5 AEW stars who may not return to WWE anytime soon; former AEW World Champion, former NXT Champion
AEW has been an attractive company to work for ever since its inception in 2019, providing a true alternative to McMahon's WWE. It's no wonder that AEW President Tony Khan has managed to lure a number of former WWE Superstars to the company, including Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, and most recently, Keith Lee, Bryan Danielson, and Claudio Castagnoli.
However, with Triple H taking charge of Creative in WWE, could the tides be turning? All of a sudden, it is the Stamford-based promotion that seems like an intriguing place to work in.
There have been rumblings that former WWE Superstars such as Miro and Andrade El Idolo are unhappy with their booking in AEW and could be mulling a return to their previous employers. Interestingly, many former NXT talents, a few now signed with AEW, reportedly affirmed that they'd have remained with the company had Triple H assumed his new role sooner.
However, there are also a number of former WWE talents who are more likely to stay put in AEW, whether it's because they are locked into a long-term contract or they are enjoying their new environment. Here are 5 AEW stars who may not return to WWE anytime soon.
#5. Malakai Black
Malakai Black should be the top heel in AEW and I don’t understand how he isn’t.
This man could main event ppv’s for you. Maybe lose 1-2 times a year. He should not be getting pinned in Trio’s matches. He needs to be a feature main Eventer on AEW tv https://t.co/PVgf0b1B6y
Malakai Black joined All Elite Wrestling midway through 2021 after an underwhelming run on the WWE main roster. It's clear that Vince McMahon had no idea how to book the enigmatic Dutchman, which is such a shame as he was an absolute star in NXT, under Triple H.
With the news that The Game is now spearheading WWE's creative direction, Black might be tempted to return to the person that brought out the best in his character. While he has been given more freedom under Tony Khan and created his own faction, The House of Black, the 37-year-old hasn't managed to reach the heights his potential suggested.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Tony Khan revealed that Malakai Black and Adam Cole had signed five-year contracts, which rules out any chance of their potential WWE returns for the foreseeable future:
"I have five-year contracts with them, are they going to magically switch teams? Good luck with that. Adam Cole is signed until 2027 now. I wouldn't expect to see him going anywhere anytime soon. Malakai Black has almost five years left on his deal. I wouldn't expect him going anywhere anytime soon. Just because these guys had some success under a previous administration somewhere else, they're not magically going to be going anywhere," said Khan. (H/T Fightful).
For now, Malakai Black will stay put with All Elite Wrestling until at least 2027. What happens next will depend on his booking under Tony Khan going forward.
#4. Adam Cole
Former WWE Superstar Adam Cole debuted in All Elite Wrestling at last year's All Out to a massive ovation. His signing was deemed quite a shock as he was a stalwart of NXT as the longest-reigning champion of the brand.
However, the Panama City Playboy admitted that one of the reasons he wanted to join up with Tony Khan's promotion was so that he could be closer to his real-life girlfriend, former AEW Women's Champion Britt Baker.
Speaking at Motor City Comic Con, Cole said:
"One of the biggest things was getting to be around and see Britt a lot more. At the time, our schedules were so different that there’d be some times that I’d see her for maybe half a day, one day a week. Sometimes I wouldn’t see her for weeks at a time. So getting to travel with her and just being behind the curtain when she walks through after she’s done a match or a promo is really nice." (H/T EWrestling News)
Cole enjoyed a close relationship with former NXT head Triple H. He was also the leader of The Undisputed Era, one of the most successful factions of the black and gold era. Wrestling fans feared that he wouldn't find the same amount of success on the main roster under Vince McMahon and joining All Elite Wrestling felt like the better move at the time.
With the Cerebral Assassin now running things, that could lead to a change of heart. Tony Khan has already revealed that Cole is signed to a 5-year contract, so it's unlikely he will switch allegiances anytime soon.
