Which WWE Releases Could End Up in AEW?

Last week, World Wrestling Entertainment released nearly two dozen wrestlers as part of what has become an annual post-WrestleMania reset of the roster. The full list of names can be found elsewhere, but here I’m looking at which of the recently released wrestlers could be of interest to WWE’s closest competitor, All Elite Wrestling. Let’s start with…

Aleister Black and Zelina Vega

Black was arguably the top name on the list. This was the second WWE release for Black, as well as his real-life wife, Zelina Vega. The last time, he promptly wound up in AEW as Malakai Black and feuded with Cody Rhodes. Vega, meanwhile, started an OnlyFans page. On paper, Black is a great fit for AEW based on his in-ring ability. Reports indicate, however, his time there didn’t go smoothly, and that Black balked at getting pinned in singles matches. The fact that Andrade was re-signed after a rocky tenure offers some hope, but right now, it feels like a long shot.

Apollo Crews

After over a decade with WWE/NXT, Crews, a Main Event legend, was let go. His aerial ability could land him a spot in AEW, or perhaps the Ring of Honor (ROH) brand, but after being an also-ran for so long in WWE, it might be hard to be seen by an audience as more than a glorified enhancement talent.

Uncle Howdy and Erick Rowan

AEW employed Brodie Lee, who was Rowan’s tag-team partner Luke Harper in WWE, and Rowan even made a one-off appearance there following Lee’s passing. Tony Khan never signed him, though, and I doubt there’s any interest in a singles role. The caveat to that is maybe Khan would bring in Howdy (aka Bo Dallas, the late Bray Wyatt’s brother) and Rowan as a team in a pseudo-tribute tandem.

Santos Escobar

It’s wild to think Escobar’s contract just expired last October; WWE re-signed him (reportedly with a significant raise), never used him, and then released him while he was rehabbing a torn triceps that’s expected to keep him out well into 2026. Once he’s healthy, I could definitely see Escobar winding up in AEW, either full-time or splitting his schedule between there and CMLL.

Motor City Machine Guns

That Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin originally signed with WWE over AEW always seemed like an odd move, given the latter’s larger focus on tag-team wrestling. To be sure, the current group of teams in AEW isn’t a match for its early years, but adding MCMG creates fresh future matchups with FTR, the Young Bucks, Cope and Christian, and more. Of all the WWE releases, I have the most confidence in Sabin and Shelley becoming All Elite.

Kairi Sane

No release generated more backlash online than Sane, who was in the middle of a storyline with Asuka and Iyo Sky. Despite that, word is WWE has no intention of blinking here the way they did with R-Truth. Whether AEW will sign Sane is hard to gauge. She has name value and is a quality worker, but we’ve seen Khan run hot and cold on booking the likes of Hikaru Shida and Riho. Sane might also just want to return to Japan and work there full-time. I think if Sane wants to work in the US, AEW will give her a contract, but the ball is in her court.

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