Keith Lee made his AEW debut last night on Dynamite. He is the 5th former NXT Champion to have signed with the promotion. Lee defeated Isiah Kassidy and earned a spot in the Face of the Revolution ladder match in the process.
Lee joins Malakai Black, Adam Cole, Andrade el Idolo, and PAC as former NXT Champions now with AEW.
With WWE’s rebrand of NXT to NXT 2.0, many wrestlers who do not fit the mold of what WWE wants on its main roster have been released or who left of their own accord.
Former NXT Champions In WWE
PAC – The former Neville in WWE has been with AEW since the beginning. Neville voluntarily left WWE in 2018. Currently, he’s a member of Death Triangle and involved in a feud with the stable of another former NXT Champion now in AEW.
Malakai Black – The former Aleister Black in WWE was released on June 2nd, 2021. Due to only having a 30-day non-compete clause, Black debuted for AEW the following month. He is a 11-2 in the promotion overall and has been spewing black mist in the face of many. That mist seems to be having a big effect on people.
Andrade el Idolo – Andrade requested and was granted his release from WWE in March of 2021. He made his debut in AEW on June 4th, 2021. He has a 10-4 record in the promotion thus far and appears to be entering a rivalry with Darby Allin and Sting as he had been attempting to get Darby to work for him.
Adam Cole – Adam Cole left WWE after TakeOver 36 as his contract with the promotion ran out. While attempts were made by WWE to re-sign him, Cole left for AEW and debuted at the end of the All Out PPV last fall. He is still undefeated in the promotion and at the end of last night’s Dynamite let it be known he wants the next shot at Hangman Page’s AEW World Championship.
Other Former NXT Champions Available
On top of the 5 former NXT Champions now in NXT, several more are currently free agents.
Samoa Joe – WWE released Samoa Joe in April 2021 and he signed a new deal with NXT shortly after. He was then released from that contract on January 6th, 2022. Joe is a 3x NXT Champion.
Killer Kross – Karrion Kross is a former 2x NXT Champion and was released from WWE on November 4th, 2021. His is now a free agent as his 90-days non-compete period has expired.
Johnny Gargano – Gargano’s contract with WWE expired in December and he opted not to return. The former NXT Champion is free to show up wherever he wants currently but the belief is he is taking time away for the birth of his child.
Bo Dallas: Bo Dallas was released from his contract in April last year after having been with the company for 13 years. He was the 3rd ever NXT Champion.
There have been a total of 19 NXT Champions in history:
- 10 are still with WWE: Bron Breakker, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, Robert Roode, Seth Rollins, Tommaso Ciampa, Big E, Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn.
- 5 are signed to AEW: Keith Lee, Andrade el Idolo, PAC, Malakai Black, Adam Cole.
- 4 are free agents: Killer Kross, Samoa Joe, Johnny Gargano, Bo Dallas.
