Throughout the history of AEW there has been a wide variety of WWE stars who made the jump to the promotion.
From Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley, to Bryan Danielson and Timeless Toni Storm, these stars have made a huge impact and helped to establish the company over the past six years.
In 2026, AEW should be welcoming even more former WWE stars into the company at some point over the course of the next 12 months.
Here are seven former WWE champions to potentially join AEW in 2026.
7. Karrion Kross
Following WWE SummerSlam 2025, many fans were surprised to hear Karrion Kross was leaving the promotion after his contract expired.
Becoming a free agent again, Kross has hit the independent scene and started to reestablish his name.
With the strong connection Kross made with the WWE fans, it would be smart for another major company to sign him to be a prominent act on AEW TV.
Kross signing with All Elite Wrestling would make a lot of sense with his manipulative characters that could play well against the likes of Swerve Strickland, Mark Briscoe and Orange Cassidy.
Click the next page button below for more
6. Bishop Dyer (Baron Corbin)
In November 2024, it was announced that WWE was letting go of Baron Corbin when his contract expired.
After a 12-year run with the company, Corbin had showcased his versatility and ability to play a variety of different roles.
Corbin has since then become known as Bishop Dyer and has surprised many fans by becoming a name on the independent scene.
Dyer signing with AEW next year could see come in and bring something new that the company currently does not at this point right now.
Click the next page button below for more
5. Dakota Kai
On May 2, WWE announced its latest slate of talent cuts with over 15 wrestlers were released from the company.
Among the names released, Dakota Kai had to have been the most surprising star to see depart the promotion this year.
Widely regarded as one of the most underrated stars on the roster, Dakota had earned a reputation for her consistent quality work in the ring and on the mic.
Feeling like someone who would fit in quite well in AEW, Dakota Kai could come in next year and help bolster the women’s division as they further expand with the addition of tag team titles in 2025.
Click the next page button below for more
4. Shayna Baszler
Another surprising name released from WWE back in May 2025 was Shayna Baszler.
“The Queen of Spades” is someone who came into WWE with plenty of hype and lived up to it in NXT where she held the NXT Women’s Championship longer than anyone across her two reigns.
Since her release, Baszler has made the move back to the indies where she has shown she still has something left inside the squared circle.
With her connection with Marina Shafir from their days in the MMA Four Horsewomen, Shayna Baszler could join AEW to become the latest member of The Death Riders and make an impact in their newly christened Women’s Tag Team Title picture.
Click the next page button below for more
3. Dragon Lee
When Dragon Lee signed with WWE in 2023, he came in hyped up as a highly touted free agent from Mexico.
Coming in and immediately winning the NXT North American Championship a few months after his debut, Lee showcased himself as someone who had a bright future and was quickly brought up to the WWE main roster.
Despite winning the World Tag Team Titles with AJ Styles, it still feels like Lee has not lived up to the lofty expectations for himself.
With his contract set to expire in 2026, Lee could join his brothers RUSH and Dralistico by making a return to AEW after leaving WWE.
Click the next page button below for more
2. AJ Styles
Speaking of Dragon Lee, his current World Tag Team Champion partner AJ Styles is also set to be a free agent in 2026.
After announcing his impending retirement in 2026, it will be interesting to see how “The Phenomenal One” plans to close out his illustrious career.
After nearly three decades in the industry, Styles may want to retire alongside the men he really started this second chapter of his career with in The Young Bucks.
Calling back to his history in The Bullet Club, Styles could choose to join AEW next year and finish out his in-ring run with some of the best wrestlers in the world, such as Kenny Omega, MJF and Will Ospreay.
Click the next page button below for more
1. Bayley
No one has gotten more mention to potentially sign with All Elite Wrestling this year than Bayley.
The former WWE Women’s Champion was removed from the card for WrestleMania 41 and SummerSlam 2025, leading fans to speculate whether her time in the company could be coming to an end.
With her contract set to expire in late 2026, it would be logical for Bayley to explore her options outside of the WWE bubble for the first time in nearly 13 years.
Bayley joining her best friend and long-time rival Mercedes Moné in AEW would be both exciting, surreal and something that would give AEW a claim at having the strongest women’s roster in all of wrestling.
To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!
Comments.
Loading comments…