​Sheamus won nearly every title during his two-decade stint in WWE. (Credit: WWE/Getty Images)WWE via Getty ImagesWWE’s latest “spring cleaning” release spree could result in an influx of new talents to its biggest competitor, AEW.In 2026, AEW has signed fewer marquee stars than in previous years. However, the company appears to have struck gold with the return of Andrade El Idolo, who famously became the first marquee str to go from WWE to AEW back to WWE and then once again back to AEW. Other notable names AEW has signed in 2026 include The Rascalz and CMLL star Persephone.Now, F4WOnline (h/t Cageside Seats) reports that “at least seven wrestlers are ‘waiting’ to be signed by AEW. The names of these seven wrestlers were not specified, and…there may be others they aren’t aware of.”FORBES | By Blake OestriecherWWE SummerSlam 2026 Card—How Many Matches Will The PLE Feature?2026 WWE Releases Include Sheamus, New Day, Other Top StarsBy April 25, WWE had already released 23 wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown and NXT. That month, famously parted ways with 11 notable stars in one fell swoop, including former AEW star Aleister Black, the entire Wyatt Six faction and the Motor Machine Guns. Each star WWE released at that time is now eligible to sign with AEW immediately after the expiration of their 90-day non-compete clauses. In addition, WWE parted ways with former multi-time world champion Sheamus and 13-time tag team champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) mere weeks later as WWE looked to re-sign prominent talents on lower, company-friendly contracts.Sheamus, who spent nearly two decades with WWE, will reportedly become an official free agent on Oct. 1 while Kingston and Woods shouldn’t be far behind after the legendary tag team “mutually parted ways” with WWE in early May.AEW President Tony Khan Addresses Potentially Signing Ex-WWE Free AgentsAs expected, AEW President Tony Khan is well aware that numerous marquee names are hitting free agency.During this week’s AEW Redemption media call (h/t Wrestling Inc), Khan said that he’s “keeping an eye” on the now-crowded free agent market: “There are a lot of great free agents in wrestling, particularly right now. There’s a lot of people coming out of contract. And it’s something I am keeping an eye on because I’m very cognizant that there’s a lot of really talented people that just got cut or fired or released and I am keeping an eye on that.”Although Khan did not offer any specifics, his comments indicate that AEW fans should expect an influx of ex-WWE stars in the very near future.Which WWE Stars Should AEW Sign?AEW has already scooped up one high-profile 2026 WWE release in former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, who almost instantly won the TNT Championship upon his AEW debut. But here are the best bets to follow Ciampa to AEW soon, possibly even at Sunday’s Redemption pay-per-view:SheamusAs talented as AEW’s roster is, one notable area of weakness is a l