#3. ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli
Former WWE Superstar Claudio Castagnoli (fka Cesaro) spent a decade with the Sports Entertainment giants. Despite becoming the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner and clinching multiple titles, he was never seen as a proper main eventer by Vince McMahon. Despite multiple attempts, he never became a World Champion.
That changed when he joined AEW earlier this year. The Swiss Superman made a memorable debut at Forbidden Door, defeating NJPW's Zack Saber Jr. He then aligned with popular faction Blackpool Combat Club alongside Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta and William Regal.
The 41-year-old would also finally clinch a world title, beating Jonathan Gresham for the ROH World Championship. Claudio was immediately treated like a major star under Tony Khan, so there's no reason for him to re-join WWE at this point.
In a recent interview with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston, Claudio admitted All Elite Wrestling offered him many more challenges:
“Obviously I've been following AEW for a while. And when it came to making time for me to just kind of take a step back and look, and I felt that I was a better fit at AEW. There was a lot more for me to do with AEW when it comes to challenges when it came to, you know, people I want to work with. They’re just, there’s so much, so many people that I haven’t wrestled either at all or in a very, very long time."
“So I was just kind of like that’s what I want to do. That’s what I’ll have fun doing. And that’s always for me, I always kind of felt that whenever it was time to move on, I moved on."
At this point in his career, the former Cesaro has nothing left to prove. He is better off putting on wrestling clinics with Tony Khan's company than hoping for a better run in WWE, even with Triple H in charge.
#2. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho has seen and done it all in the pro wrestling business. He traveled the world over, honing his craft in multiple promotions before achieving mainstream success in WWE. Y2J was with the company for nearly twenty years, crafting a Hall of Fame-worthy career when all was said and done.
By the time he had his legendary match against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom in 2018, he was already a bonafide legend. Le Champion was one of the first major signings to All Elite Wrestling, immediately lending credibility to the upstart promotion with his star power. The Demo God even became the company's initial World Champion.
Jericho signed a two-year deal in early 2019 but Tony Khan picked up the two-year option on his deal, extending it to 2023. Moreover, in July 2020, the former world champion publicly stated that a WWE return was, in his own words, "not gonna happen."
The former Y2J shared a close relationship with Vince McMahon, however, his relationship with Triple H was much more turbulent. At 51 years old, there is no reason for Jericho to return to WWE unless it's for a Hall of Fame induction. He is still pretty much active in AEW and has a match scheduled against Bryan Danielson at All Out. For now, it looks like The Wizard will stay with the promotion for the foreseeable future.
#1. Former AEW World Champion CM Punk
In the years to come, when people look back at CM Punk's career, which match do you think will be the one that people will say was his "best*?
Which period in his career (ROH, ECW, WWE, UFC, AEW) do you feel was his best body of work? https://t.co/30vzGLar50
For the longest time, CM Punk was the biggest free agent not signed to a wrestling company. That all changed when the Straightedged Superstar joined Tony Khan's promotion in 2021, signaling a return to the business after seven years.
The Second City Saint embarked on a tremendous singles run and became the company's fifth AEW World Champion at Double or Nothing 2022. Despite the recent backstage drama, Punk seems happy and motivated to be with All Elite Wrestling.
This is in sharp contrast to the tail end of his decade-long WWE career, where the 43-year old claimed that he became physically and mentally ill. So there's no reason why he would return to WWE, especially since he has a troubled history with the current Head of Creative, Triple H.
Konnan spoke about the possibility of a CM Punk return on his podcast Keepin' It 100. While he stated that interim CEO Stephanie McMahon would be interested in bringing back CM Punk, it is unlikely that he'll be leaving AEW anytime soon:
"Things could change, you know? Stephanie could take over, and she could say I don't give a s*** about the heat you had before, I will push you. She might offer him a lot of money, and he might leave, but I don't see him leaving anytime soon. He's in a great position in AEW," Konnan said. (01:30)
CM Punk is a certified main eventer and the biggest draw in All Elite Wrestling. Tony Khan would do well to keep his biggest draw happy for the long-run.