The AEW roster is a deep one, and some stars don’t get the exposure they perhaps deserve, with limited opportunity across its programming.
AEW television is currently two programs – Dynamite and Collision – with regularly pay-per-views stacked from what happens on the weekly shows. While Tony Khan also owns ROH, with its own programming and PPVs, it’s AEW that is likely the focus for most fans.
With this in mind, a number of absent AEW stars could make a return to recapture the attention of the fans:
Buddy Matthews
Pulled from the WSW Megamania tour in Australia, which ran from October 29 to November 2, speculation suggested that Buddy Matthews could be gearing up for an AEW return.
Having been sidelined since early last year due to a serious injury, the WSW tour would have been the first match for Matthews since Grand Slam Australia in February 2025.
Matthews is still to make his AEW return, although seeing him inserted into the rivalry between Death Riders and The Cut would be an ideal way to reintroduce the powerhouse star.
Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford
The real-life husband and wife haven’t competed in AEW since September of last, in the case of Sabian, and February 2026 for Ford. The pair are both AEW originals, with Sabian competing the first-ever singles match at Double or Nothing in 2019, on the Buy In show.
Megan Bayne, Ford’s MegaBad teammate, has since gone on to form Divine Dominion with Lena Kross, with the pair being former AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions.
For Sabian, his last match would be a World Tag Team Championship eliminator loss alongside Killswitch to JetSpeed (Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey). JetSpeed have gone their separate ways, with Killswitch returning to his Luchasaurus persona and The Matriarchy disbanding after Nick Wayne entered singles competition.
Sabian and Ford would be a strong addition to Will Ospreay’s United Empire, with the Superbad star being close friends with The Aerial Assassin, although seeing him cross paths with the current iteration of Nick Wayne may also pay dividends for the returning name.
Ruby Soho & Angelo Parker
Making her AEW debut in September 2021, Ruby Soho has been a member of The Outcasts with Toni Storm and Saraya, with the latter showing disdain for the star’s burgeoning on-screen relationship with her real-life partner Angelo Parker.
For his part, Parker has been absent since April of this year, with his last match being a loss for the star and Matt Menard against FTR. Menard’s year has mostly seen him compete in ROH, with his most recent outing being a loss to Juice Robinson in September, with that star now a member of The Cut.
Absent since April 2024, Soho has married Parker in real life, with the pair having a child together, along with opening Victory Roll, a gaming cafe in their hometown.
With Toni Storm currently absent (and in her Timeless persona) and Saraya now signed to WWE as Paige, it’s unlikely The Outcasts will reform, although Soho returning with renewed intensity and a championship in mind could make her a strong addition to Death Riders.
The creative challenge for absent stars
Far from unique to AEW, there is a challenge to bringing absent stars back to television, regardless of the company, particularly when stories have advanced without them.
With AEW, it’s been suggested that Tony Khan is less likely to release stars, with contracts being allowed to “quietly expire”, according to Wrestling Observer Live. Stars not used on television are, according to Bryan Alvarez, “at home wanting to wrestle. They get paid, and they’re never used.”
While AEW creative may not have a use for them, they can surely only be absent for a certain period of time before the fans forget them in favor of a more recent signing.
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