5 AEW stars whose WWE runs were better
WWE is not exactly known for its employee-friendly nature. It's a tough promotion to grow in, but it's worth it to make a big name there. However, the cutthroat atmosphere has made quite a lot of WWE stars jump ship to Tony Khan's promotion, which has generally favored them along with AEW itself.
People will use “AEW is WWE light” as a stick to beat it with, but nah. AEW is literally everything WWE should have been.
The first of these acquisitions for Tony Khan was Chris Jericho. Y2J was one of the biggest assets to AEW, which helped the promotion make a splash on the mainstream popularity charts.
Since then, a stream of WWE superstars have now made All Elite Wrestling their home. Big names like Bryan Danielson and CM Punk have already made their mark in Tony Khan's organization, reclaiming the legendary status they had on Vince McMahon's roster.
Furthermore, some stars who struggled in WWE, like Malakai Black (f.k.a Aleister Black), have also found more solid footing in their new promotion.
However, not everyone has had more success in AEW than with Vince McMahon and company. Here are 5 of those stars whose WWE stints were definitely better.
#5 Mark Henry was way more relevant in WWE than AEW
They need Mark Henry on every main event of Dynamite and ppvs. He's a damn national treasure. IT'S TIME FOR THE MAIN EVENT! #AEWRampage
Mark Henry certainly left a giant imprint on WWE's history with his run in Vince McMahon's company. With a plethora of achievements ranging from multiple U.S. National Weightlifting Champion titles to ECW championships, the 'world's strongest man' is certainly one of the most accomplished performers of the modern era. His run with World Wrestling Entertainment saw him inducted into the Hall of Fame before he left.
However, AEW has seemingly opted for a much different approach for the veteran. Mark Henry has served the fanbase as an analyst and a backstage interviewer of sorts, remaining away from any fighting action himself. The question of him making his in-ring debut has always been up in the air, however.
Mark Henry is being grossly underused in Tony Khan's promotion. A performer of his caliber is simply too important to be kept away from the action. Injuries to the former WWE champion have always been an issue, but fans would love to see him back in the ring at some point.
For now, unfortunately, Mark's AEW run is a shadow of his glory days with WWE.