Every former WWE star who has signed with AEW in 2026 (so far)

With the end of 2026 approaching, former WWE stars continue to feature in future plans for AEW, as seen in a recent addition.

Dani Luna is far from the only former WWE star to sign a contract with AEW, with others having put pen to paper following their departure:

Dani Luna

The most recent addition to the AEW roster, debuting at All Out in a losing effort to TBS Champion Persephone, Luna is a former WWE and TNA Wrestling star.

Luna was released from her WWE contract in August 2022, going on to sign with TNA Wrestling the following year and becoming Knockouts World Tag Team Champion with Jody Threat.

Tommaso Ciampa

A two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, Tommaso Ciampa exited the company after his contract expired towards the end of last year, debuting with AEW in January and becoming TNT Champion shortly thereafter.

After a run in 2005 that ended in 2007, Ciampa returned to WWE in 2015 alongside Johnny Gargano, with the pair being known as #DIY. A two-time NXT Champion, Ciampa would also hold the NXT Tag Team Championship, going on to be called up to the main roster in 2022.

The Rascalz

Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz and Myron Reed have been All Elite since January of this year, with The Rascalz making their debut on the Maximum Carnage episode of AEW Collision.

Xavier and Wentz were known to WWE fans as Wes Lee and Nash Carter, respectively, being two-time NXT Tag Team Champions under the name MSK.

Wentz was released from his WWE contract back in April 2022, although would return during his run in TNA Wrestling, alongside Xavier, who would go on to be released in October of last year.

Mick Foley

In December of last year, Mick Foley revealed he was cutting ties with WWE at the end of his legends contract, going on to make his AEW debut at Double or Nothing in May.

Foley would later reveal that it was a “difficult decision” to make when it came to exiting WWE, having been associated with the company since multiple times over the decades, and for lengthy stretches.

The New Day

Previously Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods, the stars now known as The New Level made their AEW debuts at All In: London.

For The New Day, their departure from WWE came after the veteran stars were offered a restructured deal that would have included a substantial pay cut, reported to be much higher than the 50% mark.

Kofi & Austin Creed have wasted no time since debuting in AEW, now teaming with Swerve Strickland and being AEW World Trios Champions.

Motor City Machine Guns

Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley signed with AEW in July of this year, having been released from their WWE contracts in April.

During their time in WWE, the pair had held the Tag Team Championship for a period of 42 days starting shortly after their September 2024 signing.

Motor City Machine Guns competed in their first (and, at the time of writing, only) AEW match on September 5, with Fightful revealing that their absence was due to the pair wanting to finish their music tour as members of the rock band Grppling first.

More to follow

The pipeline of talent between WWE and AEW remains open for good reason. For AEW, the chance to sign some of the more prominent names following their WWE departure makes sense, not just to attract fans, but when it comes to television ready talent.

Ilja Dragunov is one such star expected to make an AEW debut soon, and there is every chance that he won’t be only one as we approach the end of another year.

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