Predicting the Next AEW Superstar to Jump to WWE After Cody Rhodes

It was almost exactly three years ago that the first shot was fired in the battle for talent between WWE and All Elite Wrestling when Jon Moxley shockingly showed up at the end of the latter promotion's debut pay-per-view, Double or Nothing.

Since then, AEW has added an immense amount of talent to its ranks, specifically names who are best known for their success in WWE. Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, FTR, Toni Storm and Ruby Soho are among those who fall into that category.

However, it wasn't until Cody Rhodes announced his abrupt departure from AEW at the onset of 2022 and eventually returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 that the game truly changed. That moment marked the first time a notable name from the newer company jumped ship to join the rival promotion.

Rhodes will be far from the last top talent to switch companies, and it's going to continue to happen on both ends as long as the competition remains strong. Regardless of who or where it is, fans are bound to benefit every time because it keeps the wrestling landscape fresh and exciting.

But who will be the next AEW standout to follow in the footsteps of The American Nightmare and move over to WWE?

MJF has been a hot topic of conversation among fans lately due to the many reports regarding what's been going on behind the scenes with him in AEW.

The 26-year-old has been very vocal about his current contract expiring in early 2024. That's because he knows he'll be a highly sought-after free agent and will land a big money deal with whatever company he chooses.

AEW was wise to incorporate all of his ongoing contract drama into his on-screen character and allow him to air his grievances on television last week on Dynamite. It was one of the most buzzworthy promos in recent wrestling history and instantly made him a bigger star than he already was.

There were plenty of parts of that worked shoot that wouldn't fly in today's WWE, but that doesn't mean he would flop without all of the obscenities. In fact, MJF's current character would be tailor-made for the Vince McMahon-helmed promotion; and with the right push, he's well aware he could be prominently featured on Raw or SmackDown from the get-go.

Although MJF to WWE is a real possibility, it obviously wouldn't be for another 19 months at the earliest unless some sort of deal is reached for him to be let out of his contract before then.

Fun fact: Ricky Starks was offered a WWE deal the same day he debuted on AEW Dynamite in July 2020, per his interview with Chris Van Vliet later that year. Of course, he signed on the dotted line with AEW and hasn't looked back.

It was mind-boggling that WWE showed no interest in securing the 32-year-old sooner considering he had momentum following his run with the NWA in early 2020. That said, he has made himself an even bigger star with his recent run in AEW over the past two years.

Despite reigning as the FTW champion since last July (for whatever that's worth), Starks hasn't done much of note as of late. He and Powerhouse Hobbs have done an excellent job of representing Team Taz and have wonderful chemistry as a team, but it's high time AEW did something significant with Starks on his own.

It would be in its best interest to retire the FTW title and transition Starks to the TNT Championship picture. Underutilizing him any longer could pave the way for him to journey to WWE and join the man who got him hired in AEW in the first place: Cody Rhodes.

Starks is skilled and charismatic enough to flourish in WWE, no matter the brand.

It's almost easy to forget Tay Conti wrestled for WWE under the NXT banner. In fact, she was signed by the promotion way back in October 2016 despite not having any prior wrestling experience.

The 26-year-old took part in the inaugural Mae Young Classic in the summer of 2017 and showed signs of potential during her time as a regular on NXT TV but was randomly released in April 2020. It wasn't long after she was picked up by AEW and became an immediate fan favorite.

Her last two years have seen her grown leaps and bounds as a performer, but she's fallen short whenever it has mattered most. Whether it's been challenging for the AEW Women's World Championship or the AEW TBS Championship, she has yet to be booked to win the big one.

Conti and Sammy Guevara are a natural heel pairing for now, but that will soon run its course, and she'll likely be back to being positioned as a stepping stone for either of the women's titles. Her stock has grown exponentially since she was last in WWE and thus she'd be slotted much higher in the division if she were to return.

It may not be in the immediate future, but Conti could wind up back in WWE before long to show the company what it missed out on originally.

Similar to Tay Conti, Andrade El Idolo's tenure in WWE also ended in less-than-stellar circumstances.

Granted, the 32-year-old requested his release and had it granted, but that's only because WWE had him doing nothing for a number of months prior to that point. He was too talented to be cast aside any longer and it was commendable that he decided to control his destiny by leaving of his own accord.

Unfortunately, his AEW run so far hasn't exactly lived up to expectations.

He's had quality matches with everyone from PAC and Cody Rhodes to Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara, but his booking has been all over the place. The promotion can still salvage his character through his newfound pairing with Rush, but if that fails, a return to WWE may not be out of the question.

Sometimes it takes a talent leaving for WWE to realize how valuable they actually are. Andrade could be the next case of that, and with wife Charlotte Flair still a staple of the women's division, he may finally be able to fulfill his potential at a time when WWE could use more competitors of his caliber.

There's no denying tag team wrestling is much more of a priority to AEW than it is to WWE. The unification of the Raw and SmackDown titles a few weeks ago was largely due to the division lacking serious depth.

That's exactly why a tandem such as Santana and Ortiz could make an immediate impact there right now and actually find success.

It's not as if they've come anywhere close to winning the AEW World Tag Team Championship since signing with the promotion in 2019. They received one title shot in 2021 and have yet to be put back in the mix.

They're better than that, and their recent rivalry with Chris Jericho and the rest of The Jericho Appreciation Society has been a total waste of their time.

If they signed three-year deals with AEW in the summer of 2019, their contracts could be expiring soon. They should at least consider making the jump to WWE where they could have great matches with the likes of The New Day, The Street Profits and The Usos.

For all the trash-talking he does about his former employer on TV, Chris Jericho returning to his home of WWE is inevitable.

Interestingly, the 51-year-old was the first major mainstream name to be signed to AEW in January 2019. He was wisely positioned as the face of the promotion for the first year and had an entertaining reign as the inaugural AEW world champion.

His AEW run peaked at that point and nothing he's done since has come close to topping it. To his credit, he's attempted to elevate as much talent as possible (Inner Circle, Jericho Appreciation Society, Orange Cassidy, MJF, Eddie Kingston to name a few), but his storylines are largely uninteresting and his matches tend to be hit or miss.

One last stint in WWE makes the most sense, especially if he brings his hit song, "Judas," with him as his entrance music. With the surplus of talent AEW has at the moment, Jericho wouldn't be a big loss, and he'd have a fresh coat of paint and plenty of new opponents to work with in WWE.

Much like Cody Rhodes before he went back to WWE, Jericho simply doesn't fit the current vibe of what AEW is going for and would be much more of an asset to the company he spent two decades of his career in.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.