WWE and AEW Stars Trending Toward Leaving Their Companies in 2023
WWE and All Elite Wrestling have started 2023 on a high. Both companies are putting on memorable shows while building fresh stars week in and week out.
However, every year has its ups and downs. No company looks the same at the end of the year as it did at the start. Contracts will expire. Wrestlers will be released. Talent may even ask to be let go.
It is inevitable, and there are already signs that certain wrestlers will be leaving in 2023.
Some are disgruntled. Others do not have much value left to the company. Still more could be interested in a fresh start rather than remaining in a familiar scene.
Whether it be Naomi, Mustafa Ali and Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE or Andrade El Idolo and Miro in AEW, these are the most likely wrestlers to leave their promotions within the year of 2023.
Mustafa Ali, WWE
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Mustafa Ali has built a reputation as one of the most talented men WWE cannot seem to find a way to book. He was arguably the most impressive performer of the three men who helped carry 205 Live, but he never won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
He was called up first to the main roster and inserted into the WWE Championship scene, only for an untimely injury to take him out of consideration.
Retribution was a stable that had already run its course when Ali took over, and he was fighting a losing battle to get it over again. In all cases, he tried his best but now finds himself without direction once more.
On January 2022, The Disruptor requested his release from WWE on Twitter. WWE ignored that request and has yet to find a good role for him since.
He and Dolph Ziggler, similarly listless on television as of late, have been building toward either a team or feud, but neither can buy a win. On the road to WWE WrestleMania 39, this story hardly looks likely to get either on that card.
It would not be surprising to hear soon that Ali has once again asked for his release, and WWE will struggle to deal with the backlash of denying the request again.
Andrade El Idolo, AEW
2 of 7Andrade El Idolo is immensely talented. Few doubt his ability in the ring. However, something always seems to get in his way.
While he started strong in WWE, rising up the ranks proved tricky. He won the United States Championship and kept a regular spot on the show but could never take that next step toward the main event scene.
He asked for his release and quickly arrived in All Elite Wrestling on June 4, 2021. With major hype behind him, it was shocking to see him do very little on the program besides putting on a great series of matches with Pac.
AEW has a tendency to move slower than most wrestling programs with talent, but just as he began to build his story by bringing back Los Ingobernables with Rush, he disappeared from television.
Speculation began to spread that he had asked for his release. It got worse when Andrade and Sammy Guevara got into a fight backstage, according to TMZ Sports. He has not been seen since, and Rush has taken over Andrade's stable fully.
AEW gains little from holding onto El Idolo without using him, even if WWE will want to sign him quickly. Much like in the case of Mustafa Ali, it is best to let the talent go where they would rather be than suffer more bad press.
Naomi, WWE
3 of 7Naomi and Sasha Banks made a splash on May 16, walking out of WWE after a creative dispute over the treatment of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.
Many expected WWE and the two women to patch things up, but Banks has since become Mercedes Moné. She signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and appeared at NJPW WrestleKingdom 17.
This left many wondering what would happen to Naomi. She could very easily return to her role in the company if she wishes.
However, The Glow has not returned. She recently changed her Instagram page to say "JUST TRINITY". She is still connected to Mercedes, too, as both are set to appear at the Emerald City Comic-Con.
Unless a deal can be struck with Naomi soon, Trinity Fatu will likely turn her attention to the entertainment world beyond WWE. Whether that means wrestling for NJPW or AEW or moving onto other pursuits, she has a massive ceiling for success.
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Santana, AEW
4 of 7In the early days of AEW, a few tag teams stood out as the best. Young Bucks, Lucha Brothers and SCU would take that standing and go on to win the AEW Tag Team Championships.
Santana and Ortiz arrived as Proud and Powerful with similar hype, but they never reached the same pinnacle. As members of The Inner Circle, they were featured on television consistently but seemed to always follow Chris Jericho too much to win gold.
Just around the time Ortiz and Santana broke away from The Demo God, the two reportedly had a falling out. On the October 18 episode of Keepin' It 100, Konnan confirmed as much, and he knows both men closely.
Santana injured his knee during his last match in Blood & Guts and has yet to return. It wouldn't be surprising if he chose not to return given his potential frustrations with his booking and falling out with Ortiz.
He has been a great tag team wrestler in the past, but he would be taking a risk venturing out on his own. However, if he can prove himself upon return from injury, he can make AEW look foolish for not using him better.
Los Lotharios, WWE
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Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo have been struggling to find a place in WWE since both first signed. Talented Mexican wrestlers with athletic backgrounds, Los Lotharios seemed to click when they became a tag team.
However, WWE has not booked the two as a serious act. The tag team division is struggling, yet no effort has been taken to test the fresh team.
Neither can buy a win. Without bringing back 205 Live or sending both men to NXT, it is unclear where they fit in.
According to a report from PWInsider, the two have been moved to Monday Night Raw alongside Maximum Male Models. However, this only gives the red brand more teams than there are hours on Raw.
As WWE prepares for a sale, WWE will look for opportunities to cut costs to appeal to buyers. Angel and Humberto have looked expendable for a while.
Miro, AEW
6 of 7Even on a talent-rich show like AEW Dynamite, there is no excuse for not using Miro. The former Rusev was one of the most popular stars in WWE for a time. Rusev Day was over more than some main event angles.
However, WWE has never been good at building on natural popularity. After multiple embarrassing storylines involving Rusev and Lana, his wife, The Bulgarian Brute was released.
WWE's loss was AEW's gain. He took some time to get going but became a dominant force and won the TNT Championship. A hamstring injury sidelined him for a while, but he has fully recovered yet remains off television.
CJ Perry has not minced words in interviews about Miro leaving AEW and going to WWE, including in speaking with Mike Wennmacher from 92.7 WMAY. Miro has not said anything to refute that.
If Miro does not return soon, he may not return at all to AEW. WWE would look foolish if they did not make an offer to him once the opportunity arose.
Shinsuke Nakamura, WWE
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Shinsuke Nakamura may be the most underused talent on this entire list. A former Royal Rumble winner, The Artist was once on the precipice of world title contention.
Even in recent action, including a memorable final match against Great Muta in Pro Wrestling Noah, Nakamura has looked like one of WWE's best.
It makes no sense for WWE to not use Nakamura unless he has an unreported injury or is no longer valued.
Given how healthy The Artist has looked when performing lately and the very limited spotlight he has given in his WWE appearances, the latter seems more likely.
It is a shame, but Nakamura may be at the end of his WWE run, never reaching his full potential. He could have been a world champion and the first Japanese Superstar to ever officially hold the gold.
If he does leave, NJPW will be happy to bring him back, while AEW will certainly be interested. At the age of 42, barring a major injury, he has a good three to four years left to work at a high level. Maybe even more if he used in a protected fashion.
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