Is WWE's indifference to the independent wrestling media costing them?

Let's one thing out of the way first. WWE loves mainstream media attention. Every now and then, you'll see the company gleefully gloating about their social media reach and mainstream media sites covering their events on RAW and SmackDown.

WWE doesn't just want to limit themselves to Sports Entertainment ( or as we marks call it, professional wrestling) but rather, they want themselves to be referred to as global media and entertainment company (that's what at least Wikipedia calls them).

While the company will show you notable media sites like ESPN, CBS Sports, and Bleacher Report have covered their events or broke a major story with regards to the company, they have remained indifferent or dismissive of the independent/alternative wrestling media. There has been an exponential rise in the number of news sites covering wrestling who have a sizeable number of audience who follow their coverage of the business.

We've heard stories about WWE not letting their Superstars appear on a specific platform (Cough, Cough, Talk is Jericho) or them not being accommodating to let a media house cover their event or interview their Superstars.

Looking to travel and do in person interviews with wrestlers, since WWE doesn't seem keen on giving wrestling reporters that access. Who do you want to see me interview?

— Sean Ross Sapp of Raptors Fandom And Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) June 17, 2019

While it is totally WWE's decision whether or not to allow their Superstars to appear on certain platforms, it does end up painting the company in a bad light, at the end of the day.

AEW, on the other hand, has had a smart and sound strategy when it comes to handling the online wrestling media. They have pretty open and have had them cover their hand. Starcast has been a huge success, thanks largely to the presence of all the major wrestling news outlets. The company has held pre and post-show media scrums and press conferences, which have been a huge PR boost for the company.

Take the case of PAC no-showing Double or Nothing, for example. If the same would've happened with a superstar in WWE, we would have had tons of pieces and insiders reports regarding it with some being critical of the company's work culture.

Now, we are not implying that both these cases are of the same nature but it cannot be argued that AEW's good will within the online wrestling media has helped them get away with certain things, unlike WWE, who have been taken to the cleaners, sometimes rightly so, by these outlets.

We hope that Vince McMahon realizes the power of these outlets and how much influence they have over the hardcore wrestling fans. WWE's hardcore fanbase is eroding rapidly with every passing day and while they have a considerable amount of casual fans, the term " casual" itself suggests that such fans won't follow the product on a regular basis. The company needs to build a healthy relationship with the online wrestling media outlets, which is only going to help them in the long run.