions The IIconics could join AEW
Two big names that WWE released from its women's division earlier this year were Cassie Lee (fka Peyton Royce) and Jessica McKay (fka Billie Kay), also known together as The IIconics. The former WWE Women's Tag Team Champions were considered by many to be future stars of the division but were surprisingly released.
Speaking on the Busted Open Radio recently, both former WWE Superstars spoke about the possibility of joining AEW together, stating how they could help the promotion with their experience.
“I think it’s tough. For example; AEW. I feel like we could really help their women’s division, though they don’t necessarily have a women’s tag division. But I feel we have that TV experience that we could bring to the division and help build that up. And then with Impact they have a women’s tag team division, as well as an established Knockout’s division, that I feel we can easily slip into. So it’s like, I feel like we have a lot to offer both of them and, I don’t know,” said Cassie Lee. (h/t WrestlingInc)
It should be noted that Lee's husband Shawn Spears (fka Tye Dillinger in WWE) is currently signed to AEW. She was also in attendance for AEW Double or Nothing 2021. The AEW's women's division would surely benefit with the addition of Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay.
#2 Former WWE NXT Champion Andrade shows up in AEW
Another major WWE release earlier this year was that of former NXT Champion and WWE United States Champion Andrade. Fans have been speculating about what could be the next destination for him.
Before AEW Double or Nothing 2021, there were reports that the former WWE Superstar was in talks with All Elite Wrestling to appear at the pay-per-view. Sportskeeda Wrestling's Arpit Shrivastava wrote:
As per Wrestling Observer Radio, Andrade is in talks with AEW at the moment, and there's a possibility of him appearing at AEW Double or Nothing 2021. According to the report, Andrade could be a participant in the Casino Battle Royale match, the winner of which will get a shot at the AEW Championship.
While that didn't happen, the chances of Andrade showing up in AEW soon are pretty high. The reason for this is that he is set to challenge current AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, who is also the AAA Mega Champion, for the latter title at AAA's biggest show of the year, TripleMania XXIX.
It is entirely possible for Andrade to show up on an episode of AEW Dynamite before his big fight against Omega and have a staredown against the champion, hyping up their match.
#1 Former WWE Champion CM Punk makes his grand return and joins AEW
CM Punk's WWE exit in 2014 is still one of the most talked-about things in the pro wrestling industry. It's been over seven years, but the former WWE Champion has still not had a match inside a wrestling ring.
Ever since the inception of All Elite Wrestling, one name that fans have constantly speculated to join the promotion is that of CM Punk. During a recent appearance on Renee Paquette's Oral Sessions podcast, Punk stated that he is more interested in possibly wrestling for AEW than he is for WWE.
"I think there's more interesting people on the AEW side of things for me to wrestle, but that's just because I've never wrestled them before - Young Bucks, Kenny Omega. Talking about your husband, I look at that and I go, 'Well I wrestled him already.' So, it's just less interesting than something new. On the WWE side of things, I don't know that there's anybody there currently that I haven't wrestled that I would be interested in wrestling," said CM Punk. (h/t Cultaholic)
Undoubtedly, CM Punk showing up on AEW will be one of the biggest moments in the promotion's history so far. The mainstream star power that he brings with himself will surely benefit AEW in a big way. The possibilities of dream matches against the likes of Kenny Omega and others is mouthwatering.
