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WWE's viewership has been relatively inconsistent since AEW's formation in 2019. However, ECW veteran Tommy Dreamer pointed out that a recent change in the company might swing things out of AEW's favor.
While fans online seem to be largely divided when it comes to the impact AEW has had on the wrestling industry, quite a number of wrestlers have flocked to the promotion since 2019. The company has snagged multiple stars from WWE, however earlier this year Vince McMahon's company re-signed Cody Rhodes, one of the biggest names and founders of AEW.
During the most recent episode of Busted Open Radio, Tommy Dreamer discussed how WWE's recent decision to return to a TV-14 rating instead of being PG could be bad news for AEW.
"What they’re doing is working, because now WWE also realizes ‘Hey, we gotta go to TV14. And don’t think that’s not in everybody’s mind," Dreamer said. "The one thing I do worry about - if I’m AEW - now WWE is TV14, that’s a whole other story." (07:27 onward)
Dreamer spoke about how the company handled things when he signed with them after ECW, pointing out that Vince McMahon always planned for the long term.
"The first time I got to WWE and they made us do a walk through down the steps, and I was like ‘do they think we’re stupid?’ They really just did it for camera angles. I was just like ‘man, this place sucks!’ Then I realized what they were doing it for." (07:47 onward)
AEW has been able to draw the majority of hardcore wrestling fans, especially due to their usage of blood and profanity. Now that their biggest competitor and oldest wrestling promotion has stepped into their yard, could AEW finally be in for some serious trouble?
Need to catch up on the latest AEW Dynamite results? Check them out via this link.
Could WWE's TV-14 rating entice AEW stars to jump over to the promotion?
AEW has been TV-14 ever since its inception, and this allows the promotion to have bloody and violent matches as well as more profane language. Stars like Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston thrive in this environment, as they're able to live their wrestling dreams just the way they've always wanted to.
Since the worldwide leader in sports entertainment is returning to its TV-14 roots, could fans see the re-emergence of Attitude/Ruthless Aggression Era television? With this change, do you think the promotion could recruit the likes of Wardlow and Jade Cargill? Give your thoughts in the comments below!
Please credit Busted Out Radio and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
