3 WWE stars Triple H has given up on who could shine in AEW

WWE and AEW have continued to exchange talent over the past couple of years, as the Jacksonville-based promotion has gradually established itself as a viable pro-wrestling brand in competition with the sports entertainment juggernaut. Last year saw the All Elite signings of Ricochet and The Hurt Syndicate, although the Stamford-based company has responded by bringing over The Lucha Brothers, Ricky Starks, Ethan Page and more recently, Blake Monroe.

While WWE has gained a considerable amount of momentum over the past two years, the company and its creative team have drawn some criticism for underutilizing a number of its contracted talent. Since Triple H likely has his hands full with stacked rosters across the promotion's various brands, there are a few names who could potentially either grow, or put a bow on, their careers in All Elite Wrestling instead of staying where they are.

Let us consider three such WWE names who could excel in AEW.

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#1. Dragon Lee could return to AEW

Dragon Lee cut his teeth in the pro-wrestling business at CMLL, and proceeded to compete prolifically across several promotions, including Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Lucha Libre AAA throughout the 2010s. He even made an appearance at All Elite Wrestling in 2022, unsuccessfully teaming with Andrade El Idolo and his brother, Rush, to take on The Elite in a first-round AEW World Trios Title Tournament match.

Later that year, Lee announced that he had signed a WWE contract, and made his in-ring debut for the company in early-2023 in NXT. He competed for and briefly held the developmental brand's North American Championship, and was eventually drafted to SmackDown, where the luchador aligned himself with the LWO. The stable was shipped to RAW last year, where Lee performs primarily in tag matches, besides occasionally appearing on Speed and Main Event.

Despite the initial hype surrounding his signing, the 30-year-old has arguably not been used as prominently as he could have been on television, especially as a singles act. A star of his in-ring calibre could thrive in AEW, with its emphasis on high-quality and elaborate matches, not to mention the opportunity to reunite (or feud) with Rush and Dralistico and even compete in CMLL again through its partnership with All Elite Wrestling.

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#2. Shinsuke Nakamura - The King of Strong Style could sign with AEW and return to NJPW

Shinsuke Nakamura was regarded internationally as one of the best pro-wrestlers of his time when news of his WWE signing broke in 2016. After a star-making run in NXT, which included multiple reigns as NXT Champion and matches with Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode, The King of Strong Style made his main roster debut on SmackDown in 2017. He won the 2018 Royal Rumble, and turned heel after failing to unseat AJ Styles as WWE Champion at WrestleMania 34.

Nakamura's later run would mainly present him in various mid-card feuds, enabling him to enjoy reigns as the United States and Intercontinental Champion. Across mid-to-late 2023, he attempted to dethrone Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Title, and afterwards engaged in a rivalry with Cody Rhodes before the 2024 Draft transferred him to SmackDown. The Wayward Samurai also feuded with LA Knight over the US Title recently, capturing it at Survivor Series 2024 and losing it back to The Megastar this past March.

Nakamura has wrestled only three matches on WWE television over the past three months. Although the relatively lighter schedule presumably suits the 45-year-old veteran better, the former IWGP Intercontinental Champion could decide to end his career on a more active note, and AEW could serve as the ideal platform for Nakamura's official retirement run. Instead of being missing from TV for weeks, the Japanese icon could be booked for one final full-time stint in the Tony Khan-led promotion.

After all, Nakamura has history with a number of top names on the AEW roster, such as Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada and Kota Ibushi. Signing with All Elite Wrestling would also enable Shinsuke to return to NJPW for one last run or match in the company that first helped elevate him to stardom. It would also make potential dream matches against Konosuke Takeshita, Swerve Strickland, Hangman Page and Jon Moxley possible

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#3. Wes Lee could flourish in AEW

After cultivating a name for himself on indie promotions like CZW, PWG, AAW and later on TNA, Dezmond Xavier signed a WWE contract in 2020 alongside his tag partner Zachary Wentz, debuting respectively as Wes lee and Nash Carter. Collectively known as MSK, the duo competed on the brand's tag division until Nash was released in 2022. The Ohio-native continued his solo career on the brand, however, standing out with his impressive NXT North American Championship reign.

After losing the belt, he pursued the NXT Championship, and after returning from back surgery last year tried to recapture the North American Title from Oba Femi, albeit unsuccessfully. Subsequently, he reunited with Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz to reform their faction The Rascalz, and even returned to TNA with the group. However, Lee betrayed his teammates later at NXT : The Great American Bash, eventually defeating Wentz in a Street Fight during the show's premiere on The CW.

Currently, the 30-year-old is part of a new stable, called The High Ryze, alongside Tyriek Igwe and Tyson Dupont. While featuring him on television more or less consistently, Lee's recent booking seemingly confines him to NXT for the time being. With around 12 years of experience already under his belt, The Livewire could potentially stretch his wrestling wings considerably in AEW. He has already worked with multiple current AEW names, including AR Fox, Angelico, Brian Cage, and "Speedball" Mike Bailey, in the past.

Jumping ship to All Elite Wrestling would allow Wes Lee to square off against the aforementioned names, and many more, and perhaps even inject new life into the promotion's TNT Championship picture.

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Edited by Neda Ali