Under TKO ownership, WWE has made some bold moves, including the introduction of the ID and Next In Line Programs, as well as a strategic partnership with TNA and the purchase of AAA as discussed in previous parts of this series. One key element in WWE’s strides forward toward further dominating the wrestling world is the existence of AEW.
As recently as 2018, it was all but unthinkable another truly national wrestling promotion with household names and a legit major cable TV deal could coexist with WWE. That’s exactly what has emerged though, via Tony Khan’s deep pockets and vision, paired core founding partners Codythe other promotion would have liked to have kept.he Young Bucks launching AEW.
There are a lot of open questions about how WWE views AEW and the long-term prospects of how the two promotions may war with one another, share the wrestling space, or even collaborate. Fans can readily theorize and read between the lines, but like other aspects of WWE’s continual expansion, this relationship is complicated.
WWE And AEW: Neither Competitors Nor Allies
WWE has never publicly, explicitly identified AEW as competition and, indeed, many pundits are quick to point that despite the promotion’s successes and some fans preferring the AEW product, they still don’t really broach Wthe smart money looks to be with WWE and AEW remaining in more or less stasis.
Moreover, there have been amicable moments between the promotions. AEW allowed Billy Gunn to appear on WWE television for the D-Generation X WWE Hall of Fame induction. WWE also, by all accounts, gave Adam Copeland their blessing to see through his ambitions for the twilight of his career in the environment AEW had to offer.
WWE has also taken the occasional potshot at AEW, though, and Tony Khan has been more vocal about his understanding of WWE trying to push AEW or around, or even push the much younger promotion out of existence. Indeed, it’s telling that while WWE has brokered more and more deals in sharing talent with TNA, acquiring AAA, and giving indies WWE ID designations, WWE and AEW have pointedly not worked together.
WWE’s Counter-programming Efforts
In the early stages of AEW’s run, a Wednesday night war emerged, with WWE running NXT on the same night as AEW Dynamite. It’s hard to say if this was as much a competitive choice on the part of WWE as incidental programming by network TV partners. Regardless, AEW surprised some fans in, by most metrics, winning this war. NXT ultimately moved to Tuesday nights.
The last year has seen WWE more pointedly go up against AEW, though, announcing its NXT Great American Bash and women’s Evolution events on the same day as AEW All In Texas, NXT Heatwave opposite AEW Forbidden Door and, most recently a major new event in WrestlePalooza against AEW All Out in September.
One might dismiss any given one of these choices as a coincidence and a sign of WWE not caring about whether it clashes with AEW. The steady pattern, however, suggests that WWE brass is making aggressive competitive choices to undercut AEW’s PPV buys.
Competing For Talent
Regardless of whether WWE has been or continues to compete with AEW programming, there remains the matter of talent. There have, predictably, been some talents who’ve bounced between promotions like Andrade, Rusev, and Aleister Black. More notably, though, each promotion has “won out” in acquiring some talents it looks as though the other promotion would have liked to have secured like when Will Ospreay landed with AEW or Stephanie Vaquer chose WWE. There have also been instances in which one promotion secured a talent it seems clear the other would’ve liked to have kept.
On AEW’s side, Jon Moxley was an original score who helped legitimize the promotion when he opted not to re-sign with WWE and debuted AEW’s inaugural PPV. Bryan Danielson and Adam Copeland stand out as other marquee talents who openly chose AEW over WWE.
For WWE’s part, Cody Rhodes switching jerseys may have turned out to be the most monumental move in the competition between the promotions, but Pentagon and Rey Fenix also represent big shifts, and fresher talents like Mariah May, Ricky Saints, and Ethan Page have also done nicely in NXT since departing AEW.
CM Punk may be the most fascinating name to have bounced between WWE and AEW. He became one of the biggest stars in wrestling in WWE, then looked like a gamechanger for AEW before very public backstage issues led to a huge fallout. AEW fired him, but it’s nonetheless noteworthy that Punk has reemerged as one of WWE’s biggest stars since his return there in late 2023.
The Future Of WWE Vs. AEW
There are a lot of open questions about the future of AEW. With his considerable resources and devotion to wrestling, Tony Khan stands to keep the promotion going indefinitely. AEW’s outlook is unique though, in that it’s difficult to imagine what might become of the promotion without Khan at the helm.
There isn’t any reason to think Khan is going anywhere anytime soon, though, and given his explicit animosity toward WWE, AEW may be the one promotion WWE will definitively not open its “forbidden door” to. The rumor mill suggests part of WWE’s vision for its dealings with TNA is to reassert the promotion as the number two wrestling company in the world, over AEW, up to and potentially including trying to spark a ratings war between the companies that leverages WWE resources in TNA’s favor.
In the meantime, AEW’s success on HBO Max and creatively fulfilling 2025 give reasons for optimism. The smart money looks to be with WWE and AEW remaining in more ore less stasis for years to come as the number one and two wrestling promotions, lowkey competing but unlikely to rekindle the heights of the WWE vs. WCW war of the 1990s.