AEW is becoming the hottest wrestling promotion in America. Since its debut in 2019, it has quickly become a competitor to WWE. Every week AEW Dynamite goes head-to-head with NXT, and a majority of the time AEW is the winner in the ratings battle.
AEW has a lot of star power thanks to former WWE stars Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho, and Jon Moxley. However, they also have a bunch of rising stars in Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy.
As the popularity continues to grow with the AEW stars, fans want to know everything they can about the roster. There are some things that are already well known. For instance, Britt Baker is also a dentist. There's also the fact that Jungle Boy is actor Luke Perry's son. But there are some things that fans don't know about these wrestlers. So let's take a look at a few surprising facts about AEW's stars.
20 Sonny Kiss is a full-time college student
Wrestler Sonny Kiss is breaking barriers in the sports industry. With his sweet personality and athleticism, AEW's audience has embraced Sonny with open arms. Aside from his wrestling career, Sonny is also a full-time college student. So if Sonny isn't seen on AEW television, he's busy studying and attending classes.
19 Kris Statlander almost signed with WWE
Since signing with AEW in December 2019, Kris Statlander is well on her way to being a top star in their women's division. Before joining AEW, Statlander was close to signing with WWE. But AEW offered her a better deal, which Statlander couldn't refuse.
18 Joey Janela lied about his age to start wrestling
Like most wrestlers, Joey Janela wanted to start his wrestling career as soon as possible. While most wrestlers begin their wrestling journey around the age of 18, Janela started his sooner. At the age of 15, he began booking wrestling gigs. In order to get booked for shows, Janela would lie about his age to the promoters.
17 MJF appeared on The Rosie O'Donnell Show
These days MJF loves to get audiences riled up with his heel persona. But back in 2001, MJF had audiences awing over his appearance on a talk show. At the age of five, MJF was a guest on The Rosie O'Donnell show, where he entertained viewers by singing "You Are My Sunshine."
16 Brandi Rhodes was on a reality show
Brandi Rhodes has been a central part of her husband Cody's wrestling success. While Brandi is known for being a wrestling personality, she briefly became a reality star. In 2018, she joined the cast of the E! series WAGS Atlanta. However, the show was canceled after one season, leaving Brandi free to return to wrestling.
15 Leva Bates previously worked for WWE
Leva Bates' gimmick as The Librarian has been met with mixed reactions from the AEW audience. But prior to AEW, she was in WWE, where she wrestled under the ring name Blue Pants. Despite the strange ring name, Bates became popular with WWE audiences. However, her time in WWE only lasted a year.
14 Chris Jericho was on Dancing With the Stars
Chris Jericho is a man of many talents. Not only is he a great wrestler and singer, but he's quite a dancer. In 2011, Jericho joined the 12th season of Dancing With the Stars. Jericho was paired with dancer Cheryl Burke, and despite the support of wrestling fans, the pair was eliminated during week 6.
13 Orange Cassidy's character is modeled after Ryan Gosling
With his denim attire and laid back attitude, Orange Cassidy is one of AEW's popular stars. Fans love watching as Cassidy stuffs his hands in his pockets while wrestling his opponents. The inspiration for Cassidy's gimmick came from actor Ryan Gosling's character in the film Drive. So wrestling fans can think Gosling for Cassidy's character.
12 Big Swole is married to Cedric Alexander
There are plenty of AEW wrestlers who are in relationships with WWE personnel. Recent signee Big Swole is married to WWE star Cedric Alexander. The two have been married since June 2018 and they have a daughter named Adessah. Despite working for opposite companies, the couple is very supportive of each other's careers.
11 Matt's the oldest of The Young Bucks
Brothers Matt and Nick Jackson aka The Young Bucks rose to fame on the indie circuit. They're now finding new legions of fans thanks to AEW, and the brothers' YouTube series Being the Elite. If any fans were wondering about the age between the brothers, Matt is four years older than Nick.
10 Darby Allin is straight edge
Darby Allin is quickly on his way to becoming AEW's breakout star. Between his look and his wrestling ability, Allin is a hit with the younger viewers. Darby has drawn comparisons to CM Punk, and like Punk, Allin lives a straight-edge lifestyle, where he avoids alcohol and other vices.
9 Awesome Kong was on a Netflix series
Aside from being one of AEW's top female talents, Awesome Kong is also busy with an acting career. Yep, Kong is starring alongside Alison Brie in the Netflix series GLOW. The series is about a group of female wrestlers working for the GLOW promotion. Kong is currently filming for the show's fourth and final season.
8 Christopher Daniels has a degree in theater
Many wrestlers go to college to earn a degree so they can have something to fall back on. Christopher Daniels attended Methodist College in Fayetteville, NC, where he earned a degree in theater. But after his college graduation, he decided to change his career path to wrestling, which has worked out well for him.
7 Adam Page worked as a teacher
Wrestling is Adam Page's first love, but before turning it into a full-time career, he worked as a teacher. Page taught graphic design and journalism at a high-school in his hometown of Aaron's Creek, VA. During the week, Page would teach class, but during the weekends he'd book wrestling gigs.
6 Hikaru Shida worked as an actress
It's not uncommon for a wrestler to dabble in acting. Before she became a wrestler, Shida worked as an actress. She was cast in a few Japanese movies and television shows. One of her films was Three Count and the plot was centered on the wrestling industry. The film helped inspire Shida to pursue a career in wrestling.
5 Luchasaurus was on Big Brother
As a member of Jurassic Express, Luchasaurus has become quite popular with AEW fans. While Luchasaurus hides his face behind a mask, in 2015 viewers got a good glimpse of him when he was a contest on the CBS reality series Big Brother. Luchasaurus did well throughout the competition and ended up coming in fifth place.
4 Jon Moxley dated an older woman
Jon Moxley is happily married to WWE host Renee Young. But at the age of nineteen when he was just starting his wrestling career, he dated an older woman. The woman was wrestler Hellena Heavenly, who was nearly ten years his senior. The relationship was brief and according to Moxley, things weren't always perfect with Hellena.
3 Riho started training at the age of 9
Most wrestlers start training at the age of 18, although some start way earlier. Riho's training began at the age of 9. As a kid, she received training from fellow AEW star Emi Sakura. Riho trained at Sakura's dojo in Japan, and after a few months, she was booked for matches, and earning championship opportunities.
2 Bea Priestley was diagnosed with a brain tumor
As a teen, Bea Priestley had a life-threatening health crisis, which almost derailed her wrestling career. At the age of 14, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. When she was 18, Priestley underwent surgery to remove the tumor. Following her recovery, Bea continued wrestling, and today's she a top star for AEW and Stardom.
1 Kenny Omega was going to pursue an ice hockey career
Growing up in Canada, Kenny Omega was a fan of ice hockey and originally was going to pursue a career in that sport. But after some encouragement from a friend, Omega decided to start wrestling, another one of his passions. Luckily for fans, Omega decided to compete in the squared circle instead of an ice rink.