Chris Jericho isn’t the only former AEW star rumored to appear at the WWE Royal Rumble. On his Notsam Wrestling podcast, Sam Roberts shared his predictions for the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches.

Michael Cole referenced AEW earlier today during tonight’s Royal Rumble PLE. He seemingly revealed that he has been keeping tabs on the company, and a major star who recently hit free agency.

A former WWE NXT Champion just made their shocking AEW debut, one week after their departure from the Stamford-based promotion.

Almost a week after finishing up with WWE, former NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa recently made his AEW debut on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. Answering Mark Briscoe’s AEW TNT Championship open challenge, Ciampa appeared and shocked the fans.

Chris Jericho has been one of AEW's most important figures since the foundation of the company back in 2019. His contributions to the company's growth over the years as a veteran performer with years of experience on a global scale has been acknowledged many times by its CEO and Creative Head, Tony Khan, in interviews.

Ciampa answered Mark Briscoe's TNT Championship Open Challenge and will face Briscoe for the title on Saturday at AEW Collision. On Jan. 21, Ciampa announced that his WWE contract was set to expire soon in a post on X.

Tommaso Ciampa explained his decision to leave WWE and sign with AEW during a recent interview. Ciampa announced on January 21 that he would be leaving WWE when his contract expired. He debuted on AEW Dynamite on Wednesday and was revealed as Mark Briscoe’s opponent for Saturday’s episode of Collision.

Tommaso Ciampa announced his arrival in AEW by answering Mark Briscoe's open challenge for the TNT Championship during "AEW Dynamite."

At the WWE Royal Rumble 2026, Gunther forced AJ Styles to pass out in the sleeper hold, forcing "The Phenomenal One" to retire with the loss.