"It's not Triple H" - WWE reportedly wants to end AEW, and one man sees no issue with TKO's tactics

WWE has made no secret of its efforts to counter-program AEW. WWE's NXT Battleground went against AEW's Double or Nothing and Great American Bash was pitted against AEW pay-per-view All In last month.

This counter-programming strategy looks set to continue with NXT Heatwave airing on the same day as AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door. This has coincided with WWE's push for TNA to become the number two wrestling promotion, replacing AEW, according to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio (WOR).

Meltzer noted that WWE doesn't want Tony Khan's promotion to land another TV deal in order to put them out of business. While this strategy will raise a lot of eyebrows, former WWE writer Vince Russo sees no issues with it.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the veteran discussed WWE's efforts to counter AEW and said while his former employers aren't putting on good shows, he sees nothing wrong with their idea.

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"I think the show sucks. With that being said, I have no problem with what the WWE is doing as far as counterprogramming AEW, from a business point of view, I have absolutely no problem with it. Absolutely no problem with it. And bro, let's face it, man, if Vince McMahon were still in charge, maybe the philosophy would be a little bit different. But it's not Vince McMahon, it's not Triple H, it's TKO. So, it's TKO calling these shots," he said.

WWE is also set to air its Wrestlepalooza PLE against AEW's All Out PPV on September 20. There are reports that WWE's event will be headlined by John Cena taking on Brock Lesnar.

"So they're going to they're going to put WrestlePalooza against think it's All In and I think that's September 20th. Bro, I have no problem with that. I have no issue with that whatsoever. It is business," Russo added.

You can watch the video below:

Vince Russo said a lot of stars want to go to WWE

In his assessment, Vince Russo also talked about WWE having the upper hand when it comes to signing talent. He said their counter-programming efforts aren't because they don't want to compete with AEW for talent, but they also want no competition.

"It's not so much that they have to compete with AEW in getting talent because let's face it, a lot of wrestlers would prefer to go to WWE. To them, WWE is the mecca. Tony Khan is a billionaire. There's no question about that. But a lot of talent really want to go to WWE. And if WWE really wants a talent, they're going to fork over the money. But why should they fork over the money if they don't have to?" he pointed out.

WWE has seen some big names from AEW come over in the recent years. It remains to be seen how productive their counterp-programming against AEW turns out in the coming months.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit Vince Russo's The Brand podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik