Four Overhyped AEW Debuts That Flopped

Since its inception, AEW has thrived on "huge" debuts and "major announcements" as it positioned itself as a reputable alternative to WWE. Especially in its infantile stage, the shock and awe factor of so-and-so showing up at a moment's notice, really lent credence to an upswell in the wrestling community to the tune of something that rivaled, perhaps, wrestling's most glorious period of all, "The Attitude Era." Unfortunately, for Tony Khan and company, simply signing Talent X and/or Talent Y and throwing them out there into the wind to see what takes hasn't always worked out.

Within the pantheon of knowledgeable wrestling minds, it's been abundantly clear as to how that strategy, or lack thereof, has fallen well short of delivering anything close to being on par with the industry standard. Still, AEW has forged forward, drawing interest in international recruits like Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, Riho, Jamie Hayter, and others. What has stood out, however, more often than not, are the debuts of "surprise" talents, perhaps signed only to make a point against the "competition," and then not following up in any tangible way to make said talent reputable within the upstart promotion. 

Whether this a matter of a lack of sustainable long-term booking strategy, flippant signings that have led to a bloated roster with no possible way of fairly representing one and all, or a figurehead intent on making himself a big deal is up for interpretation. But what can't be argued are a handful of very high-profile signings that just imploded under the AEW watch.

As the first person to simultaneously hold the NXT Championship and the NXT North American Championship, Keith Lee's run in WWE, which began in 2018, couldn't have gone better for a long stretch of time. His interactions with and against Dominik Dijakovic hold legendary status, as partners alongside Tommaso Ciampa and Kevin Owens at Takeover WarGames in 2019, as adversaries in a match at NXT Takeover: Portland, and in a Winner Take All bout on an episode of "WWE NXT" all remaining standouts. Though the masses clamored for more, the two wouldn't meet again in singles competition (and, as a general rule, we don't talk about Dijak's time as T-BAR in RETRIBUTION), under the WWE umbrella, or at all in the time since.

Seeking a new beginning after his release from WWE in 2021, Lee debuted in AEW in February of 2022, qualifying for a spot in the "Face of the Revolution" Ladder Match with a win over Isiah Kassidy, and though the gentleman formerly (albeit briefly, thankfully) known as "Bearcat" did not prevail at Revolution weeks later, it appeared as though his AEW run was off to a hot start. Fizzles and farts in between, it took two months for Lee to be paired with Swerve Strickland to once again find a position of relevance, and "Swerve In Our Glory" (possibly the worst tag team name of all time), captured the AEW Tag Team Championships on an episode of "AEW Dynamite" in July of 2022. 

Lee has stated that he hasn't quite been the same since struggles with Covid in 2022 but it stands to wonder why he hasn't been seen on AEW television since late 2023.

To say that Ruby Soho's stint in AEW has been a total flop is a bit of a stretch to say the least. That said, when she came into the promotion in September of 2021, the masses simply could not have been more fired up than they were for the former Ruby Riott, who teased her debut at All Out with a series of vignettes on social media, and made her first appearance in the Casino Battle Royal, coming to the ring with just about the most fitting wrestling music of all time, "Ruby Soho" by Rancid. That pay-per-view stands as arguably one of AEW's best ever, featuring not just Soho's arrival but also CM Punk's first match in seven years and the double surprise debuts of Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson to close the show, so the fact that Soho got the hype and reaction that she did was certainly a positive sign to begin her run in the promotion.

Victorious in the Casino Battle Royal, Soho seemed poised for greatness, earning the right to face then-champion Dr. Britt Baker DMD at "Dynamite: Grand Slam," and though she was unable to win the title that night, she would remain in the secondary title picture for quite some time. A finalist in the TBS Championship tournament and twice in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, Soho remained in the mix but never turned a championship corner, also losing a TBS Championship match to Kris Statlander at All Out 2023 and a Women's World Championship bout against Hikaru Shida on an episode of "Dynamite" a little over a month later.

From there, following a heel turn and a pairing with fellow former WWE stars Saraya and Toni Storm as The Outcasts, Soho seemed headed for a fresh start but has since been off TV since February of 2024. Of course, that came for good reason, as Soho and husband Angelo Parker welcomed a daughter later that year, so for that alone, her time in AEW can certainly be celebrated.

Looked at as another potentially game-changing signing for AEW, the former Paige showed up in AEW at "Dynamite: Grand Slam" in 2022, neutralizing an attack by Dr. Britt Baker DMD, Serena Deeb, and Jamie Hayter on a fallen Toni Storm, and fans were on fire. Saraya carries a ton of clout in the business, with nearly 20 years of experience and a resume that includes a claim to being the first NXT Women's Champion, a two-time WWE Women's Champion, and an AEW World Champion, and her return to in-ring action was almost five years in the making. Nobody thought Saraya would once again become an active competitor after a neck injury sustained at a WWE house show in 2017, following a kick to the back from Sasha Banks (now AEW's Mercedes Mone). So her return to the business was equal parts nostalgia and feel-good vibes for a key player in wrestling's women's revolution.

After the initial arrival, however, Saraya's AEW momentum reached its peak in a four-way match at All In 2023, when she won the AEW Women's Championship, only to lose it to Hikaru Shida less than two months later. Saraya was then gone for two months, and went on to win exactly two singles matches in AEW thereafter, announcing her departure from the company in March of 2025, with WWE return rumors circulating almost immediately thereafter, and gaining steam when former mentor, friend, partner, adversary, and "fairy godmother," AJ Lee, rejoined the WWE ranks in September of this year.

Arriving as Kip Sabian's "Best Man," Miro was poised to be an impact player in AEW, and booked as such (at least at first; and at least on the now-defunct "AEW Dark"), rolling through impenetrable stalwarts like Sonny Kiss and Fuego del Sol, which at least led to a TNT Championship opportunity against Darby Allin, in which the former Rusev prevailed. That title reign would halt on an episode of "Dynamite" in September of 2021, yielding to a worthy Sammy Guevara, who parlayed that into a three-month reign, including multiple interactions with both Cody and Dustin Rhodes, and perhaps the pinnacle of Cody's AEW run, an all-timer of a ladder match at "Dynamite: Beach Break in 2022."

Energy transfer aside, from there, Miro's AEW run was a whole lot of nothing, with him disappearing for months at a time, direction unknown, and minimal updates of any fashion, up until the point where he finally left the company following a victory over fellow WWE-also-ran Andrade El Idolo at Worlds End 2023. It would be a little over four months before anyone would see "The Bulgarian Brute" again, whence he returned to WWE as Rusev, competing against Otis on an episode of "Raw" in March of 2025. As of now, the once-and-again Rusev has been entrenched with the likes of Sheamus, Sami Zayn, Penta, JD McDonagh and others, with a trajectory in WWE that seems far more promising than anything he touched during an AEW run that was inarguably less-than.