5 top stars who will never leave AEW for WWE
AEW and WWE have been in a head-to-head war for the past six years. In a recent appearance on the Bill Simmons podcast, Nick Khan made a shocking revelation about WWE's strategy to sign a number of AEW talents in the future.
The WWE President was full of praise for the quality of the AEW talent roster, stating that he would be eager to engage in conversations with certain talents once their deal with the Jacksonville-based promotion expires. Nick Khan firmly believes that a number of All Elite Wrestling stars will agree to jump ship to the Stamford-based promotion in the near future.
Nick Khan's words might be true to a certain extent, as underutilized stars like Wardlow could join WWE at the end of their deals. However, not every star in the Tony Khan-led company might be willing to work in the sports entertainment juggernaut.
In this article, let's look at five stars who may never leave All Elite Wrestling.
#5. Kenny Omega could stay with AEW till the end of his career
Kenny Omega is one of the founding fathers of All Elite Wrestling. The Best Bout Machine had several opportunities to jump ship to the Stamford-based promotion in the past, but he decided against it.
The reigning AEW International Champion is likely to remain in All Elite Wrestling till the end of his career. Kenny Omega finds himself most comfortable in an environment where he enjoys a certain degree of creative control, and his backstage duties in AEW would further compel him to continue with the Tony Khan-led company.
While The Cleaner is still incredible inside the squared circle, his body has gone through a great amount of wear and tear in recent years. If Kenny Omega were to go to WWE, he might have to adopt an entirely different wrestling style, which may not suit him as much.
Moreover, the packed schedule of WWE might prevent Kenny Omega from prolonging his time in the squared circle. Instead of joining the competition, The Best Bout Machine might be more content with continuing to build AEW as a viable alternative.
Kenny Omega is a guiding force to many stars backstage in the Jacksonville-based promotion, and he would be eager to set the perfect example by remaining loyal to his colleagues.
#4. Swerve Strickland may remain with AEW for a very long time
Swerve Strickland had a great run in WWE NXT. In the 2021 WWE Draft, the former NXT North American Champion was called up to the SmackDown brand. However, The Realest One did not get any major opportunities on the blue brand, before eventually being released in November 2021.
In March 2022, The New Flavor signed a contract with AEW, which ended up being a turning point in his career. Swerve Strickland embarked on a career-defining run in All Elite Wrestling, capturing the AEW World Tag Team Titles with Keith Lee.
The Killshot then turned heel, which allowed him to work with top stars like Hangman Page and Darby Allin. At Dynasty 2024, Swerve Strickland dethroned Samoa Joe to get his hands on his first-ever AEW World Championship.
In 2025, Swerve continues to be a main-event player in the Tony Khan-led company. The Realest One signed a new contract with the promotion last year, which was deemed one of the biggest deals in All Elite Wrestling's history. As revealed by Swerve himself, he is set to remain with AEW till 2029.
After becoming a reliable main event star in All Elite Wrestling, Swerve Strickland is unlikely to part ways with the Jacksonville-based promotion. Tony Khan gave Swerve a platform to succeed when WWE gave up on him in 2021. The former AEW World Champion would be grateful to TK for keeping his faith in him, which is why he could repay his trust by leading All Elite Wrestling into the future.
#3. Will Ospreay's issues with Triple H might compel him to not join WWE
As Will Ospreay was finishing up with NJPW in the fall of 2023, both WWE and AEW began showing interest in signing the talented star. Ultimately, it was Tony Khan who managed to acquire the services of The Aerial Assassin.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show in April 2024, The Game criticized an unnamed free agent for choosing a lesser workload and running away from "the grind" in the early stages of his career. Many fans believed that the comments were directed at Will Ospreay.
The Commonwealth Kingpin did not hold back either, as he called out The King of Kings for his remarks on the April 10, 2024, edition of Dynamite. In an interview with Renee Paquette, Ospreay lambasted The Game for questioning his work ethic, listing down all the issues he faced while traveling across different countries.
While he did not directly take Triple H's name, the 31-year-old star taunted the Head of WWE Creative by saying he was able to be in his current position only after "grinding on the boss's daughter." Considering the animosity between the two individuals, the possibility of Will Ospreay jumping ship to WWE seems very slim.
Moreover, Tony Khan has actively expressed his desire to push The Commonwealth Kingpin as the next face of the company. With Ospreay getting his deserved financial success and creative freedom in the Jacksonville-based promotion, there is no reason why the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion would ever part ways with the TK-led company.
#2. Toni Storm has witnessed a career resurgence in All Elite Wrestling
Toni Storm made her WWE SmackDown debut in July 2021. Before arriving on the main roster, The Rockstar had significantly impressed the fans in NXT and NXT UK.
However, the New Zealand star found herself struggling in the blue brand after her move. In the fall of 2021, Storm began a feud with Charlotte Flair, who held the SmackDown Women's Championship at the time.
After ending up on the losing side in this rivalry, The Timeless Superstar requested her release from the sports entertainment juggernaut in December 2021.
As per Storm, she feared that she would not succeed under the Vince McMahon-led management, who did not seem to have any solid creative plans for her. The reigning AEW Women's World Champion claimed that WWE almost crushed her love for wrestling.
The Timeless Superstar made her All Elite Wrestling debut in March 2022. The 29-year-old performer gradually kept climbing up the ranks in the promotion.
After embracing the "Timeless" persona in the summer of 2023, Toni Storm established herself as one of the best characters in All Elite Wrestling. Her legendary trilogy with Mariah May helped cement The Rockstar as one of the most valuable female stars of the modern era.
Tony Khan is a big admirer of Storm's work. The AEW Women's division has revolved around the versatile star in the last two years, and things don't seem to be changing anytime soon. All Elite Wrestling helped revive Toni Storm's love for pro wrestling, and she might remain a loyal asset to TK till the end of her career.
#1. Jon Moxley's name is synonymous with AEW
Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose) had a memorable seven-year-long stint with WWE. However, The Purveyor of Violence had become so frustrated with his creative differences with Vince McMahon by 2019 that he decided to leave the company altogether.
At Double or Nothing 2019, The One True King made his shocking AEW debut by attacking Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega. It was a turning point for Moxley's career, as he went on to achieve superstardom in the Jacksonville-based promotion.
Tony Khan has allowed The Ace of All Elite Wrestling to express himself on television the way he had always wanted. TK handed the ball to Moxley, and the latter did not let down Khan.
Jon Moxley was allowed to showcase his love for hardcore wrestling. Moreover, AEW's partnership with other companies allowed The Lunatic Fringe to make a name for himself in NJPW, CMLL, and other major promotions around the world.
The Purveyor of Violence is one of the highest-paid wrestlers in AEW, further showing how much Tony Khan values him. Moxley is the only star to have captured four world championships in All Elite Wrestling, making him the most dominant star in his division.
After being treated as the third wheel of The Shield for years, Jon Moxley finally got his breakout moment as a singles star in AEW. While it is highly unlikely for The One True King to leave the TK-led company, he might show up in WWE when The Shield is eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame.