If you grew up in the heyday of the attitude era and the “Monday Night War” (like I did) you probably have been waiting for another ratings war to occur to give the “almighty” WWE a run for their money. Wrestling fans will finally get that rival brand in the up and coming All Elite Wrestling. This could possibly be the worst-case scenario for the struggling WWE.
There is no hiding the fact that WWE has been struggling. Ratings and subscribers to the WWE Network are on a downward trend due to decrease in product quality. The WWE has been disappointing as of late, and you have to look no further than the sad excuse they tried to pass off as a PPV show in Money in the Bank. The WWE is constantly giving fans lethargic and repetitive story lines, as well as pushing the wrong wrestlers into the championship picture (which has been going on ever since the Roman Reigns movement, which is a whole other topic). They also have stooped to the very low level of gimmick titles like the recently revealed 24/7 Championship (which in reality is just the “PG Era” Hardcore Championship).
With big names like Chris Jericho, The Rhodes Brothers, and Dean Ambrose (oops I mean Jon Moxley), to carry storylines will we finally see a successful rival to the McMahon empire?
AEW is giving fans a fresh take on professional wrestling with a mixture of fresh and veteran talent. Coming off the heels of their successful first PPV Double or Nothing, AEW is proving itself a force to be reckoned with. While there are some kinks to work out with the company, all in all it was a successful show that is geared towards the mature adult fans of professional wrestling. We saw blood from Dustin Rhodes (some would say a little too much), Brandi Rhodes be carried backstage by DDP, and some high flying explosive tag team matches.
The new company is not only making waves with wrestling fans worldwide, but within the McMahon Empire. Rumors have it that Vince McMahon has banned his wrestlers from bringing up AEW in any promos or interviews. This “censorship” can be seen in last night’s Sami Zayn segment. While live on air Zayn dropped an AEW namedrop, and on all the social media post by the WWE the namedrop is edited out. Chris Jericho, however, is doing the complete opposite with AEW wrestlers. Jericho is encouraging the roster to take stabs at McMahon’s baby.
AEW showed fans that there is room for another wrestling company to share the spotlight light with WWE, and that it is staying for the long haul. The company has a television deal with TNT for a network show that will reportedly be two hours long and will premiere in October.
Could we be getting another ratings war with WWE and AEW? Did you watch Double or Nothing? If so what did you think? What superstar would you like to see AEW sign next? Let us know in the comments!
