5 AEW Stars Who Could Jump Ship To WWE (2024)

WWE is, once again, expected to target a number of AEW stars who could be on their way out of the company.

According to a report from PWInsider (h/t SEScoops), WWE has shown strong interest in a handful of AEW talents who are either not being utilized by AEW or have expiring contracts. No surprise there, right?

Since AEW’s inception in 2019, AEW has made the majority of pro wrestling’s major free agent signings, inking a who’s who of ex-WWE stars including Mercedes Mone, Bryan Danielson and Adam “Edge” Copeland as well as NJPW standouts like Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay. Of course, some AEW stars jumped ship, too, most notably CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill.

While AEW has won that battle in terms of quantity, WWE has been the clear winner when it comes to quality, and as numerous AEW stars find themselves with uncertain future, these five AEW names could be the next marquee talents to jump ship to WWE.

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Daniel Garcia

Daniel Garcia, one of AEW’s brightest young stars, has been temporarily written off TV after a vicious attack by MJF due to questions surrounding his contract status.

A soon-to-be free agent, Garcia’s open-ended exit from AEW was purposefully executed that way just in case Garcia ends up leaving for WWE. In fact, Garcia reportedly has expressed interest in signing with WWE, and that interest is mutual.

Still just 25 years old, Garcia is a talented in-ring technician with strong short-term and long-term potential, which is why he’s being pursued by both WWE and AEW. On paper, Garcia would appear to be a better fit for AEW due both to his in-ring style and the reality that he’s not overly charismatic.

But Garcia, with the right booking, could be the face of WWE’s NXT brand in preparation for a move to Raw or SmackDown in the future, with perhaps a higher ceiling in WWE than AEW, where he’s often disappeared from TV for weeks on end.

Hook

Hook’s AEW contract reportedly expires in late 2024, and the second generation star is open to the idea of exploring free agency and a potential jump to WWE.

Much like Garcia, the 25-year-old Hook is one of AEW’s top young stars, with a quiet but confident charisma that has made him a cult favorite in AEW. Hook has spent much of his AEW career cycling in and out of storylines, and though he’s been associated with top stars like Chris Jericho, the lack of a consistent push makes him a strong candidate to exit AEW for a move to WWE.

It’s not difficult to envision Hook as the face of NXT for a couple of years, which would allow the silent star to improve his promo game and become a more well-rounded in-ring performer. Given the state of AEW’s jam-packed roster and the company’s inability to find a stable spot for Hook, one would think that he’d give strong consideration to leaving AEW.

After all, in AEW, he's swimming in a sea of midcarders. In WWE, there is much more room for vertical movement.

Ricky Starks

One of the most prominent AEW stars WWE is reportedly interested in? That would be Ricky Starks, who has been off of AEW TV for much of 2024.

Starks reportedly rejected a babyface turn during his brief on-screen partnership with Big Bill earlier this year and is yet to sign a new deal, raising questions about his AEW future. The widespread expectation is that Starks will join WWE whenever his AEW contract expires, in part because he’s close with the three most prominent AEW stars who’ve already jumped ship to WWE: Cargill, Punk and Rhodes.

Starks, who was even present for Rhodes’ WWE title win at WrestleMania 40, is one of the best talkers in all of pro wrestling and has proved in AEW—in matches with top stars like Sting and Bryan Danielson—that he is a potential main eventer no matter where he goes.

But AEW’s up-and-down booking of Starks, as well as Tony Khan’s odd comments about Starks’ recent hiatus, points to it being a virtual shoo-in that Starks ultimately joins Cargill, Punk and Rhodes in WWE.

The Lucha Bros

Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix, collectively known as The Lucha Brothers, both have expiring AEW contracts and reportedly have a WWE offer on the table that has made them a near lock to leave AEW.

One of the best tag teams in the world, the Lucha Brothers are one of many talented duos who’ve been stuck in a spiraling AEW tag team division that isn’t nearly as well-booked as it was just a few years ago. In WWE, Penta and Fenix could be one of the company’s top tag teams, perhaps with a start in NXT but likely an immediate push on the main roster. Penta reportedly wants to leave AEW while Fenix, his younger brother, wants to honor his wishes.

Fenix has more upside as a potential Rey Mysterio-type singles star, and with WWE clearly lacking in terms of top-level luchadores, the company could easily bring in both stars and use them in both tag team action and the singles division, similar to what fans have seen with The New Day.

Given that WWE creative head Triple H does a solid job of booking tag teams at a time when AEW’s tag division is ice cold, this might be the ideal time for the Lucha Bros to make the somewhat surprising move to WWE.

Wardlow

WWE has reportedly long been “extremely interested” in signing Wardlow, arguably the best example in AEW’s brief history of the company completely dropping the ball with its booking.

It was only a few years ago that Wardlow was the most popular babyface in all of AEW, generating roof-rattling reactions as he was built up as AEW’s version of Goldberg or Brock Lesnar. But a series of lengthy TV absences and, most recently, his bizarre inclusion in a directionless Undisputed Kingdom stable appear to be the final nails in the coffin of his AEW career.

Once again, Wardlow is in the midst of a long TV hiatus, which is only a little worse than being a background player in a meaningless faction. While it isn’t clear when Wardlow’s AEW contract expires, what is painfully obvious is that AEW has absolutely no clue how to book him.

Wardlow isn't the best in-ring worker or talker, but he proved in AEW that he can develop a main event level crowd connection—and maybe WWE can channel that in a way that AEW never did.