5 AEW stars Tony Khan could lose to WWE in 2025
AEW and WWE have been active in the free agency market through 2024 and this doesn't seem like something that would change in the future too. While the Jacksonville-based promotion bagged huge stars like Mercedes Mone, Kazuchika Okada, and Will Ospreay, the global sports entertainment juggernaut dominated the new signings in recent months.
WWE has signed Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, and The Motor City Machine Guns in the last couple of months. The promotion has done a great job establishing them as a huge brand. MCMG even captured the WWE Tag Team Championships in the second week following their debut. Also, after Gilulia, Stephanie is set for a title shot next - the NXT Women's Championship.
Meanwhile, the Jacksonville-based promotion has managed to grab stars like Ricochet, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and possibly Bobby Lashley. Many AEW stars like MJF, Daniel Garcia, Saraya, and Swerve Strickland have also decided to stay with the company as they renewed their contracts earlier this year. While many stars have extended their deals, there is speculation that some other stars don't want to be AEW-bound.
Let's take a look at some of the stars who could leave Tony Khan's promotion next year.
#5. Ricky Starks
The Absolute star vented his frustration over the past couple of months after being absent from the Jacksonville-based promotion. He hasn't been seen on AEW TV since March 2024. Rumors circulated that he was unhappy with some creative decisions and rejected pitches but the star has since denied these allegations. He also confirmed that he is medically cleared for in-ring action.
Recently, the former AEW World Tag Team Champion made an appearance at the Glory Pro Wrestling promotion's event. While no firm details are known about his contract, many are speculating that it may expire next year. Ricky Starks may not resign with the Tony Khan-based promotion as he was on the shelf for almost seven months. He could become a huge star in WWE's NXT brand if that was his next destination.
#4. and #3. Lucha Bros
Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix are two of the promotion's original stars who have been with the company since 2019. The duo are well-known athletes and have wrestled great matches. Reports of them joining WWE have been floating around for many months now.
While Penta's contract is expiring around 2025, Tony Khan has reportedly added injury time to Rey's deal which caused a delay in their imminent WWE debut. The former International Champion's extended time will seemingly end in 2025 and both the stars can head to the global sports entertainment next year.
#2. Miro
The former TNT Champion hasn't been seen on the Jacksonville-based promotion's programming since the Worlds End Pay-Per-View in December 2023. He has been All Elite since 2020 but has had multiple breaks throughout his run. His contract is supposedly expiring in 2026 but he recently asked for his AEW release seemingly due to creative differences with the promotion.
If Tony Khan accepts the Bulgarian Brute's request, he may possibly rejoin WWE and thrive well under Triple H's regime.
#1. Bryan Danielson is not AEW-bound anymore
The American Dragon has retired from full-time pro wrestling at the WrestleDream PPV. Jon Moxley and company ambushed him and wrote him off storylines indefinitely. In reality, Bryan Danielson needed neck surgery. Ahead of All In, he made it clear that his contract with the company ended in August this year.
It is unclear if the former AEW World Champion was under any contract from August to October but has not been tied to the promotion since WrestleDream. Now that he has finished his full-time wrestling career in the Jacksonville-based promotion, he could join WWE in a managerial role. This could be a huge blow to Tony Khan.
It will be interesting to see who jump ships from AEW to WWE in 2025.