Every AEW Star That Jumped Ship to WWE

Defections in the other direction are starting to pile up.

By Liam Crowley - September 14, 2023 11:08 am EDT

Jade Cargill's AEW days are in the rear view. Hours after her AEW Rampage match against AEW TBS Champion Kris Statlander was taped, reports circulated that Cargill had finished up in the company and was expected to be WWE bound. This development came just days after Cargill made her return to AEW on the September 9th edition of AEW Collision, as she had been absent from programming since AEW Double or Nothing in May. Before that, Cargill was a weekly competitor, defending the AEW TBS Championship for well over one year during her record-shattering 508-day run, the longest title reign in AEW history.

If internal beliefs come to fruition and Cargill does jump ship to WWE, she joins a select few that have made a similar transition.

Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes spent just over three years in AEW before he returned to WWE. Largely recognized as a co-founder of All Elite Wrestling, Rhodes served as one of the company's four Executive Vice Presidents alongside his tenure as an in-ring competitor. Inside the squared circle, Rhodes was a three-time AEW TNT Champion, including being that belt's inaugural titleholder.

Rhodes left AEW in early 2022 before making his re-debut for WWE at WWE WrestleMania 38. Since then, he has gone on to win the Men's Royal Rumble Match and headline WWE WrestleMania 39.

Brian Pillman Jr.

Brian Pillman Jr. competed at AEW's first event, AEW Double or Nothing 2019, before becoming a recurring competitor the following year. He is most known for his time tagging with Griff Garrison in the unit known as The Varsity Blonds. Pillman Jr. officially signed with AEW in Summer 2021. In singles competition, Pillman Jr.'s most famous one-on-one contest came against MJF at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam in 2021, that match taking place in front of AEW's largest crowd up to that point.

Pillman Jr. quietly left AEW earlier this year and signed with WWE. He has yet to make a televised appearance but is reportedly set to work with NXT.

William Regal

William Regal made his shocking AEW debut at AEW Revolution 2022, separating a brawl between two of his former mentees, Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson. He forced the two men to shake hands, thus forming Blackpool Combat Club. Regal went on to manage Blackpool Combat Club for the rest of the year, adding the likes of Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli into the mix. In November 2022 at AEW Full Gear, Regal turned on Moxley by helping MJF win the AEW World Title. Weeks after aligning with him, MJF turned on Regal, writing him off of AEW TV permanently.

From there, Regal was granted his release from AEW so that he could return to WWE in a backstage capacity and work alongside his son, NXT's Charlie Dempsey. He currently serves as Vice President of Global Talent Development.

Blair Davenport

Before she adopted the name Blair Davenport, Bea Priestley was one of the top prospects across the independent wrestling world. She got on the radar of AEW upon the company's inception in January 2019 and went on to sign with the young promotion later that year. Priestley was involved in a singles feud against Dr. Britt Baker DMD which culminated in a match between the two at AEW Full Gear 2019. While Priestley began to wind up momentum the following spring, the global pandemic derailed her progress as she was unable to travel from her home in the United Kingdom to AEW TV tapings in the United States. She would exit AEW in August 2020.

Just under one year later, Priestley signed with WWE and started competing for NXT UK as Blair Davenport. Today, she competes on the US-based NXT and is regularly featured in and around the NXT Women's Title picture.

Mercedes Martinez

Mercedes Martinez first wrestled for AEW at AEW All Out 2019. She went on to compete in an AEW Dark match later that fall.

Months later, Martinez signed with WWE and appeared in the Women's Royal Rumble Match in January 2020. This began her second stint with WWE as she previously wrestled for the land of sports-entertainment from 2017 until 2018. Martinez's most notable work during this run came in infamy as she was a member of the critically-panned RETRIBUTION faction. She quietly returned to NXT before that faction fizzled out.

Today, Martinez is back with AEW. She returned on a December 2021 edition of AEW Dynamite and has gone on to compete most regularly for Ring of Honor, where she is a former ROH Women's Champion.

Nathan Frazer

Wrestling as Ben Carter, Nathan Frazer made a big impression on the wrestling world when he competed in a couple of AEW Dark matches. This led to a small bidding war for his talents, which was ultimately won by WWE.

Frazer signed with WWE in December 2020. He spent most of his time in NXT UK before heading over to NXT, where he is a former holder of the NXT Heritage Cup.

Dragon Lee

Dragon Lee wrestled for AEW on the August 17th, 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite, teaming with brother Rush and Andrade El Idolo to represent La Facción Ingobernable in the AEW World Trios Championship Tournament. Following their defeat at the hands of Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, Rush and Andrade attacked Lee, removing his mask and seemingly setting up an LFI in-fighting angle.

That storyline never materialized as Lee would return to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide before ultimately signing with WWE. Now a regular member of the NXT roster, Lee has competed at numerous NXT premium live events and has worked alongside Rey Mysterio.