2 Major Stars Leave AEW
After being founded in 2019, AEW quickly grew popular to become one of the top wrestling promotions in the world. Despite only existing for a little over half a decade, the promotion is easily able to draw some of the biggest superstars.
Top-level stars such as Jon Moxley, Mercedes Mone, Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, and Toni Storm, among others, are currently signed to the promotion. They also boast the likes of Kyle Fletcher and Jungle Jack Perry, who can lead the promotion for years to come.
Several names joined the All Elite promotion after it gathered pace, but there is a handful of names that are still with AEW, that have been there since the very beginning of the company.
However, quite a few of them have left the promotion at the level, with the likes of Cody Rhodes, Jade Cargill, Ricky Saints, and others, all jumping ship to WWE. Tony Khan’s company was recently dealt another blow as two major stars left AEW.
Long-serving AEW tag team leaves the company
The stars in question are The Butcher and The Blade, who have left the company after nearly seven years with the All Elite promotion. They debuted during the November 27 episode of AEW Dynamite in 2019 alongside The Bunny.
The Bunny, who also goes by the name Allie, is married to The Blade and served as the group’s manager before she left the company in 2023. The Butcher and The Blade were part of the roster for a long time, but hadn’t been seen on television for a while.
They last wrestled as a team on AEW television in March 2024, where they lost a trios match to The Hardys and Mark Briscoe. Both The Butcher and The Blade have been wrestling on the independent circuit for a while, both as a team and in singles capacity.
The Butcher and the Blade are free agents after their AEW contracts have expired.
– @FightfulSelect | @SeanRossSapp pic.twitter.com/OjgLUsDl7q
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) June 4, 2026
Despite their singles run, neither man was being used by the All Elite promotion in that capacity as well. Butcher’s last match on AEW television came in February 2025 on an episode of Collision, where he lost to Gabe Kidd.
The Blade, however, hasn’t appeared since their tag team match, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that the promotion chose not to offer the duo extensions on their contracts that recently expired, making them free agents.
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