On January 1, 2019, there was a huge event going on. No, I’m not talking about hangovers and New Year’s Day Bowl games. I’m talking about the announcement of a brand new wrestling promotion – All Elite Wrestling! The promotion, founded on the heels of “All In” being a massive success and Cody Rhodes being a global superstar, is being funded by Jacksonville Jaguars owner, Tony Khan. That’s pretty legit and I think the promotion is legit as well.
Here’s the roster as it stands today:
Male wrestlers
• Cody Rhodes
• The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson)
• Chris Jericho
• “Hangman” Adam Page
• Christopher Daniels
• Frankie Kazarian
• Scorpio Sky
• Joey Janela
• Maxwell Jacob Friedman
• PAC (formerly known as Neville in WWE)
• Cima
• El Lindaman
• T-Hawk
• Takehiro Yamamura
Female wrestlers
• Brandi Rhodes
• Britt Baker
• Penelope Ford
That’s pretty legit. Let’s dive in. Of course Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks are there – but CHRIS JERICHO?! And Neville?? They’re going hard and they’re coming straight for WWE. Plus – guess who is working as the producer? Mr. Ass, Billy Gunn!
AEW already has a second “PPV” planned – Double or Nothing and the promotion is working on a TV deal. But will this promotion be different than other ones and will it really rival WWE? Well, maybe?
The promotion promises that wins and losses will matter, something that is very obviously not the case in WWE. AEW also promises that people can cheer for whoever in the hell they want! Do you like the lowest of the low? Cheer for them! Do you love Cody Rhodes? Cheer for him! Plus, it looks like AEW will be working with other promotions to increase that roster size immediately.
It’s been a long time since the WWE has had any competition and the product has gotten a bit stale – maybe this is the shot in the arm the WWE needs to get things turned around. Regardless, I’ll be starting from the very beginning and following AEW to give everyone here an update.
Let me know – are you interested in AEW? Do you think they can rival WWE? Are we headed back to “Monday Night Wars”? Lots of questions and lots of excitement. Drop down in the comments and let me know what you think!
I’m more excited for this than Cousin Kyle was when he saw his first titty!
First off, I don’t think anyone will ever rival WWE. Given the financial backing here, and the passion for wrestling that the billionaire has (unlike Dixie Carter’s parents), I think they will come as close as anyone has since WCW. Well, that all hinges on a good TV deal, but rumors currently say they’re in talks with some major networks. I think that has always been one of TNA/Impacts biggest issues. Spike? Destination America? Now that they’re on Twitch, I’d probably argue that’s their best deal yet. Basically, I want AEW to be what Impact always wanted to be or claimed to be. They wanted to be an alternative to WWE, but I don’t think they ever lived up to it. AEW can be that show, especially given the roster they’ve already compiled, and they aren’t done yet. With Kenny Omega turning down an offer from WWE, it’s almost certain this is where he’s heading. Dare I say maybe even CM Punk could be interested, even if just for a few appearances? He never seemed to really say anything against being at All In, he just stated that they never gave him a legitimate offer.
For those involved, let’s hope this works out. If not, they all made huge mistakes not taking the WWE offers. While I don’t think Jericho will ever burn a bridge with WWE, I’m sure Vince isn’t as accepting of this move as he was with the NJPW deal. Omega and Cody both received main event level offers. But really, it’s the Young Bucks who received the greatest offer, possibly of all time. They were offered a three year deal, but it contained a clause that they could opt out after 6 months if they were unhappy with creative or their spot on the card. That’s insane! WWE never offers contracts like that. For the Bucks to not take a 6 month chance on a huge run, they really have to believe AEW is something special. I sure hope they’re right.
Read a Chris Jericho I terview stating that he talked to Vince before signing the deal and Vince was fine with it because business is business. Also, as much as I would love to see Punk back in a ring, I think he has been out too long to come back. Please please please prove me wrong on that though.