10 Most Controversial Wrestlers In AEW History, Ranked

AEW has brought a lot of good into the professional wrestling world, providing a very real alternative to WWE at a time when the business sorely needed it. However, not everything has been entirely perfect, and at times even the wrestlers have been the cause of that.

AEW has brought a lot of good into the professional wrestling world, providing a very real alternative to WWE at a time when the business sorely needed it. However, not everything has been entirely perfect, and at times even the wrestlers have been the cause of that.

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Whether it be backstage issues, allegations, or other forms of controversy, there have been several AEW wrestlers who have been more controversial than others, and it hasn’t always shed them or the company in the best of lights, that’s for sure. When it comes to different types of controversy it is perhaps hard to rank wrestlers based on this, so there may be some differing opinions.

10 Jimmy Havoc

During the pandemic, the Speaking Out Movement was one of the most important things to happen in the world of professional wrestling. Calling out a lot of wrongs in the business helped to root out many toxic entities, and someone mentioned amidst all this was Jimmy Havoc.

Havoc wasn’t a particularly big member of the AEW roster so his naming and subsequent firing didn’t have much of an effect on AEW programming, but his naming in this full stop could have threatened the company and what they were trying to build. Tony Khan cut ties before the controversy spread, but he is still among the more controversial figures in AEW history.

9 MJF

MJF’s heel persona has bled into real life a few times, with issues with Tony Khan emerging after an unsanctioned interview. MJF reportedly threatened to no-show Double or Nothing 2022, and was taken off TV quickly after.

MJF’s outspoken nature has got him into trouble now and again, and he also caused an issue when he threw alcohol in the face of a child. Thankfully, outside of all this MJF hasn’t had too many issues, but still more than most on the roster.

8 Ivelisse

There has been a variety of controversies in AEW’s women’s division, from bad booking to heat to other issues too. Ivelisse was someone at the brunt of that, and she received a fair bit of heat due to allegedly working stiff and shooting on opponents.

Ivelisse herself would defend an incident with Thunder Rosa, blaming the veteran instead in an interview with Chris Van Vliet;"But it was kind of crazy how they turned me into the unprofessional. Anyone with a brain would have seen first of all, you don't disrespect the veteran. Also, I was the signed talent and you are coming from the outside company! Thirdly, in the match, they [the audience] could see how it starts. It's like with the Charlotte vs. Nia. I watched it neutrally and as a professional I can understand what happened more accurately. But it's Twitter and a massive chunk was taking advantage." (H/T Wrestling Inc)

7 Jake Atlas

After leaving WWE, AEW quickly swept up Jake Atlas, though his time with the company quickly lost steam as he suffered a long-term injury. During this time away from action, domestic abuse allegations emerged, which put Atlas in a very bad light.

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Due to him now being a very controversial figure with a poor personal life, AEW quietly parted ways with Atlas, and he has not competed in a match anywhere ever since, even with charges being dropped.

6 Serena Deeb

Serena Deeb is one of the most technically gifted wrestlers on the AEW roster, but very recently she has become a controversial figure on the AEW roster. Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio noted that “something happened” to cause backstage heat for her.

Additionally, Deeb’s relationship with Marty Scurll, who is a hugely controversial figure due to being named in the Speaking Out Movement, has apparently caused heat for Deeb too, adding more controversy to her name which has seen her off TV for a long and extended period of time.

5 Andrade El Idolo

Andrade El Idolo wasn’t the happiest chap on the AEW roster, and comments made on X/Twitter and in an interview towards Sammy Guevara led to some heat emerging between the pair.

Andrade prompted a backstage altercation which led to a fight, which wasn’t a good look for the company given that there were multiple backstage problems at the time. It felt like Andrade was trying to bring about a firing from AEW, though this didn’t end up happening.

4 Jeff Hardy

It was believed to be a gamble for AEW to take on Jeff Hardy, especially after a messy WWE exit. Not long until his AEW run, Hardy was arrested and charged with DUI. This led to many months off AEW programming and it saw him enter rehab.

Hardy made AEW look the fool by taking a risk on him, and there is an underlying feeling of when he will next make a mistake again, though fans can hope that he has gotten help and won’t fall into the same traps as he often does.

3 Sammy Guevara

Sammy Guevara’s name emerged in the Speaking Out Movement due to previous comments made about Sasha Banks, and this led to him being suspended and giving an apology to the former WWE Women’s Champion.

Guevara has had a few other controversies, such as backstage fights with both Eddie Kingston and Andrade El Idolo. Guevara’s multiple controversies puts him higher than some others on this list.

2 Thunder Rosa

Thunder Rosa may have been a popular name on AEW TV whenever she is present, but she is someone who has supposedly rubbed up a lot of coworkers the wrong way, with apparent backstage heat with the likes of Britt Baker.

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Rosa has also been involved in more than one incident in the ring where it has felt like someone has been too stiff or shot on the other. Rosa even admitted in an interview on Busted Open Radio that she apologized to some of those on the roster; “I have talked to the locker room and I took accountability for things that some people had issues with and I went out there and apologized.” (H/T CagesideSeats)

1 CM Punk

CM Punk is arguably the biggest star to have set foot in AEW, but he is also the individual who has experienced the most controversy. The entire Brawl Out incident was one of the biggest scandals in AEW history, with his tirade on The Elite and AEW as a whole prompting a backstage fight.

Punk carried an air of a bomb waiting to explode from there, and backstage politicking was apparent when he was brought back. Another backstage incident involving Jack Perry and Tony Khan led to Punk being fired from AEW, bringing an end to his fairytale return to professional wrestling.

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