5 Current WWE Superstars who have close friends in AEW
The rivalry between WWE and AEW has been ongoing for more than two years. Since 2019, many WWE Superstars have made the jump over to AEW and vice versa.
However, several superstars still hold strong friendships with fellow wrestlers from the rival promotion.
The following list looks at just five current Superstars whose close friends are currently employed by AEW.
#5. Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan
What @CodyRhodes, @MattJackson13 and @NickJacksonYB have done to create a groundswell in the wrestling community is both incredible and inspiring. Not only is it great for fans but also for wrestlers and the industry as a whole. Congratulations on what will be an amazing event twitter.com/AEWLive/status…
Cody Rhodes recently made the move over to WWE after being seen as one of the main stars behind the rise of AEW. Rhodes started his career as part of Vince McMahon's company, following in the footsteps of his brother Dustin and his father, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.
Rhodes made several friends during his time in WWE whom he remained in contact with after requesting his release. Daniel Bryan, now known as Bryan Danielson in AEW, is one of the stars that he kept in touch with following his departure from WWE. Even though both men have now gone in opposite directions, they have remained close friends.
After Daniel Bryan seemingly issued an online challenge to Rhodes back in 2018, the latter responded with the following statement:
"I don’t think it was a challenge, just fun. Daniel Bryan remains one of my friends (...) I have always looked up to Dan. It would be major, major box office for all involved," via Sports Illustrated.
Bryan departed the company last year after his contract expired and has since joined AEW.
#4. Rey Mysterio and Andrade El Idolo
Remember when Andrade and Rey Mysterio were just allowed to have bangers on random episodes of SmackDown in 2019? https://t.co/HlUZW0iebX
Rey Mysterio is one of the biggest living legends in WWE history and has had some incredible bouts over the years. Mysterio and Andrade went to war several times throughout his time in the company. However, Andrade's recent release has meant that the two men are now on opposite sides of the inter-promotional rivalry.
Following Andrade's release, Mysterio spoke highly of the former star and made it clear that they had something unique both inside and outside of the ring.
“It's a shame to have lost Andrade, but I feel that sometimes you make your decisions to improve, to have a bigger future. Tomorrow I can assure you that Andrade will be there once [again] with the company, because the magnitude that he has and the style of fighting, he deserves to be in a place at the top. My struggles that I had with Eddie Guerrero I compare them a lot with the ones I had with Andrade. Since I returned to WWE they are my best matches that I have had," Mysterio said, via Super-Luchas.
Andrade appeared to echo these sentiments when speaking to Plancha Wrestling back in 2020.
“Rey Mysterio is a great person. Inside the ring, he’s a rival, but outside the ring, he’s a great guy," via TalkSPORT.
Andrade's fiancee Charlotte Flair is also still working for WWE as the current SmackDown Women's Champion. This means that the former star still has several links to his former employers.
#3. Adam Cole and Xavier Woods
@WWEUniverse @AustinCreedWins 😍😍😍
Adam Cole and Xavier Woods worked on different brands throughout their WWE careers, but the duo were able to bond over their love of video games. Cole was a regular star on Woods' YouTube Channel 'UpUpDownDown.'
Alongside Tyler Breeze and Cesaro, the duo would regularly live stream together, but this came to an end when Cole left WWE because of other commitments.
Despite leaving the company and making a name for himself in AEW, Cole was still able to find the time to congratulate Woods on his King of the Ring win back in 2021 and the two stars have remained close friends.
#2. Liv Morgan and Ruby Soho
Just crossed paths with @realrubysoho at the airport. Universe 🖤✨
Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott made their main roster debuts in WWE together back in November 2017. As members of The Riott Squad, the two stars went on to get matching tattoos alongside Sarah Logan. Whilst Riott and Logan have since departed WWE, Morgan is the only remaining member of the group left. However, she has remained close friends with her former teammates.
Morgan congratulated Riott when she made her move over to AEW and became known as Ruby Soho. The two women have also been able to cross paths at the airport, which Morgan and Riott believed was destiny.
Logan has since remained close friends with her two former teammates and was also on-hand for Soho's AEW debut, where she even took her godson, Cash, to watch the show from backstage.
#1. Current WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley and Buddy Matthews
🏼Work out buddies 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
@RheaRipley_WWE @SNM_Buddy https://t.co/DPNEXyWlzY
Rhea Ripley has several close friends in WWE, with the former Women's Champion currently noting that she and Liv Morgan have become close during their time working as a team. Ripley has also noted that she is good friends with Riddle and Damian Priest.
One star outside of the company that Ripley has also shown that she is friends with in recent months is Buddy Murphy. The former star has since become known as Buddy Matthews in AEW and has been spotted on Rhea Ripley's timeline numerous times.
Ripley recently shared a video of the duo working out at the gym together with the caption "work out buddies" which comes after a video of the two stars went viral when they decided to hang out together.