3 AEW stars who are better suited to WWE
AEW is the only realistic competition to World Wrestling Entertainment. Ever since WCW was infamously acquired by Vince McMahon, the world of pro wrestling has been directly correlated with the global juggernaut. This meant that even though TNA and ECW emerged as viable options, they were never really alternatives to the spectacle that is WWE.
Meanwhile, AEW emerged in 2019, and it was the first pro wrestling company in a long time with financial backing to compete on fair footing with WWE. Quickly, they became the second-biggest wrestling promotion globally. This also created a lot of job opportunities for everyone. Promising wrestlers, staff, and creative personnel who couldn’t hack it in one promotion still had the opportunity to redeem themselves in the other.
One of the primary reasons that AEW has become so successful in such a short time was that they approached a lot of established talents from WWE who weren’t being used properly by the company and brought them, along with their fans, to All Elite Wrestling. They gave them the storylines they wanted, and fans started tuning in to watch the same.
Having said that, AEW has also had a lot of talent that they haven't been able to use effectively. With the massive roster they have, it’s only natural not to be able to come up with a good enough creative storyline for everyone. However, some of these active stars seem to be fundamentally more suited to WWE.
In this article, we look at three such stars who are more suited to WWE than AEW:
#3. Wardlow would be more suited to WWE than AEW
Wardlow, at 6'3" and 260 lbs, has an imposing stature. This, along with his impressive athletic skills, makes him the perfect WWE monster. Historical evidence shows us that wrestlers with very limited in-ring and microphone skills have managed to make it big in WWE by banking on their physicality.
WWE’s creative team can polish Wardlow’s average promo abilities by pairing him with a manager or a strong mic worker. Also, the Stamford-based promotion's structured booking approach can be a massive upgrade to his AEW run, which has been a victim so far of frequent and inconsistent booking decisions.
#2. Adam Cole
Adam Cole was considered one of Triple H’s favorites during his NXT run. The Game positioned him as the face of the developmental brand and leader of The Undisputed Era during the black and gold era, which many fans consider the peak of the brand.
After becoming a fan favorite in WWE, his AEW run hasn’t truly capitalized on his potential. It seems that creative and fans alike have lost their confidence in him. His run has been a victim of untimely injuries and inconsistent booking decisions, with a few exceptions here and there.
With Triple H at the helm of WWE's creative, Adam Cole can be a perennial main eventer in World Wrestling Entertainment instead of being the mid-card player that he currently is at AEW.
#1. MJF
MJF is widely considered one of pro wrestling’s greatest active heels. His promo work is exceptional, and he has that rare ability to blur kayfabe and reality without making it seem forced. This is an ability which only a few other wrestlers, such as John Cena, The Miz, CM Punk, among others, are good at. This, along with his excellent in-ring work, makes him the perfect WWE Superstar.
But in addition, he also has mainstream appeal and has already been part of several Hollywood projects at this point, including The Iron Claw (2023), Stranglehold (2024), and the upcoming Happy Gilmore 2 (2025). This makes him the perfect guy that WWE can bank on and build their long-term future around.
The move to WWE better suits MJF as well because of its global outreach, which would open a host of more opportunities for him. Given his abilities, he might want to slowly transition from pro wrestling to Hollywood full-time, like Batista and John Cena have done in the past. He can make something like that happen only by being in the Stamford-based promotion.