10 Wrestlers AEW Stole From Under WWE's Nose
'Switchblade' Jay White picked AEW over WWE, but who else actively chose the challenger brand?
It's been fascinating to watch the pendulum of public opinion swing between WWE and AEW since the latter company formed in 2019.
Not that there's ever been a singular or solitary take about the quality of one over the other - in spite of both organisations experiencing waves of financial or creative momentum at various points, tribal fans have used the mere existence of an alternative to wage unwinnable wars against one another rooted in lousy patter and even worse analysis. Which is probably why it’s worth including a disclaimer on the title here - “stole” is being used in the figurative sense.
News has broken about that sort of thing happening for real in the shadows, but this isn’t about that. This is a far gentler glimpse into wrestlers seemingly set and ready for life under Vince McMahon before the monopoly-smashing new competition stepped in.
Tony Khan has signed a lot of wrestlers in the four years he’s been business, but what of the ones that slipped through WWE’s fingers? Who actively chose to chance it on the challenger brand rather than staying out with the market leader?
10. Jay White
That Triple H and William Regal were extremely interested in Jay White before WrestleMania and WWE's sale to Endeavor suggests that 'Switchblade' could have almost certainly signed for the market leader had (lots of) plans not changed when they did.
Amidst rumours of a hiring freeze and nobody really knowing exactly who hires and fires anymore, the company suddenly looked remarkably different from the outside, and on the inside, there were reports about "communication" issues that seemed to put paid to any hope of having the former IWGP Champion as Raw or SmackDown's newest recruit.
The move to All Elite Wrestling full-time was relatively seamless. Having made brief appearances in 2022 ahead of the inaugural Forbidden Door pay-per-view, White (and Bullet Club) felt part of the team already. His debut attack on Ricky Starks made it official, and the Bullet Club Gold unit with Juice Robinson has put him back in the group having been booted from New Japan Pro Wrestling's core unit by David Finlay.