AEW star to rejoin faction: Three groups who could grow stronger by looking to their past

AEW

AEW has always had an abundance of factions, and in 2026 that has certainly not changed.

While some groups like the Don Callis Family are seemingly always growing, others have lost members over the past year or so for a variety of reasons.

With some of these losses still being felt, it’s time to look at which stars could potentially rejoin their past faction in the near future.

Will Ospreay – Death Riders

Less than a year after attempting to end Will Ospreay’s career at AEW Forbidden Door 2025, Jon Moxley and ‘The Aerial Assassin’ became unexpected allies over the spring/summer.

Amid his quest to main event AEW All In London, Moxley and the Death Riders put Ospreay through his paces in order to best prepare him for what lie ahead.

Ultimately this romance was short lived as Ospreay removed himself from the Death Riders in late July, only to then mend fences with Moxley yet again one month later before making his entrance at All In London.

Moxley’s respect for Will is shining through as they head into their AEW World Title match at All Out, and while this has drawn the ire of Death Riders members PAC and Gabe Kidd, it wouldn’t be a massive surprise to see Ospreay invited back into the group by Mox after September 26.

Wardlow – Don Callis Family

The aforementioned AEW Forbidden Door 2025 pay-per-view not only saw the Death Riders’ attempted murder of Will Ospreay, but also the unexpected return of Wardlow.

The former three-time AEW TNT Champion had been gone from AEW since March 2024 when he showed up at the event, and he appeared set for a decent role back on TV as a member of the Don Callis Family.

Unfortunately, we never got to see Wardlow after this, as he reportedly suffered a torn pectoral injury during his return.

There has been little in the way of updates on Wardlow’s condition and return status, however, it was reported that he was backstage at AEW Double or Nothing 2026 back in May. Given that AEW’s creative direction involved Wardlow joining the Don Callis Family last year, it seems fairly logical that AEW stick to that plan for when he’s fit and ready this time around too.

MJF – The Hurt Syndicate

The Hurt Syndicate have experienced quite the drop off in AEW in recent months; with their placement in a comedy match on the All In London Buy In, rather than the main card, epitomizing this.

Just a year ago, the group were among the hottest acts in the company, and their alignment with MJF only helped solidify themselves in a prominent spot.

The two sides played off each other well, but not long after MJF had finally gained the approval of MVP, Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley, he was removed from the group for good.

With MJF now without direction, and The Hurt Syndicate needing a shot in the arm – now might be the best time for AEW to bring them all back together again.

To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!

• AEW

Share this article with friends