3 Disgruntled AEW stars Tony Khan must let go in 2026

AEW is set to close out its calendar year with its final annual pay-per-view, Worlds End. 2025 has been a huge year for the Jacksonville-based company, as it hosted events on international soil, staged a massive stadium show in the form of All In: Texas, and signed and debuted a number of major names, including "Speedball" Mike Bailey, Kevin Knight, Megan Bayne, Thekla, Alex Windsor, Josh Alexander, Ace Austin and so on.

As things currently stand, both the men's and the women's divisions in All Elite Wrestling are absolutely stacked with talent. To make room for new acquisitions and to feature stars who perform in AEW's sister promotion ROH, as well as those from partner promotions like NJPW and CMLL, Tony Khan could be considering letting go of some of his employees, who may be interested in parting ways with the company soon.

Let us consider three such potential names below:

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#1. Former "Best Friends" ally Danhausen

Danhausen made his All Elite Wrestling debut in early 2022. Despite being a reliable crowd-pleaser in most of his on-screen appearances, the face-painted star has not been featured on the company's programming all that much. He had a program with Hook that some fans enjoyed, and later joined forces with Orange Cassidy to pursue the AEW World Tag Team Championship. While competing for the tag belts in a four-way bout alongside OC at Revolution 2023, Danhausen suffered an injury that sidelined him for months.

Although the "Very Nice, Very Evil" star returned to action in November, he has not wrestled in an All Elite Wrestling ring since Worlds End 2023 Zero Hour. While he remains absent from AEW television to this day, the Michigan native has been performing prolifically on the independent circuit. This past August, news broke that Danhausen had requested his release from the company but was not granted it. In fact, the promotion reportedly added injury time to his contract, extending it into 2026.

The latest update on the subject has noted that the 35-year-old star could be on the verge of leaving All Elite, as his current deal might finally expire in February next year. Given that Tony Khan has not used him at all recently or factored him into any upcoming creative plans, it would perhaps be best for the promotion's head honcho to let Danhausen go in 2026.

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#2. Former NWA Women's Champion Kamille

Last year at Blood and Guts, Kamille made her All Elite Wrestling debut by attacking Britt Baker, revealing herself as Mercedes Mone's newest ally. The duo's pairing unfortunately did not last long, as cracks began to form in their dynamic around the time of The CEO's 2024 feud with Kris Statlander over the TBS Championship. Born Again Kristen even ended Kamille's winning streak in singles competition in AEW. Mercedes' mistreatment of The Brickhouse over the latter's failure to take out Stat led Kamille to quit Mone's employ on Dynamite: Thanksgiving Eve.

Soon after on Rampage, the former NWA World Women's Champion was found lying out backstage, and has not been back on programming since then. While she has been occupied with shooting for American Gladiators, the 33-year-old star has also wrestled a couple of matches on the independents. Although Tony Khan hinted at her eventual AEW return in an interview back in March, there have been no signs lately foreshadowing Kamille's comeback, despite her being under contract with the company.

Kamille quits on Mercedes Mone [Source: AEW on YouTube]

With the All Elite Wrestling women's roster now brimming with talent, both homegrown and newly signed, the promotion may not have much need for Kamille at present and could therefore release her next year so she can ply her trade wherever she wishes.

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#3. Inaugural AEW World Champion Chris Jericho

For many months now, rumors have been circulating about Chris Jericho's future with All Elite Wrestling amid speculation about his WWE return. The Learning Tree has been missing from TV since he walked out on his former proteges, Big Bill and Bryan Keith, in the aftermath of Dynasty 2025 this past April. Fans and industry analysts alike expect him to head back to the Triple H-led company after his contract expires, potentially for a retirement run of his own, as per reports.

Whether intentionally or not, Jericho has done much to add fuel to the conjecture regarding his future destination, constantly posting throwbacks from his previous WWE stints. More notably, in an interview last month, he praised the audience turnout at TNA Bound for Glory 2025, comparing it to attendance at recent AEW tapings in the ECW Arena. TNA, of course, is in a strategic partnership with WWE, a fact that gave Jericho's remarks special significance.

Even though the former leader of the Jericho Appreciation Society has played a huge role in All Elite Wrestling's growth over the years, the veteran may have reached his ceiling in the company. While it would be a major exit without question, it might be advisable for Tony Khan to let Jericho depart and finish out his career in WWE in 2026.

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Edited by Neda Ali