6 Frustrated AEW stars who could jump ship to WWE this year

Over the past few years, it has been common to see stars from WWE move to AEW and vice versa. The latest superstar to move from one wrestling company to the other was Penta, who signed with the Stamford-based company after his contract with All Elite Wrestling expired and joined the RAW roster.

More superstars from AEW could move to WWE in 2025. In this article, we take a look at six of them who have a struggling relationship with Tony Khan’s company.

#6. Ricky Starks has asked for his AEW release

Ricky Starks appears to be unhappy in AEW, and there were reports about him asking All Elite President Tony Khan to leave the company and become a free agent. However, some reports suggest that Khan denied his request, meaning that the 34-year-old will stay with the company for the time being.

Still, he is expected to become a free agent once his contract expires in late spring—early summer of 2025, and a move to WWE would be a very likely scenario on that occasion. His last AEW match was on March 30, 2024, episode of Collision.

#5. Danhausen recently returned to AEW

Danhausen wasn’t with AEW for most of 2024 and returned to the company in late 2024 during a Ring of Honor event. Still, it is not likely he will stay past his current deal, which expires in the summer of 2025.

Reports suggest that there are communication and booking issues between the two sides, which will likely force Danhausen out of the company.

#4. Miro hasn’t been seen in AEW in months

It has been quite a while since Miro competed in AEW. His last appearance came more than a year ago, as he didn’t compete in singles action at all in 2024.

He remains under contract with the company and asked to part ways with AEW back in September. He is expected to leave at some point later in the year, with WWE becoming a frontrunner to bring him back.

Miro’s ex-wife, CJ Perry, had also teased a WWE return last month.

#3. Rey Fénix is expected to leave AEW soon

Rey Fénix and AEW have been at odds for months now, and the former is expected to leave the company. When this will happen, though, remains unclear, as Tony Khan and the company extended his contract due to injury.

Thus, his current deal will expire in 2025. Once this happens, he will become a free agent and reunite with Penta, this time in WWE.

The 34-year-old recently took to social media to express his frustration with the situation with AEW but then deleted the post.

#2. Britt Baker has been off AEW TV since November

It appears that AEW management is frustrated with Britt Baker and has kept her off TV since mid-November. There is no update on why Baker and AEW management doesn’t see eye-to-eye, but it seems that part of the locker room doesn’t like her either.

The former champion has said that she has been off TV due to non-wrestling projects while she is still under contract. Given the current situation, though, a departure is not unlikely to happen, so a WWE move is not out of the question.

#1. Malakai Black is expected to return to WWE once his AEW contract expires

Malakai Black is set to leave AEW when his contract expires in the coming weeks. Black hasn’t been seen on TV for weeks, and there was speculation that The House of Black faction would split.

AEW apparently confirmed the news on this week’s Dynamite episode, and Malakai Black’s departure appears to be a matter of time, with the Stamford-based company being the frontrunner to bring him back.