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Let’s deal with the elephant in the room first. WWE (which is its own elephant in the room of the wrestling business) is a well-established giant, raking in billions of dollars in revenue through its lucrative network deals and dedicated audience. It’s the only wrestling company an average Joe knows about. And know about it he does, thanks to its flashy marketing and global presence. As to the other side of the ring…well, did you have to google AEW the first two times you heard about it? That’s the point.
But let’s not jump to conclusions. Not all is well with WWE, especially from a PR standpoint, and we have to look at the bigger picture. Times change, nothing is forever, and the new succeeds the old. So is the effective monopoly of WWE under serious threat? Is WWE a dinosaur waiting to be superseded by something better? And what novelties does AEW bring to the table? These and much more, as we discuss five things WWE can learn from AEW.
Investing in younger talent
Some WWE fans may not agree that the company doesn’t promote younger stars, citing Rezar and even Pete Dunne as examples. But regardless, AEW inarguably has a clear advantage in this regard. Now part of this comes with being a 2.5-year-old company, but AEW shows a clear willingness to elevate fresh faces into the spotlight and establish new names.
This comes with the disadvantage of new, unknown stars-to-be having no public appeal or dedicated fans, but it is a necessary practice to keep the sport moving forward. Every legend had to start from zero at some point and had been given a chance. A lesson WWE should draw from this is to quit clinging to their star performers only and spend more effort giving new kids a fighting chance. (pun intended) And by the way, if all this WWE talk made you think: ‘Can someone write my research paper?’, so you can go and enjoy the rerun of your favorite fight, hire a professional writer online. Sometimes it’s more productive in the long run to be less productive for a change.
Proper finishes
Almost all matches in AEW end with a submission or a pinfall. In contrast, WWE grew a habit of anticlimactic finishes via disqualification, which leaves fans feeling disappointed as if having been cheated on. No one like points wins in a boxing match; no one likes an F1 race ending under a safety car, and no one likes a FULLY SCRIPTED wrestling match finishing with a disqualification. WWE should take a cue from AEW and consistently give their fans proper closure after a fight they’ve been excitedly working up to for weeks. Case closed.
Loose schedule
Overworking their fighters is a well-known and highly criticized problem with the WWE.
Such a physically demanding job coupled with constant travel can wear out even the tough and seemingly unbreakable characters of the wrestling world. This high-intensity routine frequently leads to injuries and health problems in later life.
AEW, in comparison, has seemingly learned from its competitors’ mistakes and takes adequate rest time and the mental and physical health of its fighters much more seriously. They have been praised by fighters and fans alike for their considerate approach and spaced-out schedule that gives their guys plenty of time to blow off steam. Should you, a college student, need to blow off some steam of your own, wondering, ‘who can write my dissertation for me?’, trust the writing experts and relax, knowing your work is in the right hands.
Interesting and layered characters
A lot of WWE characters are awesome, solidifying their rightful place as legends of the sport. But many others are overexaggerated and similar. People have started to notice a lazy and formulaic approach to character-building. AEW, on the other hand, shows a habit of coming up with original and evolving characters that fans quickly fall in love with. Don’t get us wrong, down-to-earth and realistic personas have no place in wrestling; if you’re looking for realism, you should ditch wrestling altogether and learn MMA instead. But creating new and interesting faces will go a long way in drawing new audiences and even steal ones over from WWE. WWE definitely has some catch-up to do regarding originality.
Do your talking on the ring!
AEW usually opens its broadcast with matches and takes care of trash talk and other show elements within the ring, while WWE shows feature a lot more side quests and distractions outside the ring. While a healthy build-up and context are important to draw in audiences’ interest, WWE viewers could benefit from more ring time and fewer bits. Off-the-ring scenes are like story portions of a videogame – necessary in small doses, annoying when dragged out.
Bottom line
At the beginning of the article, we compared WWE and AEW as if it’s one or the other. But the truth is they both have competitive advantages over the other, as well as a significant overlap in their target audience and approach to conducting business. The entertainment world has a place for both of them, and they can learn from each other’s mistakes and best practices to grow mutually and, instead of fighting for the same crowd, draw in new audiences and expand the wrestling sport as a whole with shared effort.
Ruby Butz is a social media strategist with a passion for sports. She has helped many up-and-coming startups build and grow an online presence and reach out to their target audience. Ruby is an amateur basketball player and enjoys watching a multitude of sports with her colleagues and friends in her spare time.