Since bursting onto the scene in 2019, Tony Khan's AEW has been a true alternative for wrestling fans, with it being aired weekly on national TV through TNT and TBS. With names such as Jon Moxley, Britt Baker, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and many more, AEW has seen its fair share of huge names attached to the company.
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In its four years of existence, the company has made major signings, with the likes of Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Jamie Hayter, & Adam Cole being some of the biggest names added to the roster. During that same time, there have been a number of talents who have left the company, with some fans missing more than others.
10 Stronghearts - Miss
A faction that never got a proper chance to succeed in AEW thanks to the COVID-19 Pandemic closing down borders was the Stronghearts unit from the GLEAT promotion. Led by CIMA, the group also featured T-Hawk and El Lindaman, with the latter having an all-star showing in the 2022 New Japan Best of the Super Juniors Tournament.
The group is a great unit of Japanese wrestlers and with Lindaman showing off in such a strong fashion during 2022, it would be awesome to see Stronghearts eventually make their return to an All Elite Wrestling ring in the future.
9 Mel - Don't Miss
The weakest member of arguably the worst faction or team to ever appear in AEW, Mel was the weakest link of Brandi Rhodes' Nightmare Collective group, one of the strangest creative ideas in AEW, and a strong case for not allowing the wrestlers to book the show.
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Many fans have likely forgotten about Mel's time in the company, as she failed to do anything of note during her time on the roster, being signed in 2019 and remaining with the company until sometime in 2021.
8 Kylie Rae - Miss
One of the first women's signings made for AEW, Kylie Rae seemed poised for a big run within the brand-new wrestling company in 2019. Taking part in a huge women's match at Double or Nothing 2019, Kylie would eventually be let go by the company after requesting her release and quietly exiting the wrestling scene for some time.
She would later pop up in NWA & Impact Wrestling, and despite working a WWE Main Event taping recently, nothing more has come of Kylie Rae's potential future as a WWE Superstar. Should her mental health be in a better place than before, fans would likely jump for joy if she made a return to AEW in the future.
7 Shanna - Don't Miss
A name that many fans have likely forgotten is none other than Shanna. Brought into AEW in late 2019, AEW would sign the Portuguese wrestler to a 3-year contract. During this time she would appear infrequently, thanks to the COVID-19 Pandemic as she would not appear for nearly 8 months before returning in December 2020.
Accusations would come out that Shanna had mistreated enhancement talent and worked stiff against Leyla Hirsch, leading to her contract not being renewed in the Summer of 2021. It is safe to say that AEW and the company's fans do not miss her.
6 Lio Rush - Miss
A polarizing figure in nearly every company he has worked in, Lio Rush has to be considered one of the most interesting wrestlers working today. Being cast as Bobby Lashley's hype man in WWE, a cruiserweight champion in NXT, a future star in AEW as well as a manager, and a Junior Heavyweight Champion contender in New Japan, Rush has been seen as many things during his career.
After a brief stint with AEW, Rush would wind up exiting the company before landing in NJPW as a Junior Heavyweight star. Lio has recently talked about his relationship with Tony Khan, and how the two still regularly talk, not denying that he could one day return to the AEW brand. With so much potential, Rush would be more than a welcome addition to the AEW roster.
5 Bobby Fish - Don't Miss
Arriving in AEW in late 2021, Bobby Fish would be the second member of the Undisputed Era to jump to AEW, following Adam Cole but arriving before Kyle O'Reilly. After signing with the company following a TNT Championship Match against Sammy Guevara, Fish would find himself in the midcard for some time before eventually reuniting with Cole & O'Reilly.
While many fans were excited at the prospect of reDRagon winning tag team gold within AEW, that would never come to be a reality, as O'Reilly would eventually begin wrestling as a solo act prior to Bobby Fish's contract expiring. Fish would not be re-signed and would instead begin working elsewhere, namely in NJPW & Impact Wrestling while also attempting to stir the pot online.
4 Cody Rhodes - Miss
One of the founding fathers of AEW, Cody Rhodes is one of the reasons that AEW exists in the way it does today, that much is undeniable. However, as many fans have noted, by the time his run with the company had ended, Rhodes had become a polarizing figure in his own right, with much of the AEW fanbase turning on him fully.
RELATED: 5 Reasons Why Fans Love Cody Rhodes (& 5 Reasons Why Fans Dislike Him)
Thanks to the "Codyverse" jumping the shark in 2021, fans had grown tired of Cody's style of stories, with him often delivering melodramatic promos, with his Patriotic promo against Anthony Ogogo souring a lot of fans and a number of storylines that just failed to connect with people. Cody also refused to turn heel, when his story was all but demanding him to do so. Still, his presence within the company is missed at times and if he were to ever return to AEW, he would likely receive a hero's welcome from many.
3 Brandi Rhodes - Don't Miss
While Brandi Rhodes the person seems to be an all-around great person, Brandi Rhodes the wrestler has never been exciting or entertaining. Throughout her time on-screen in AEW, she was always seen as lacking compared to others, leading to Brandi becoming one of the most polarizing figures in the company.
Whether it be the Nightmare Collective, her infamous promo against Jade Cargill or her final on-screen moment with Dan Lambert, Brandi's time in AEW left a lot to be desired. In short, there is likely a very small percentage of AEW fans that miss Brandi Rhodes appearing on AEW Dynamite or AEW Rampage.
2 Bea Priestley - Miss
A very exciting name that was brought into AEW during the company's early days was Bea Priestley. Known most for her work in Stardom in Japan and for her former relationship with Will Ospreay that led to her appearing in New Japan, Bea now wrestles for WWE under the name Blair Davenport. Before this however, she was signed to AEW, though she would be let go in 2020 as she could not make it to the United States during COVID-19, so she and the company agreed to part ways.
In the time since, Bea has not accomplished all that much in either NXT UK or NXT, losing many of her big matches and not having appeared since NXT Worlds Collide in September 2022. Should she ever leave WWE, she would have a welcome spot back in AEW's women's division where she was being positioned as a World Champion Contender before her release.
1 Jimmy Havoc - Don't Miss
During 2020, the Speaking Out Movement would hit the pro wrestling scene in a massive way. A number of wrestlers would be outed for misconduct across the globe, with some facing consequences and others scraping by. One name that would not escape would be AEW's Jimmy Havoc, who at the time was part of a unit with Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford.
Following the Speaking Out accusations, Havoc would wind up released from AEW and would eventually exit the wrestling scene as a whole. While some fans may remember the SuperBad Death Squad's brief tag team run in the company, it is safe to say that not many AEW fans miss Jimmy Havoc being a part of the company.
