5 former WWE Superstars who have won titles in AEW
WWE Superstars have jumped over to AEW ever since the promotion began releasing their talent due to budget cuts. Tony Khan also began AEW with a handful of athletes who were closely associated with Vince McMahon's company for a long time.
Championship titles are integral to wrestling promotions, and the stars who hold gold lend their prestige to the belts. Belts like WCW's World Heavyweight Championship were sought after only because of the names who held it. Likewise, AEW needed a few big names to carry their belts into prestige.
This list will dive into five former WWE Superstars who have held championships in AEW.
5. Chris Jericho - AEW World Championship
Chris Jericho was the inaugural world champion as well as the first AEW star to hold gold.
During his 30-year long career, Jericho has held the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and Heavyweight Championship amongst many more.
It was only fitting that he would be the one to lend his credibility to AEW during its formative years. Jericho would go on to reign for 182 days before being unseated by Jon Moxley at AEW Revolution 2020.
4. Jon Moxley (Dean Ambrose in WWE) - AEW World Championship
And this is just another reason why @JonMoxley is your #AEW World Champion, folks #AEWDynamite https://t.co/LZ34BFM3oZ
Formally known as The Lunatic Fringe during his WWE run, Jon Moxley has become integral to AEW during his time with the promotion.
As Dean Ambrose, the star held the Intercontinental as well as the World Championship. However, the star is mainly known for his time with The Shield, where he won the RAW Tag Team Championships with Seth Rollins.
Moxley is credited for carrying AEW on his shoulders during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020. The former champion often wrestled in crowdless arenas occupied only by trainees signed to AEW or the Nightmare Factory.
Moxley was eventually defeated by Kenny Omega after 277 days as champion, in a shocking bout. This would be the match that led to the birth of Omega as The Belt Collector.
3. FTR (The Revival in WWE) - AEW World Tag Team Championships
AEW's most over tag team, FTR, was known as The Revival in WWE. Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler even went by different names, as fans will remember them as Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder.
The Revival might have ended on a bad note with WWE, but the duo became the promotion's first Grand Slam Tag-Team Champions. The Grand Slam honorary title is usually awarded to single wrestlers when they pick up two mid-card and one world title. The duo successfully won the RAW, Smackdown, and NXT Championships, shortly before their run turned sour.
Known as the FTR in AEW, they have held the World Tag Team Championships on one occasion. With the help of Tully Blanchard, the two held the tag titles for 63 days before being defeated by The Young Bucks.
2. Miro (Rusev in WWE) - TNT Championship
We hear from our TNT Champion @ToBeMiro tonight on #AEWRampage at 10/9c and we have a feeling he's gonna have a lot to say... https://t.co/Omx2EvggZY
Miro was one of the most underutilized stars in WWE, even after his dominating US Championship run.
The former Bulgarian Brute only held the US Championship, but held the belt on three separate occasions. Rusev eventually gained a following when he became a babyface, ushering in the "Rusev Day" stable. Unfortunately, the star would be released in April 2020 alongside other Superstars.
God's Favorite Champion had a dominant TNT Championship reign. Initially debuting as a gamer and best friend to Kip Sabian, Miro quickly came out on his own. After dominating for 140 days, Miro was defeated by Sammy Guevara and has had limited appearances in AEW since.
1. Brodie Lee (Luke Harper in WWE) - TNT Championship
Before jumping to AEW, the former Wyatt Family Member was known as a stoic yet violent character. The star would shock fans from time to time with feats of agility, hinting that there was more to the man.
As Luke Harper, Brodie Lee held the Intercontinental Championship as well as the Smackdown and NXT Tag Team Championships. Other than his team-ups alongside Erick Redbeard and Bray Wyatt, the star did very little in WWE.
After his release, Brodie would debut in AEW as the Exalted One. Here, he was finally able to show fans his personality and would likely have quickly moved on to the AEW World Championship if not for his untimely passing.
After only 46 days as the TNT Champion, Brodie would drop the belt to Cody Rhodes - who he initially defeated to gain the belt in the first place.