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AEW has been in existence for over 4 years and in that time, the company has managed to establish itself as a viable alternative to WWE.
Initially, the main event scene featured the likes of Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Kenny Omega. As the company grew, it managed to sign the likes of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, and other popular former WWE stars who boosted the profile of the company.
A number of legends have also crossed the divide to sign with the company, including Sting, Paul Wight, Mark Henry, and Christian Cage.
Given the brand exposure that All Elite Wrestling has on the Warner network, which other WWE legends are watching the product, and which ones do not watch or have ceased watching Dynamite or Rampage? Find out below.
#3. WWE legend who doesn't watch AEW - John Cena
John Cena is a 16-time WWE World Champion who was the face of the company for over a decade and is now a bonafide Hollywood star. While he is more of a part-time wrestler these days, he will still be appearing at WrestleMania 39 this weekend to challenge Austin Theory for the United States Championship.
Given his crazy schedule and various commitments, it's no surprise that the leader of the Cenation hasn't had the chance to watch AEW. During a recent appearance on Pardon My Take, John Cena admitted as much. However, he did take the time to give Tony Khan's company props:
"I haven't watched AEW. Do I think competition is good? I think competition is great... Whenever there is more buzz around the industry, it's good for the industry. It forces all of us to be at our best because if you're not, your segment is not good or your performance is not good, you may not have a future with the company and repeated bad segments from the group means the company isn't going to be good, which means the competition must succeed. Competition brings out the best in us," Cena said. (H/T Fightful)
Cena would know a thing or two about competition. During the Ruthless Aggression Era, former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon would split the company up into two brands, Raw and SmackDown, to help create competition within the organization.
During the early part of his career, the Doctor of Thuganomics would get his start on the Blue brand before he truly established himself as the Face That Runs The Place on Raw.
#2. WWE legend who watched AEW previously - The Undertaker
The Undertaker is a WWE Hall of Famer and is synonymous with the sports entertainment juggernaut. However, The Deadman has a rather interesting connection with AEW.
While he has mostly avoided talking about All Elite Wrestling in the past, one current AEW star he is a huge fan of is Ricky Starks. The former FTW Champion trained with The Phenom to help him prepare for his match against John Cena at WrestleMania 34 back in 2018.
Since then, the Demon of Death Valley has kept tabs on Stark's burgeoning career as he flourished in NWA before getting the chance on the national stage with All Elite Wrestling. The former Team Taz member paid tribute to the legend in a previous interview, stating:
"Taker’s like my guy. Taker’s my favorite wrestler of all time. The wildest thing is that as I got older, I actually met him. I had him watch one of my matches for the indies. I sparred with him in preparation for his match against John Cena at WrestleMania. I kept in touch with Taker still to this day when I see him, still the same, ‘Hey man, how you doing? I’m proud of you.’ That’s what he’s told me, he’s proud of me and I’m doing great so yeah, it’s really wild to go from that to sitting on a couch with [someone] that you loved when you were growing up." [H/T Post Wrestling]
It's pretty inspiring to see Taker help put over the next generation of wrestlers, even if they might not be a part of the current WWE system. It's clear that Ricky shares a bond with real-life Mark Callaway. To have such an industry giant pulling for you must be so surreal for Starks.
Whether The Undertaker watches the AEW product overall beyond Starks is anyone's guess, even though another fellow WWE Hall of Famer has hinted that the American Badass might not be watching it anymore.
#2. WWE legend who doesn't watch AEW - Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash recently took to Twitter to announce that he had made a pact with former WWE rival Stone Cold not to watch the AEW product. Whether it was seen as a rib or a serious proclamation is unknown at this point. However, it did cause a stir among the pro wrestling community, especially between WWE and All Elite Wrestling diehards.
During an episode of his Kliq THIS podcast, the NWO member said:
"I just want to go on record today. I have not watched AEW in months. It goes back to Steve Austin and I got a pact that he's not watching it, therefore I'm not watching it and what I can tell by Twitter is [Undertaker] is now not watching it. It's nothing against any of the talent over there, anybody that does anything over there. It's just something that we decided. It's like lent, you have to give things up so we did that. It doesn't change the fact that Kenny Omega is my favorite wrestler. Doesn't change that at all." [H/T WrestlingInc]
The All Elite Wrestling product hasn't been as exciting as it has been in previous years. It's a pretty damning indictment of the show's quality when a legend as well-regarded as Nash makes such a statement.
However, it's also interesting to note that the former Diesel is a fan of Kenny Omega, despite him being one of the most divisive wrestlers in the industry currently.
#1. WWE legend who watches AEW - The Rock
The Rock is one of the biggest Hollywood stars on the planet right now. Not only does he star in movies, but he also produces them and runs multiple businesses as well, including his Teremana tequila franchise and even the XFL.
It's no wonder The Great One hasn't managed to make an appearance in WWE since 2019 when he helped SmackDown debut on the Fox network. This was during the same year when All Elite Wrestling first started, which makes one wonder if the Brahma Bull has ever seen Dynamite or Rampage before.
During an Instagram live session back in 2020, the former WWE Champion revealed that he did in fact watch Tony Khan's programming. The Brahma Bull had nothing but positive words to say about WWE's rival company:
"Yeah, I watch AEW—of course I do. I'm very happy for the success of that company because it's always a good thing and it creates a hunger, which is good."
While The Rock is a bigger star at this point than even the whole wrestling industry, it's heartwarming to see the legend keep tabs on the business and acknowledge the competition.
#1. WWE legend who doesn't watch AEW - Stone Cold
If Kevin Nash is to be believed, Stone Cold is no longer watching All Elite Wrestling. This is quite a surprise as he has previously praised the product and even invited AEW personalities such as Tony Khan and Chris Jericho to his Broken Skulls Sessions podcast and show on the WWE Network.
He has made known his thoughts on All Elite Wrestling in the past and how excited he is that the company has emerged as an alternative to WWE:
"Man, I love it. I think it's competition by proxy just because they're wrestling, WWE's wrestling, but I don't think they're directly trying to compete. But in essence, they are and I love it because it gives more people within any of this jobs. It gives more people a chance to work. And it makes WWE, you know, forces them to push the envelope rather than just sit back and push out content. Competition makes everybody better." [H/T WrestlingInc]
The Rattlesnake made his long-awaited wrestling return in a match in the main event of WrestleMania Night 1 in Dallas, Texas last year. While there's no news on whether Steve Austin will appear on this year's show in Los Angeles, it would definitely be an awesome WrestleMania moment to hear the glass shatter one more time.
