Once again Team SLTD have gotten together, and this time to give our thoughts on All Elite Wrestling.
As an added bonus we also have the official statement from All Elite Wrestling’s Shan & Tony Khan below our thoughts.
@Tybo_SLTD (Tybo Talks…)
I honestly don’t think there has ever been this much hype around a wrestling company that has essentially done nothing yet. This shows the true media power of genuine fan support for a true alternative to the powerhouse that is WWE. I hope AEW does well, and grows into something great, I think the fact that it’s essentially The Bullet Club at the helm says that every fanboy will say AEW is the greatest thing to happen to wrestling just because it’s not WWE.
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, I have heard that they are looks for TV deals, and signing up everyone they can from anywhere they can. There is no news yet on if there will be a weekly TV show the likes of Raw or they will go down the NJPW route and be more focused on the PPV aspect of things. Also being in the UK the prospect of an international TV is always important, or would they have their own streaming service, or more likely stream on the ‘Fite Network’.
When it comes down to brass tack, I don’t think AEW with compete with the true scope of WWE, WWE is not just a wrestling company and fans who are expecting a new company to compete with a company that has been around (in some form) since the 1950’s is incredibly small minded. That being said, the wrestling landscape will change with another company vying for the number two spot, meaning everyone including WWE will have to up their game.
Whatever happens this it’s only a good thing to help the wrestling industry thrive, 2018 was the most interesting year in wrestling for a long time, and 2019 is set to be just as wild.
@callumowen98 (The Wrestling Brain)
On January 1st Cody Rhodes, Young Bucks and Hangman Page officially revealed their new venture, AEW. It had been rumoured for months prior that Tony Khan son of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shadid Khan wanted to fund a new wrestling business and after the success of ‘All In’ the members of The Elite were closely linked with the project.
Alongside The Elite names such as Jim Ross and Chris Jericho could be involved in some fashion, so this could be huge and could provide for some legitimate competition for WWE and 2019 will be a very intriguing year in the world of pro wrestling.
What needs to happen for AEW to be a massive success? One answer CM Punk!
Imagine the scenes if Punk makes his return to wrestling, this would send major shockwaves in the wrestling community and send a huge message to WWE, almost every wrestling fan wants to see Punk wrestle again so if AEW has guys like Omega, Bucks, Y2J, Page, Cody and CM Punk on their roster then I believe they could compete with WWE.
@TownNation (The Fox Files)
All Elite Wrestling I think honestly will be groundbreaking not just for the promotion itself, but for the whole of professional wrestling. This would be a chance for not only top superstars to go to the promotion, but also to have superstars around the world who may not get opportunities, to already have a spot in AEW.
I honestly think the comparison between AEW and WWE will make AEW competition. We all know that WWE’s booking decisions recently have being, pretty odd. We have seen however other promotions such as NJPW who always deliver. And I think AEW will be on NJPW level and deliver in all aspects
@ColinHebertSLTD (The Curtain Jerker)
I believe AEW is fantastic for the wrestling industry. More promotions mean more options and more opportunities for the performers. AEW also has some really good financial backing in the Khan family, owners of the Jacksonville Jaguars. They have a net worth of approximately $5 billion, but the success of AEW all depends on how much they are willing to spend.
I also believe people need to temper their expectations. For AEW to compete directly with WWE, it may not happen while members of “Being The Elite” are active performers. I am positive that they can draw 12,000 fans to an arena for shows 4 times a year, but at this moment, I don’t know yet if they have the ability to do that weekly or monthly. There might not be enough talent out there to sign to move them to that. Yet.
@stoughe (The Wrestling Guild Podcast | The Digital Corner)
In the early eighties the WWF effectively killed the territories. All that was left after the massacre was a heavily diminished indie circuit and NWA. The history of wrestling from this time up until the late nineties is known to all and most of us have an emotional connection to those various eras.
When WCW and ECW folded there was a vacuum that could not be filled by the small promotions strewn about the country. That was when companies like ROH and TNA took it upon themselves to be the home of the outcasts. As the mismanaged TNA promotion started its rise and decline the territories returned to become an alternative to the alternative and thus the old form returned.
