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What's the story?
Ever since All Elite Wrestling became a reality, it has popped up as a viable alternative for not only fans but also unhappy wrestlers.
After the success of Double or Nothing last week, rumors from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter are stating that some WWE stars - ranging from the main roster to NXT - have inquired about going to AEW. WrestlingNews.co carried news of the rumors from the Wrestling Observer.
In case you didn't know...
As AEW starts out as a brand new wrestling promotion, those that have already been established, like the WWE, are having to deal with competition like WCW that they haven't seen in over 15.
The success of AEW's first PPV, Double or Nothing, has a lot of other Superstars looking outside of their current options.
Some wrestlers who aren't being used might want to work elsewhere. They also might not want to miss out on the boom in the business that has been happening over the last five years.
The heart of the matter
AEW's emergence combined with WWE's issues with declining ratings has forced the biggest wrestling promotion in the world to change up how it operates.
Instead of simply releasing any talent that asks for a release, they are now offering larger sums than usual in order to get them to stay. WWE doesn't want to release a wrestler only for them to turn up in AEW eventually.
A report from WrestlingInc.com via the Wrestling Observer from a few days ago rumored that several current WWE stars were 'considering options outside of the company.' Superstars who aren't being used might be looking for alternatives if they haven't been used since WrestleMania 35.
Dave Meltzer noted in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that there might be a few reasons that some Superstars are interested in leaving WWE for AEW. One that the report mentions is that Tony Khan has said that he wants a lighter road schedule for wrestlers so that they have more time to rest.
The report also revealed that while speaking on Wade Keller's podcast, Jon Moxley suggested that WWE alter their road schedule in order to allow Superstars more time off. Moxley also revealed that some stars were working house shows a week before WrestleMania.
WrestlingNews.co also stated that another aspect that was rumored in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter was that 'the feeling among people in NXT is that it will take longer to get to the main roster and it’s harder to become a star in WWE because of how things are done.'
The handling of both Ricochet and EC3 are said to both been behind some of the reluctance of NXT stars due to EC3 getting next to no exposure or push while Ricochet has been in the midst of 50/50 booking lately as a singles wrestler.
Another reason that some WWE stars might be looking to head elsewhere comes from former WWE Superstars Dustin Rhodes and Chris Jericho as both men claimed that several current WWE employees contacted each of them following Double or Nothing.
What's next?
Things are going to continue to heat up between both WWE and AEW. WWE doesn't want to lose any ground to a new promotion, but the competition will hopefully cause the juggernaut to reexamine its structuring.
It needs to truly fix/address the problems that caused them to lose the faith of some Superstars. It is hard to please everyone all of the time, but things could have been handled a little better.
