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AEW has been in existence for over four years. In that time, the company has built its fair share of stars. Despite several WWE Superstars joining the promotion since its inception, a few previously unknown wrestlers have also gained prominence, including World Champion MJF, Ricky Starks, Britt Baker, and more.
Given their relatively young age and huge potential, there is a high chance WWE's Chief Content Officer, Triple H, might be interested in hiring them at some point. However, a few wrestlers in the Tony Khan-led company are seemingly AEW lifers.
Whether it's a combination of age, loyalty, or the need for creative freedom, these AEW stars don't seem to be signing with WWE anytime soon.
#6 Former ROH World Champion Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal is arguably one of the best pro wrestlers to have never signed with WWE. Despite this, he has carved out an impressive career. He made a name for himself in IMPACT Wrestling as a six-time X Division Champion before solidifying his status as a top name in Ring of Honor as its world champion.
Lethal debuted in AEW two years ago and later aligned with Jeff Jarrett and Satnam Singh. In a chat with Sportskeeda, Lethal said he was not interested in signing with WWE. Given his age and close association with AEW, the veteran wrestler might have missed the boat on joining the Stamford-based company anyway.
#5 Former TNT Champion Darby Allin
Darby Allin is an AEW original through and through. The three-time TNT Champion has become a household name in his time with the company. Given that he has incredible creative freedom in the promotion, he won't be swayed by the possible idea of linking up with Triple H in WWE.
In a recent interview with Forbes, Darby Allin revealed that he actually had an opportunity to join NXT while The Game was in charge of the brand:
“I was kind of being set up to go to NXT before AEW came up, and the moment I heard AEW was starting, I instantly was like, I have to go to that place."
Allin also praised All Elite Wrestling for letting him be his true, authentic self.
"AEW is letting me just full-on be me 100 percent, and I think that’s why I’ve been able to connect with people so well in the short span that I’ve been on national television. My life doesn’t begin and end with wrestling, and I would hate to be anywhere else where I feel like I can’t be me. Honestly, like, get real, no other company is gonna let me do what I do inside the ring and outside of the ring. And there’s no amount of money in the world that can make me stop skateboarding or doing all my shenanigans.” (H/T - Forbes)
Allin's legacy seems to be forever tied to the Tony Khan-led company.
#4 Killswitch
The former Luchasaurus might currently be the lackey of former WWE Superstar Christian Cage, but he is apparently not interested in joining the sports entertainment juggernaut anytime soon.
Now known as Killswitch, the former AEW World Tag Team Champion once signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2012 and was sent to train at Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). He performed under the Judas Devlin moniker during his time in the developmental territory.
When FCW was rebranded to NXT, he didn't manage to make much of an impact and was eventually let go in 2014. Now that he's established himself as a regular on All Elite Wrestling programming, he might not be interested in returning to WWE. He is currently part of The Patriarchy faction and is bound to excel under Captain Charisma's tutelage.
#3 and #2 Former AEW World Tag Team Champions Matt and Nick Jackson (aka The Young Bucks)
The Young Bucks is arguably one of this generation's best tag teams, without wrestling in WWE. However, they have competed more or less everywhere else and found success in numerous promotions, including New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and AEW.
When The Elite first finished their contracts with NJPW, it was reported that Matt and Nick Jackson turned down Triple H's advances multiple times.
The Young Bucks signed multi-year contracts with AEW in January 2019. They took up the executive vice president positions in addition to being in-ring performers for the company. Matt and Nick are firmly entrenched in the Tony Khan-led promotion as a top tandem, making their potential move to WWE highly unlikely.
#1 Former AEW World Champion 'Hangman' Adam Page
'Hangman' Adam Page gained prominence in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as part of Bullet Club. Since joining All Elite Wrestling, he has been one of the top acts of the promotion. Page even dethroned Kenny Omega to become the AEW World Champion in 2021.
In an interview with WrestlingINC Daily, Page revealed that he actually had a failed WWE tryout early on in his career:
"I mean, I guess, like when you're 18-19, you start doing that kind of stuff. You feel so close to the only thing you think matters at the time. You think getting that job is the only thing [that] matters, and you feel so close, so you are so enthused, but then nothing ever happens after you go. And then you get pretty damn depressed about it, and you sort of consider, if this is the only avenue to make it in wrestling, and you show up, and nothing happens, you start to wonder like, 'Can I even keep doing this? What's the point?'"
After his success in Japan, WWE reached out to him again in 2018, but he rejected the deal and ended up signing with All Elite Wrestling in 2019. The rest, as they say, is history. Given how passionately Page has talked about Tony Khan and his current company, he will unlikely ever consider a WWE run again.
