Former WWE Champions To Sign With AEW

WWE/AEW

AEW All In London 2026 delivered one of the most exciting debuts of 2026 when former WWE stars Austin Creed and Kofi arrived as The New Level.

While certainly one of the most high profile WWE departures of the year, Creed and Kofi are just two of over 30 names who have been let go by the company this year; with many of those departing being former title holders.

With the majority of the released talent now available on the free agent market, here are three former WWE champions who could be set to sign with AEW.

Kairi Sane

Kairi Sane was one of the more surprising talent cuts to take place in WWE this year, with the multi-time former Women’s Tag Team Champion being let go whilst involved in a prominent angle involving IYO SKY and Asuka.

Given her talent, it was no surprise to learn this week that AEW has held talks with Sane, however, according to Fightful there has been no deal agreed between the two sides.

With Kairi having history with current AEW Women’s World Champion Mercedes Moné in WWE and in Japan, there’s certainly an immediate feud that Tony Khan could book if she was to sign.

Given AEW’s relationship with STARDOM as well, there would likely be the opportunity for Sane to split her time between Japan and the United States.

Ilja Dragunov

Last month it was confirmed that former United States, NXT and NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov had departed WWE after failing to come to terms on a new contract.

His availability naturally led to fans eagerly watching All In London in anticipation that ‘The Mad Dragon’ could show up and officially become All Elite.

That did not happen, and Dragunov has yet to appear on AEW programming in the two weeks that have followed All In. Dragunov is a no brainer signing for Tony Khan however, and truthfully he fits in better in AEW – a company that prioritises in-ring work – more than he did in WWE.

Malakai Black & Xelina

Another surprise WWE departure from back in April was the husband and wife pairing of Malakai Black (Aleister Black) and Xelina (Zelina Vega).

Black had only been back in WWE a year when he was let go, and was only two months removed from a win over WrestleMania 42 Night One main eventer Randy Orton, while Xelina also seemingly had a bright future as a darker version of her character alongside Black.

Black returning to AEW is certainly a big question mark, given how his first run went and MJF’s accusations of Black using the company to facilitate a WWE return.

But with Xelina potentially arriving alongside him, things could fair better for Black this time around if they’ll have him back. Andrade El Idolo also left AEW for WWE, only to return to AEW, and he his current run is proving a massive success, so perhaps Tony Khan should give Black another chance.

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