3 stars likely to retire in AEW without ever returning to WWE
Although WWE continues to dominate as the premier pro-wrestling brand in the world, AEW has risen to the position of a worthy rival brand since its foundation in 2019. The two companies have been clearly influenced by each other's programming strategies and recruitment maneuvers, leading to frequent exchanges of talents over the years.
Recently, All Elite Wrestling lost a number of its well-known stars to WWE - Ricky Starks made his debut for the sports entertainment juggernaut immediately on the heels of his contract with the Tony Khan-led promotion expiring. AEW also parted ways with former World Trios Champion Malakai Black and former TNT Champion Miro lately, both of whom are also expected to be World Wrestling Entertainment bound.
While both AEW and WWE will likely continue to swap wrestlers as the years continue to advance, there are some All Elite names who could potentially retire in their current workplace without returning to their old stomping grounds. Let us consider three such stars.
#1. ROH World Tag Team and Six-Man Champion Dustin Rhodes
Dustin Rhodes has been a key player in AEW since the inception of the company. The Natural wrestled his brother Cody in a bloody war on the company's inaugural pay-per-view, Double or Nothing 2019, and has been featured fairly consistently since then. Dustin is currently a double champion in Ring of Honor and announced last year that he had signed a new multi-year deal with All Elite Wrestling.
Although Rhodes earned worldwide renown through his work as the outlandish Goldust in WWE, the 55-year-old star has been outspoken about his appreciation for his All Elite tenure. During his appearance on the Unbreakable podcast earlier this month, Rhodes compared his experience of working under Tony Khan with his experience of working under Vince McMahon, stating:
"This company, Tony Khan loves wrestling. It's 110% different than the Vince McMahon days. Vince was pretty brutal, and you were walking on eggshells all the time worried about your job. With Tony, he loves me. He is a huge fan of my wrestling. He's treated me very, very good here for the last five years." [H/T - WrestlingINC]
Although The Bizarre One undoubtedly deserves a final WWE run, it appears that Dustin Rhodes is content with his current position in AEW, and could very well hang up his boots there.
#2. MVP of The Hurt Syndicate
Audience members at Dynamite: Grand Slam 2024 were shocked by the unexpected AEW debut of MVP. The Franchise Playa was soon joined by his 'business partner' Shelton Benjamin, shortly followed by Bobby Lashley, reuniting The Hurt Business in the process. The group, going by the name The Hurt Syndicate, has emerged as one of the promotion's most popular acts.
MVP made his in-ring debut for All Elite Wrestling last month, and recently, his teammates Lashley and Benjamin dethroned Private Party of the AEW World Tag Team Titles. During a recent interview, The Ballin' Superstar was questioned about potentially finishing his career in the squared circle in All Elite Wrestling. He responded by revealing that his wish was to wind down his wrestling journey in the Jacksonville-based promotion.
"I haven’t retired yet. I haven’t officially retired yet. I wanna retire in-ring at AEW," said MVP. [H/T - PostWrestling]
Elsewhere in the interview, however, MVP clarified that The All Mighty and The Standard of Excellence could continue to perform even after the end of their current deals depending on their health and other circumstances.
#3. Former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho signing with AEW in 2019 played a crucial role in legitimizing the company as a viable brand at the time of its foundation. The first-ever Undisputed WWE Champion made history by becoming the first All Elite World Champion and has served as a linchpin for the promotion ever since, being regularly featured on television and booked alongside both established and up-and-coming talent.
Unfortunately, Jericho's creative direction for the past couple of years has left much to be desired, aside from an occasionally entertaining segment or two. Fans continue to relentlessly criticize his Learning Tree gimmick, and his general downturn in popularity has led some to speculate that a potential WWE return could be in the cards for Y2J, considering his decorated past and history there.
The Nueve insisted last year that he had "zero plans" of leaving AEW to go back to WWE. While Jericho could easily continue his Hall of Fame career in the Stamford-based company, he has proclaimed his intention of staying in All Elite Wrestling and helping the promotion grow even further, suggesting that the veteran may very well close the book on his wrestling career there.