Why Fans Should Expect Another WWE To AEW Wrestler Exodus

Between around 2019 and 2022, WWE saw a lot of wrestlers either get released from the company or else request their release, as many were not happy with the promotion. Poor booking, a messy backstage environment, and the growth in alternatives for both fans and wrestlers led to an exodus – and AEW came picking up the pieces.

Over the early years of AEW, the likes of Jon Moxley, Toni Storm, Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland, Ruby Soho, Sting, and more notable names left WWE and headed for a new home under Tony Khan. The level of star power that came AEW’s way gave the promotion a huge boost. We may well be on the verge of seeing history repeat itself, and here’s why.

WWE Has Made Many Negative Moves Recently

AEW Is Very Much Becoming The ‘Good Guys’ Again

• WWE has been hurt by bad booking, releases, and increased prices.
• AEW feels catered to the wrestling audience while WWE has become a soulless, corporate giant.
• WWE wrestlers might want to leave for AEW where there is more inclusion and freedom.

The botched John Cena retirement tour, popular names like R-Truth being released, returning to Las Vegas for WrestleMania, the incorporation of celebrities, less wrestling, more sponsors, and high ticket prices are just some of the ongoing problems in WWE in 2025. WWE is still selling out arenas and making a lot of money, but eventually fans will become sick and tired of the declining product, the insane prices, and direction of the company – and so will the wrestlers. With WWE becoming this soulless, corporate giant, AEW is beginning to once again look like the promotion catered to the audience.

With WWE’s current direction questionable, with political-leaning comments, controversial ‘roasts’, and a lack of acknowledgement of things like Black History and Pride Month, there will be those in WWE who believe that the company is no longer for them, and it may in fact be morally questionable for select wrestlers. AEW, on the other hand, has developed a more inclusive and free space, with more creative freedom and other perks that those in WWE won’t see – taking more outside dates and projects, using their own name, and more. Money talks for certain wrestlers amidst contract negotiations, but this may no longer be enough for WWE right now, especially seeing as AEW is on a creative boom currently, and getting back to their best in terms of the quality of PPVs and TV. AEW feels like the cooler place to be, and this could prompt a mass exodus from WWE yet again.

The Women’s Division In WWE Is Unhappy

Could WWE’s Top Female Stars Leave For AEW?

• Triple H’s weakest division has arguably been the women.
• WWE has taken so many steps back when it comes to women’s wrestling.
• AEW has only been getting better with their women’s division.

There have been some rumblings recently, such as reports from Fightful Select, which have suggested that the women’s division in WWE hasn’t been particularly happy with the way they’ve been booked. This feeling could end up spreading amongst tag teams, main eventers, and midcarders too. On the flip side, AEW’s women’s division has been firing on multiple cylinders in 2025, and this will no doubt begin to attract more and more wrestlers from WWE – even more established names. WWE has been able to use their recent momentum and big contracts to retain wrestlers, but this was before the drop in fan perception, and now the wheel will begin to turn in the other direction – and the women’s division could be at the heart of it.

The whole “women’s revolution” prompted a nice boost for the division in the late 2010s, but especially under the Triple H era, the women’s division has felt very secondary, storylines have not been as interesting, and PLE main events have been almost nonexistent. The tag team division has been a mess, the United States Title picture is poorly handled, and few names are truly standing out right now as key players.

Whereas it was the men’s division that saw a big influx of stars for AEW a few years back, it could well be the women instead this time. The likes of Bayley, Natalya, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Kairi Sane, and others haven’t exactly been having the best of times in WWE in recent months and years, so they could be among the names seeking pastures new. If an exodus of big female stars did happen, then AEW could be the place to go for women’s wrestling, giving them a big selling point that WWE has been struggling to keep up with.

Things Feel Like They Did Between 2019 And 2021 For WWE And AEW

History Is Repeating Itself In Pro Wrestling

• AEW is riding a big wave of momentum.
• Fans are again unhappy with WWE’s direction.
• Some big names like AJ Styles and Drew McIntyre could leave WWE for AEW.

It isn’t quite there just yet, but the atmosphere in the professional wrestling world is beginning to shift back to how it was between 2019 and 2021, where fans were unhappy with WWE and loving the fact that AEW was promoting a product focused more on in-ring work and providing some for fans. WWE wrestlers will see that the grass might be greener on the other side, and even some big names might want to leave the company – the likes of AJ Styles, Sheamus, Karrion Kross, and Carmelo Hayes could be among those unhappy with their current trajectory, not to mention names higher up the card like Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn.

Of course, there will be many happy to stay in WWE with job security, but there is also no guarantee that every long-term WWE name is safe, particularly after the exits of the likes of R-Truth and Carlito. If AEW can get their hands on two or three big names in the next year or two, they might be able to attract more fans once again, propelling them higher up the ladder and to a position where they feel like the definitive competition for WWE. It won’t be long until the CM Punk debacle is well in the past and AEW’s creative woes of 2023 and 2024 are a distant memory. When things truly settle and as WWE’s momentum lessens, a mass exodus could certainly happen yet again.