5 Ways AEW can be a worthy competition for the WWE

Ever since WWE turned to a more family friendly content and sports entertainment took over pro-wrestling, the fans have been waiting for a refreshing change.

All Elite Wrestling has proved to be a breath of fresh air into the pro-wrestling industry after their successful Double or Nothing event.

They are taking pro-wrestling fans down the memory lane by bringing back the ruthless aggression that once surrounded the industry. They are proving they can be the change the industry badly needed.

WWE has been the monopoly in pro-wrestling, or should I say sports entertainment, for quite a while and AEW will try to take that status away from the world’s largest wrestling promotion.

With just one show under the AEW banner, the new promotion has been the talking point among the wrestling fans. Watching Double or Nothing gave us the feels of going back to WWE’s attitude era, where the company never cared about sponsors or merchandise sales.

With AEW providing a fresh alternative for wrestling fans all over the world, let’s look at how they can prove themselves as worthy competition for the WWE.

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#5 Equal Pay & Creative Freedom for the Wrestlers

EC3 has been the Victim of bad creative direction.

We all know WWE provides their talent with the best pay in the industry. But better pay doesn’t mean better creative direction. WWE has been signing a lot of talents as of late, and the reason behind that is to prevent them from signing with rival promotions.

Having a large amount of talent on the roster, not everyone can afford to get a push. There is only one main-event spot, and there is room only for a handful of wrestlers.

Wrestlers had nowhere to go that would pay them as much as they get in the WWE. But rumors say AEW is offering contracts to their wrestlers on-par with the WWE.

If the rumors are true, AEW will not only prove as a fresh alternative to the fans but also to the wrestlers.

Talking about creative freedom, Jon Moxley fka Dean Ambrose revealed on the Talk is Jericho podcast on how EC3 got buried after their feud.

EC3 reinvented himself in TNA after his disastrous first run in the WWE as Derrick Bateman. When he returned to the WWE, the fans were expecting big things for him only to see him get buried.

We all saw what Moxley could do with the creative freedom he has in AEW. He could express himself freely and seemed to be more comfortable with what he was doing. It’s possible that many among the WWE roster would love to follow Moxley’s foot-steps once their contracts are up.

#4 Better Storylines & Matches

Possibly the best match of Double or Nothing.

AEW proved they could come up with better storylines and matches with the match between Cody and Dustin at Double or Nothing. If you'd ask me, I'd say the match created an impact similar to the Becky Lynch storyline leading to WrestleMania.

Sean Waltman on the latest X-Pac 12360 labeled the Cody vs. Dustin match as the best match of Double or Nothing. He heaped praises on the brothers, especially on Dustin on how he was able to pull it off.

Apart from this match, they have an impressive world title picture set up with "Hangman" Adam Page, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and MJF.

All these have increased the expectations for their next PPV “All Out” scheduled on August 31st at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago.

Double or Nothing received rave reviews from the fans worldwide, and AEW will look to carry the momentum to "All Out" to cement their place as WWE’s toughest competition yet.

#3 Bringing in more Pro-Wrestling Legends

We did not see that coming!

One of the significant talking points of Double or Nothing is WWE legend and Hall of Famer Bret Hart appearing on the show.

The Canadian wrestling legend made a surprise appearance at Double or Nothing to reveal the new AEW World Championship.

Hart's appearance took the fans by surprise as he just got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of the Hart Foundation a month ago.

It's not the first time WWE legends have made appearances on rival promotions. We have seen the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair & Mick Foley appear on TNA.

Bringing in more pro-wrestling legends catches the attention of the fans, especially the adult fans, and will get them to tune into the shows regularly.

AEW have identified that and might look to recruit more pro-wrestling legends down the road.

#2 Better Title Belt Designs

A piece of art!

Bret Hart unveiled the AEW World Championship to the fans at Double or Nothing, and I should say it has lived up to the expectations. A closer look will make you fall in love with the title immediately.

Some would say it’s not the design of the title that matters but the prestige it brings upon its holder. That is partially true, but in this era of pro-wrestling, the title belts have to look good to please the fans and to make the holder look good.

WWE has had tough times doing that starting from the Universal Championship to the newest 24/7 Championship. The fans have vocally expressed their dislike on the designs of the titles.

It’s safe to say that AEW has hit a homerun with their World Championship design. It’s sure they will look to do the same job when they reveal their other titles.

#1 TV-14

Back in the old days!

The reason behind the success of the Attitude Era is its edgier content. Most wrestling fans have been looking for such program that defined pro-wrestling back in the days.

We can’t expect WWE to go hardcore once again because of the troubles with their sponsors and merchandise sales. But AEW is the new kid on the block which does not have to worry about any of that.

The fans are growing tired of watching multi men & women tag team matches and watch wrestlers act like superheroes for the kids. The need for real wrestling to take over sports entertainment has never been so high.

AEW has confirmed their programming will be TV-14 on a promotional video for the Double or Nothing event, and this has increased the stakes for the new promotion.

WWE is already in a dilemma with their ratings and will have to step up their game if they want to prevent their viewers from jumping ships to their new competition.