The yr 2025 is now behind us. Trying again, one can argue that AEW pulled out all of the stops to shut the hole between itself and WWE. Nonetheless, 2026 affords extra alternatives for the Jacksonville-based promotion to additional solidify its standing as a prime contender for the title of the perfect wrestling promotion round.
Final Saturday, followers witnessed the primary Collision of 2026, and Tony Khan ensured the brand new yr started with a bang for his supporters. The present featured the extremely anticipated in-ring debut of El Clon, a member of the Don Callis Household. Additionally, Harm Syndicate’s Shelton Benjamin returned to motion for the primary time since Full Gear 2025, forward of his Continental Title Eliminator match in opposition to Jon Moxley. Lastly, the primary occasion noticed fan-favorite Darby Allin defeat Wheeler Yuta to shut the present.
Whereas 2026’s first Collision was seemingly booked to have a good time in-ring prowess, the promotion’s main storylines are anticipated to advance on the promotion’s flagship present, Dynamite, this Wednesday. To make it much more particular, Tony Khan may have 4 presently absent stars return to AEW programming on January 7. Let’s take a look at these 4 names:
#4. Andrade
2025 was a tumultuous yr for Andrade. El Idolo started the yr with promising indicators of excellent issues to come back. He was a part of the critically acclaimed six-pack tag group TLC match for the WWE Tag Group Championships at Summerslam 2025. Nonetheless, the previous NXT Champion was launched by WWE in September, reportedly as a consequence of disciplinary points. To make issues worse, the Stamford-based promotion triggered a 12-month non-compete clause the second El Idolo appeared in AEW a month later. He needed to spend the remaining yr combating WWE’s lawsuit.
Now, as we enter 2026, Andrade has had his non-compete clause waived with authorized help and is formally a free agent. He lately appeared at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 20. With that mentioned, El Idolo seems to be able to return to the Jacksonville-based promotion, and Tony Khan may have him reappear on the primary Dynamite of 2026 and announce his official signing with the corporate.
#3. and #2. Cope and Christian return to problem for AEW Tag Group Championships
Adam Copeland (fka Edge) and Christian Cage’s long-awaited reunion in AEW was one in every of 2025’s wrestling highlights. The duo got here collectively to tackle Cope’s rivals, FTR, who had earlier put the Rated-R Famous person out of fee. At All Out 2025, the groups lastly squared off, and the legendary tag group defeated FTR. Nonetheless, Copeland was written off TV following the pay-per-view as a consequence of filming commitments, and Cage has additionally not been seen on programming since, with the explanation undisclosed.
This yr’s first Dynamite looks as if the right alternative for Tony Khan to deliver again two of his hottest stars and reignite their feud with FTR, who’ve since raised the stakes within the rivalry by turning into AEW Tag Group Champions of their absence.
#1. Hikaru Shida
Hikaru Shida is taken into account one of many pillars of girls’s wrestling in All Elite Wrestling. Nonetheless, followers haven’t seen the Japanese star on AEW programming since November 2024. The previous three-time AEW Girls’s World Champion, in the meantime, has been competing on the indie scene and reportedly lately signed a multi-year take care of the Jacksonville-based promotion.
Regardless of investing a number of time in streaming on YouTube, Shida had earlier confirmed she has no plans to retire from wrestling. This implies she nonetheless has an in-ring future in AEW, and the upcoming Dynamite might be the right place for Tony Khan to reintroduce one in every of his longest-serving stars again into the fold.
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Edited by Karan Raj