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For years, WWE was the undisputed industry leader and ran almost a monopoly with regard to doing business in the world of pro wrestling. While they're still perched atop that pedestal, there's another company that's rising quick and fast, nipping at their heels.
This company is All Elite Wrestling, a company that has been doing everything right since its inception. Powered by the business acumen of The Elite and strengthened by the financial stability of the Khan family, they could be the first company to make alarm bells ring for WWE.
Why should a globally recognized enterprise be afraid of what is essentially a promotion that is one show old thus far? In this article, let me detail 5 reasons why this could potentially be the case.
I would, of course, love to hear your take on this and invite you to send in your opinions on the matter in the comments section below.
#5 Repeat success
Sure, All Elite Wrestling's inaugural event 'Double or Nothing' was a success, as was the pilot, if you will with 'All In', but WWE could have dismissed them as flukes. The very fact that All Out sold out in just 15 minutes is an indicator that they do have some momentum going.
Cody and The Young Bucks are certainly doing something right if you consider the fact that they've tapped into the pulse of the adult male demographic, something that WWE has constantly been losing. WWE has been foraying into the realm of family entertainment and in the eyes of many has lost the edge that it once had.
There is no doubt that AEW is on a hot streak which should continue all the way to their weekly TV deal when the show finally airs in October. WWE could be worried.
#4 WWE's own constantly declining numbers
The erosion of numbers for WWE has been a long process. But the fact that RAW and SmackDown Live are doing only a fraction of the numbers that they once did should be extremely scary for WWE. Sure, a lot of content is not consumed on television as it once was, but still, the decline in viewership for WWE has been absolutely staggering.
And now, WWE's live attendance isn't very strong either. Jim Ross recently spoke about how WWE cannot sell out Madison Square Garden anymore these days. And it is a well-known fact that ticket sales for Stomping Grounds have been disappointing, to say the least.
WWE has an abundance of talent but because of their booking, none of them are draws anymore. On the other hand, someone like Dustin Rhodes, who was an afterthought in WWE is a star in All Elite Wrestling.
#3 The atmosphere in the WWE locker room
We all know that multiple members of the WWE locker room are unhappy at this point in time. Whether it is someone like Luke Harper, who requested his release but has not been granted the same, or even someone presumably like EC3, whose lack of enthusiasm has become a viral GIF, it is abundantly clear that they'd all rather be a part of AEW.
WWE is still the top of the food chain. But as has been the case with some of my own interactions with the people that make it to the Performance Center, a lot of them realize that there are just very limited spots for the talent in the company.
The atmosphere in the WWE locker room isn't the best right now. There are many reports about Superstars biding their time for their contracts to run out so they can jump ship.
#2 Social media goodwill for All Elite Wrestling
Let me say at the very beginning that I do not condone this kind of behavior on Twitter at all. Twitter trolls are disgusting, especially when it concerns a father expressing his love for his children, even if they are McMahons. But let me follow that up by saying that this Tweet inspired this article.
There are trolls all over Twitter that just hijack WWE posts and reply with how well All Elite Wrestling is doing. There is such a great deal of goodwill for a company that is just one show old, that it is quite staggering indeed. There are even Tweets from fans on posts by the WWE roster, that's either telling Sasha Banks or members of The Revival to head to AEW.
Social media is the name of the game in today's world. Which is why WWE could be worried.
#1 The reach and distribution
The general consensus right now is that Impact Wrestling is putting on some of the best television that it has in its illustrious history, on a weekly basis. However, because it does not really have a strong television deal, it is hardly going to be competition for WWE.
AEW, on the other hand, has a deal that guarantees that it is available in almost as many homes in the United States as WWE. Moreover, in the United Kingdom, it is going to be available in a lot more homes than its competition.
This should prove to WWE that this is not an outlaw promotion with a small chance of success but instead it is a big-time player with knowledgeable people at the helm who know what they're doing. And this could cause alarm bells to ring quite significantly.
Do you think that Vince McMahon finally has competition?
