“AEW Being A Farm System” – Wrestling Fans Notice Major Chunk Of Current WWE Champions Were Once All Elite

The night of Nov 1st, 2025, witnessed the Saturday Night’s Main Event XLI. With a short four-match card, every bout was a title match. This event was effective for their future as they crowned two new champions. Jade Cargill won the WWE Women’s Championship, and CM Punk won the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The commonality between them is that at one point, they both were All Elite.

When the champs came backstage, the field grew even more as two more former All Elite stars joined them. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and the NXT Championship Ricky Starks. The symbolism of this collective success was best captured by Punk as he shared a photo on social media with all of them, captioned: “Look at us.”.

The influence of former AEW talent stretches even deeper away from the world champions. NXT also has their mid-card stacked with former #AllElite competitors holding gold. Ethan Page currently reigns as the NXT North American Champion, while Blake Monroe (formerly Mariah May) holds the NXT Women’s North American Title. Additionally, rising star Stephanie Vaquer, who had recent appearances for AEW, is the reigning Women’s World Champion.

Wrestling fans voice their distinct opinions on current WWE Champions once being All Elite

There are two sides to this conversation, one that sees the positive side and the other that just bashes. Some fans are thankful to AEW for making the stars and letting them go, only for them to succeed in WWE. One fan said, “AEW being a farm system for WWE is a hilarious turn of events.” Where others bash WWE for not having homegrown stars to rely upon more and hand over the titles to former AEW stars.

An even brighter look comes from the fact that the AEW talents can top their stint there but also make a name for themselves in their rival company later. These individuals, who were once positioned as the core figures of the “alternative” promotion, challenged WWE’s dominance. Instead, they now represent the very pinnacle of the company they were intended to oppose.

While former AEW stars are thriving, reports indicate that AEW is struggling to maintain its audience. Some attendance is declining even in former strongholds like Chicago. The image of the “Look at us” suggests that it’s AEW’s loss and indicates that them have to literally watch these world champions grow.