AEW is proof positive of this trend. To start a new promotion is no joke. Just listen to the excellent podcast The Card is Going to Change as it details the trials and tribulations of AIW in Cleveland, but to open it up with such fanfare and with the backing of a billionaire and huge indie stars at the helm is something else entirely.
It is interesting to ponder what AEW might mean to the rest of the wrestling community in North America. If people expect them to be a threat to the WWE then it is going to take quite a bit. TNA was seen as a viable contender, but could not hack it, Ring of Honor has become a sort of farming funnel and New Japan is too niche to be any kind of competitor.
What is it then that AEW can bring to the now close to oversaturated wrestling table? It changes the landscape. It means that companies like ROH and Impact have to step up their game and lock down talent. It also means that new talent can rise to the top. As WWE, ROH, Impact and AEW deplete the pool, new contenders may well step up and fill the void. Those who have not been given a chance before.
Those who have been produced by the wrestling schools attached to Wrestlepro, Chikara and AIW. How wonderful wouldn’t it be to finally see Hallowicked, Orange Cassidy, John Silver or Dasher Hatfield on a grander stage, maybe even on national TV.
In the end I believe that, while AEW will not directly give WWE a run for their money as it pertains to crowds or sales, it will force wrestling to change and go in a much needed, younger direction. To go to a place where TNA and ROH were and blazed a trail through.
The Official AEW Statement
SHAD KHAN STATEMENT ON AEW, Tuesday, January 8, 2019
I am the lead investor, a supporter and a backer of All Elite Wrestling, and I anticipate great things today and into the future for AEW and everyone who has worked passionately on this week’s launch. I know AEW will be welcomed by wrestling fans here in the U.S. and throughout the world who are ready for something new and authentic. AEW will work hard to deliver on that promise.
As important, I am the father – the proud father – of Tony Khan, who will serve in a leadership role at AEW during the 2019 launch and in the years ahead. Tony will assemble a great team to take AEW over the top, for the benefit of everyone who loves the wrestling industry, while continuing to serve in his current capacities with the Jaguars and Fulham.
AEW will operate as an organization completely independently from my other interests. It will not deter attention or divert resources from any of my businesses, teams, projects or investments. At the same time, AEW will enjoy the same full commitment I given to everything and everyone in my life – my family and friends, my business and, in recent years, to sports, hospitality and now entertainment.
TONY KHAN STATEMENT ON AEW, Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Wrestling fans are a community unlike most others. I’ve been a part of this community since I was 7 years old, and I can tell you that wresting fans see the world every day through a special lens. We see wrestling in Hollywood films and tv shows, we see elements of wrestling in the presentation of sports and in the marketing of grandiose star athletes, and we certainly see wrestling in politics.
The wrestling community is a constant; its members are diverse, we are physically located on all corners of the planet, yet we are constantly connected. Recently, a new family has formed, bonded by love and respect for wresting but armed with a vision and resources that have never before been available to the wrestling community. Our objective is to connect our community closer than ever before through All Elite Wrestling, or AEW.
AEW does not mean any less of a continued commitment to existing obligations and duties that I have, or my family has, to our business and sports interests. That will never be the case. What’s important is that every individual decision we make as family, whether it’s ownership or investment in a team or property, is 100 percent beneficial to those specific interests. I will always welcome that accountability and responsibility, as nothing is more important than serving our supporters and friends.
AEW will launch with a roster of the top wrestlers in the world. While they’ll clash in what will be some of the most intense and fast-paced contests ever sanctioned in the squared circle, they’ll also share a common goal: to make this the true golden age, to make this the greatest time ever to be a wrestling fan. Likewise, as a business, by treating our wrestlers with respect and warmth, we also seek to make this the golden age for the performers themselves.
I urge everyone who believes in what we’re doing, or wants to believe in dreams coming true, to support AEW by spreading the word and passing the wrestling bug onto someone else. My message: Get in on the ground floor with AEW today and help lead our movement to grow the wrestling community and ensure that the voices of the wrestling fans, their creative minds and their remarkable ideas, will always be heard.
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