AEW has added another couple of former WWE Superstars to its fold.
The stars in question are James Drake and Zack Gibson, also known collectively as the Grizzled Young Veterans. During their time with WWE, they primarily wrestled on NXT UK, where they were the inaugural NXT UK Tag Team Champions.
Drake and Gibson then arrived in the main NXT brand in 2020. In 2023, they were repackaged as Jagger Reid (for Drake) and Rip Fowler (for Gibson) as The Dyad and promptly joined Joe Gacy to form the Schism before getting released on September 14, 2023.
The duo immediately went back to their Grizzled Young Veterans gimmick and made their AEW debut in a loss on the April 27, 2024, episode of Collision against The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens). They returned at that year’s All In by attacking FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) after confronting The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson).
Since then, GYV had a couple of matches in the Jacksonville-based promotion, primarily on Collision. However, Drake and Gibson have just been added to the AEW roster page, confirming that the duo has been officially signed by Tony Khan.
James Drake and Zack Gibson, the Grizzled Young Veterans, have been added to the AEW roster page pic.twitter.com/IBtJ3JMlXn
— WrestleTalk (@WrestleTalk_TV) September 11, 2025
The former WWE stars also appeared on AEW’s sister promotion, Ring of Honor, in the tail-end of last year. They defeated The Dark Order duo of Alex Reynolds and John Silver in the Zero Hour of ROH Final Battle 2024 on December 20th.
Former WWE Stars Grizzled Young Veterans Are Currently On A Slump in AEW
The Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) have had nine matches so far in AEW, the majority of which came on Collision. They have a record of three wins and 8 losses and are off to a slow start in their run in the Jacksonville-based promotion.
Their wins came against Iron Savages (Boulder and Bronson) on September 6, 2024, against FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) and Hook & The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum) on September 21, 2024, both on Collision, and against The Outrunners on the now-defunct Rampage show on August 28, 2024.
I know #AEW has like a million wrestlers on the roster, but if Grizzled Young Veterans don't SCREAM AEW, then I don't know who does 😤pic.twitter.com/Y2vlgKjVej
— Jack Cassidy  (@RealJackCassidy) April 29, 2024
Meanwhile, the former WWE stars accrued their eight losses against FTR, The Outrunners, The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens), The Learning Tree (Big Bill and Bryan Keith), Paragon (Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong), and Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona)