Every AEW Departure Of 2023

AEW was established in 2019 and quickly established itself as the second-largest professional wrestling company in the world. It did so by hiring the best free agents in the industry and building a vast roster of up-and-coming talents.

Yet despite this large roster, the promotion has had a low number of departures during its history and 2023 has continued that trend. However, there have been several significant ones and it remains to be seen what impact these exits will have on the promotion in the long term.

Let’s take a look at every AEW departure in 2023.

CM Punk

There may have been not many departures from AEW in 2023 but the shocking release of CM Punk was definitely the biggest. Punk was sensationally fired from the promotion after a physical altercation with Jack Perry at All In on August 27th, 2023. The incident resulted in both Punk and Perry being suspended under investigation and AEW’s Discipline Committee made the unanimous decision that Punk “be terminated with cause.”

Punk’s departure came just days before All Out and caused something of a scramble storyline-wise as the star was removed from the card. This last-minute change led to Bryan Danielson returning from injury to face Ricky Starks at the PPV.

Further creative changes have followed since Punk’s departure. The show that was based around him, Collision has of course altered now he is no longer around. The soft roster split that made the show the primary place to see not just Punk, but also the likes of Bullet Club Gold, FTR, Miro, and Andrade El Idolo seems to have ended. But the major impact of Punk’s release is the loss of his star power, drawing ability and merchandise sales.

Yet despite the gravitas Punk’s presence brought to the promotion, the relationship between the two had reached a breaking point and something had to give. The actions of Punk left Tony Khan with no choice but to let him go.

Jade Cargill

September 2023 also saw the departure of another huge star when Jade Cargill left AEW to sign a multi-year deal with WWE. Her departure was a significant loss for the company as she was one of the company’s biggest stars, having held the TBS Championship for over 500 days and picking up a 61-match undefeated streak.

At Double or Nothing when Cargill was pinned for the first time losing the TBS Title to Kris Statlander, everyone imagined she’d be back for revenge. In the immediate aftermath of the defeat it was reported that Cargill would be taking time off before returning with an updated presentation, but things didn’t quite work out as planned.

During this period Cargill’s AEW deal was running out, and negotiations were underway between the star and Tony Khan. However, as time passed it became clear Cargill was planning to let her contract run down and join WWE. This led to her making a quick return to television to lose a rematch with Statlander in September, and she became a free agent shortly after.

By signing with WWE, Cargill became only the second major name to make the move from AEW to the sports entertainment giant, following in the footsteps of Cody Rhodes. As such, her arrival has been presented as massively important.

Brian Pillman Jr

In July of 2023, Brian Pillman Jr. officially parted ways with All Elite Wrestling after his deal with the company expired. He had been with AEW since 2019 and had made a name for himself as a promising young talent.

Pillman Jr. had been involved in some high-profile storylines and matches during his time with the promotion, including a feud with MJF and a tag match against Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers on an episode of Dynamite. Despite his potential, Pillman Jr. was used sparingly in the months leading up to his exit from the company. Following a brief spell as a free agent, Pillman Jr. signed with WWE.

QT Marshall

In November QT Marshall announced he was departing All Elite Wrestling by the end of the year. The AEW original was with the company since the very beginning as a wrestler, producer, and trainer.

Behind the scenes, he was responsible for helping to write and produce segments for the show while helping develop the next generation of wrestlers as a trainer at The Nightmare Factory.

Sonny Kiss

On September 2nd, 2023 eagle-eyed fans eagle-eyed fans noticed that Sonny Kiss’ profile had been removed from the AEW’s roster page. Then at the post-All Out press conference, Tony Khan confirmed that Kiss had not been offered a new deal thus ending his four-year run with the company.

At Double Or Nothing back in February 2019, Kiss was announced as one of AEW’s first signings. They went on to compete at the promotion’s inaugural event where they competed in the Casino Battle Royale.

Kiss last competed in an AEW ring back in March 2023 when they teamed with Trustbusters partner Jeeves Kay in a loss to the Iron Savages. Since then Kiss has featured on Ring of Honor shows but is yet to pick up a win. Their last outing saw her team with Kay and Slim J in a loss to Dalton Castle and The Boys in July 2023.

Fuego Del Sol

AQA became the first AEW departure of 2023 when her contract expired and she was removed from the company’s roster page. Her exit from the promotion came after just eleven months and seven matches in the promotion.

She debuted in AEW to face Jade Cargill for the TBS Championship in February 2022. Tony Khan later announced she had officially signed with the company. However, a few months later she announced her intention to step away from wrestling as it had taken a severe mental and physical toll on her.

Ace Steel

Ace Steel was released from AEW on September 7th, 2023, five days after CM Punk was fired “with cause” following a backstage incident at the All In pay-per-view. This is the second time within a year that AEW has released Steel.

Steel was initially released from AEW in the fallout of the backstage incident at All Out in 2022. During the incident, Steel reportedly bit Kenny Omega and threw a chair at Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks. He was later rehired as a producer for Collision at Punk’s behest. However, due to tension backstage Steel worked remotely as his presence backstage was deemed an insurance risk.

Vickie Guerrero

Vickie Guerrero officially departed AEW in July 2023, after her contract expired. She had been with the company since 2019 and was primarily been used as the manager of Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir. Prior to her departure, Guerrero revealed that her contract was set to expire and that both she and AEW had agreed not to renew it.

However, Guerrero’s departure from the promotion came earlier than expected as she was removed from the AEW roster page months before her exit. The move came with little surprise as Guerrero had expressed frustrations about the creative direction of her character and said that “opportunities weren’t given” for her to progress. She also revealed she had been told to stay home for the remainder of her time with the company.

Trench

On July 3rd, 2023 the contract of Trench (Granden Goetzman) had expired, resulting in his departure from the company. Trench had been part of Swerve Strickland’s Mogul Affiliates faction but did not compete in any matches.

Zack Clayton

Zack Clayton’s departure from AEW was announced in October 2023. It is reported that his contract simply expired, and it was not renewed.

Clayton made his AEW in-ring debut in 2020 on an episode of AEW Dark. signed with the promotion in 2022 and competed primarily on Dark and Dark: Elevation. Clayton last competed on an episode of ROH, losing to former ROH World Champion Dalton Castle.

Clayton is best known as one of the stars of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation and is engaged to reality star Jenni “J-Woww” Farley.

Brock Anderson

Brock Anderson’s departure from AEW was confirmed when his picture was removed from the company’s website roster page in October. It was previously reported that his contract was to expire in August

Anderson is the son of AEW producer and wrestling legend Arn Anderson and started with the promotion in 2021 as part of Cody Rhodes’ Nightmare Family stable. After debuting on Dynamite to team with Rhodes he appeared mostly on Dark and Dark: Elevation. His last match in an AEW ring saw him lose to then-TNT Champion Luchasuarus on the August 12th, edition of Collision.

The Bunny

On November 9th, it was reported that The Bunny had left with AEW after four years with the company. The exact reasons for the star’s departure are currently unknown, but it was said that she and the company had “mutually agreed to part ways.” The news was seemingly confirmed when her profile was removed from the roster page on the company’s official website.