3 Former WWE Superstars who have been booked perfectly in AEW, and 2 who have been major letdowns
WWE has lost quite a number of high-profile names to its biggest competitor, AEW. While All Elite Wrestling is only 3 years old, it's already made significant strides to provide a place where wrestlers seem to be happier.
However, only a handful of stars have transitioned over to the promotion and actually succeeded. Numerous fans have been vocal about the way some of the former WWE Superstars have been booked or their lack of booking.
Unfortunately, with a roster still numbering in the hundreds, AEW won't be able to elevate everyone with only two shows a week. That being said, they have successfully turned around the careers of many.
#3 Perfectly: WWE Hall of Famer, Sting, has continually surpassed expectations even at 63
Sting had a very brief stint within WWE, and fans were largely left with a sour taste in their mouths after The Icon lost to Triple H at Wrestlemania 31 and never once got a chance to face The Undertaker. However, just as fans thought his career might be over, former WCW champion jumped to AEW and proceeded to shock fans week-by-week.
Since then, The Icon has consistently been booked as a legitimate legend, still "no-selling" moves and besting talent almost 40 years younger than him. While a final World Championship could be the icing on the cake, Sting seems content with his current role within AEW.
#2 Letdown: Adam Cole was a major player in WWE, but seems upper-midcard within AEW
Adam Cole was the biggest name and face of WWE's then-developmental brand, NXT. The star held three of the brand's championships on different occasions, making him the second NXT Triple Crown Champion, following Johnny Gargano. On top of this, Cole's stable, The Undisputed Era, was one of the most dominating factions on the brand.
While his AEW run has not been a total failure, as the star has had two World Championship shots and he won the inaugural Men's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Unfortunately, fans have largely been disappointed, as the star hasn't come close enough to truly dominating as he once did in WWE.
#2 Perfectly: CM Punk has had some of the best feuds within the promotion, despite fans initially being unsure
CM Punk has had one of the most recalled and referenced careers within WWE in the past two decades. The star has held five different championships in the promotion and is it's Nineteenth Triple Crown Champion. Unfortunately, his run ended under much controversy after his infamous "Pipe-Bomb Promo" and was released on his wedding day.
Punk's AEW debut currently sits at 13 million views at the time of writing, and was one of the biggest moments in wrestling history during 2021. The star would initially take on the younger talent, before beginning a feud with Eddie Kingston and MJF and forging two of the promotion's biggest feuds. CM Punk eventually captured his first championship in 9 years, becoming the AEW World Champion after defeating Hangman Adam Page at Double Or Nothing pay-per-view.
#1 Letdown: Andrade El Idolo has the potential to do so much more, but his booking has been awful so far
Andrade El Idolo is one of the most talented stars in modern pro-wrestling, something he proved to the world during his WWE run. Unfortunately, the star was highly underutilized, despite winning the United States Championship. The third-generation star eventually requested his release in 2021, and was finally let go on March 21 that same year.
Andrade then debuted in AEW on June 4th, 2021. Since his debut, fans have been openly critical of Andrade's booking in AEW, especially after he failed to capture the TNT Championship on two occasions. Now that the star has brought RUSH into the promotion, things could finally be looking up for the 32 year old.
#1 Perfectly: FTR is the most over tag-team in AEW, even after a poor final WWE run
FTR, formerly known as "The Revival" in Vince McMahon's company, were one of the most accomplished tag-teams within NXT. The stars continued their success when they received their main roster call-up, becoming the first-ever Triple Crown Tag-Team Champions in WWE. This success would, unfortunately, not last long and the stars would become unhappy and request their release from the promotion.
FTR eventually made their AEW debut on the May 27th, 2020 episode of Dynamite, when they saved The Young Bucks from The Butcher and The Blade. The duo would first portray themselves as babyfaces, before turning heel and capturing the Tag Team Championship at All-Out 2020.
The stars currently hold the AAA, ROH, and IGWP Tag Team Championships all at the same time. With the amount of fan support they currently have, the duo could be going after AEW's Tag-Team Championships soon,