One month following their TNA Wrestling departures, former WWE stars The IInspiration (Cassie Lee & Jessica McKay) made their AEW debut during the company’s House Rules event in Brisbane, Australia on February 15.
Following this new signing, as well as other recent recruits like Tommaso Ciampa, Lena Kross and The Rascalz, AEW is having a busy start to 2026 when it comes to new talent signings.
With many of the new recruits being WWE alumni, perhaps we could see more names follow suit in the coming weeks and months.
Here are six former WWE stars to potentially sign with AEW.
6. Charlie (Dakota Kai)
After almost a year of inactivity inside the ring, former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Dakota Kai will make her return at Pro Wrestling EVE’s Wrestle Queendom show in London on March 6.
Kai – who is now competing under the name Charlie – will take on former AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander at the event – an anticipated first-time match that could also serve as a prelude for what’s to come.
While it’s not clear where Charlie will land after making her return, she recently stated that she was open to signing with AEW.
An impressive performance against Statlander could potentially pave the way for the often under appreciated star to get another chance at showcasing her talent on a large stage.
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5. Bishop Dyer (Baron Corbin)
One former WWE star who has already had the chance to make an impression in AEW is Bishop Dyer (Baron Corbin).
In a surprising turn of events, Dyer ended up making his in-ring AEW debut in a dark match on the January 21 episode of Dynamite – teaming with Hadar Horvitz, Ori Gold and Martin Stone to take on Billy & Austin Gunn, Brady Booker & Elijah Drago.
While the opportunity was one that came together late – with Dyer replacing the originally scheduled Robert Martyr at the last minute – perhaps it could open up the door for more opportunities in the future.
With Dyer a real-life close friend of MJF, among others in the AEW locker room, there are many potential alliances and rivalries on the table for “The Lone Wolf.”
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4. Kacy Catanzaro (Katana Chance)
As well as Dakota Kai, another WWE star among the May 2025 wave of releases was former WWE and NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion Kacy Catanzaro (Katana Chance).
Catanzaro has not returned to the ring since her departure and has admitted to being unsure regarding whether she’ll compete again in the future.
While she has since appeared as a panelist on American Ninja Warrior – the show where she first gained a name – many fans remain hopeful that she could potentially reunite with former tag team partner Lacey Lane (Kayden Carter).
Lane officially signed with AEW in late 2025 and has thus far been paired with CRU (Lio Rush & Action Andretti) on ROH. While this role seems fine for now, AEW’s women’s tag team division could be bolstered significantly by the duo of Catanzaro and Lane.
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3. Oro (Oro Mensah)
Another name who was sadly cut from WWE in May 2025 was NXT’s Oro Mensah.
Fortunately the 30-year-old has managed to land back on his feet outside WWE, replacing himself as “The Main Man” Oro and returning to the independent scene.
His post-WWE career has also seen Oro land in Ring of Honor – competing three times on ROH TV between July and November 2025.
While it remains to be seen whether AEW have interest in bringing him in full-time, Oro has plenty of experience for his age and could certainly add something to either the ROH or AEW rosters.
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2. AJ Styles
At the time of writing, AJ Styles is still listed on the active WWE roster despite his retirement at the 2026 Royal Rumble PLE on January 31.
While Styles has been open about wanting to bow out of in-ring competition in 2026, he did also recently leave the door open to a potential return.
Not only did Styles leave his gloves on rather than leave them in the ring following his final WWE match, he also refused to rule out wrestling again during an appearance on What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon.
While Styles has been loyal to WWE for a decade, the allure of having one more match with the likes of Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay may convince him to sign off his career in AEW instead.
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1. Isla Dawn
One year has now passed since Isla Dawn was released by WWE on February 8, 2025.
The Scottish star – who won both the NXT and WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships during her tenure in the company – has yet to commit to one singular home in her year as a free agent, but she has had the chance to make an impression in AEW.
First debuting as a surprise opponent for Megan Bayne during the first-ever AEW TV taping in Glasgow, Scotland in August 2025, Dawn has went on to make many more appearances, both in AEW and ROH.
With her most recent outing being an unsuccessful AEW Women’s World Title eliminator against Kris Statlander on the January 24 episode of Collision, it seems like Dawn may be edging closer to officially becoming All Elite.
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