This is quick approaching being the wildest week within the historical past {of professional} wrestling, rivaling WWE’s buy of WCW in 2001. Less than a day faraway from rumors that Vince McMahon was on the verge of promoting WWE to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, new experiences have emerged that AEW proprietor Tony Khan, and his father (Jaguars proprietor Shad Khan) have made a merger proposal that will see the Khans purchase into WWE and produce collectively the 2 largest skilled wrestling corporations on the planet.
Reports of a possible merger are being met with shock, pleasure, and a heaping serving to of acrimony. Tribalism inside the 2 manufacturers over the past 4 years has been one of the crucial poisonous parts {of professional} wrestling fandom — with a vocal minority on all sides attacking one another over who’s “better,” and defending their favored model prefer it was a sovereign nation.
The fact is, WWE and AEW have two very completely different approaches to skilled wrestling, catering to completely different audiences. WWE’s focus stays on mainstream mindshare, making itself synonymous with wrestling to a large viewers, and tailoring its programming to a broad age group. AEW, however, has reduce its enamel catering to hardcore, area of interest wrestling followers — who predominantly rejected WWE’s broad strategy and had been both lapsed wrestling followers, or pivoted to watching unbiased or Japanese wrestling because of this.
A future the place these two visions merge is horrifying, it’s additionally thrilling. It may be the perfect factor to occur to the enterprise, or absolutely the worst. There are so many variables right here that it’s price diving into the transferring components and exploring what a merger of this nature would imply for wrestling.
Competition is sweet. Consolidation is dangerous
This is the most important, and finest argument towards a possible merger between the 2 manufacturers. When it grew to become clear following AEW’s launch that there was sufficient of an viewers to maintain it afloat, competitors compelled WWE to carry its sport.
For, actually the vast majority of the 2010s, WWE was largely stagnant. The firm had three accepted “eras” over this time, the PG period, actuality TV period, and the New Era — however all three washed collectively to make a reasonably disagreeable soup. The firm concurrently tried to place itself as programming for youngsters, an extension of actuality TV, whereas additionally a severe wrestling firm. The end result was bland. Most die-hard wrestling followers discovered themselves transferring over to observe NXT, WWE’s developmental model, whereas rankings steadily dropped for the corporate’s two marquee reveals, RAW and Smackdown.
Being pressured by AEW vastly improved the product of WWE correct. Early makes an attempt to problem AEW by placing NXT head-to-head towards Dynamite within the “Wednesday Night Wars” failed for WWE, with AEW routinely beating its competitors. This led to centered efforts to make the WWE product higher, and this largely succeeded.
Young wrestlers had been introduced as much as the primary roster to offer alternatives to new expertise. Storylines grew to become deeper, and dealt with with extra care than previous to AEW’s launch, and the collective success of each wrestling firm, all the best way all the way down to the unbiased scene, led many to calling this the “Golden Era,” as a result of basically each wrestling fan can discover a thriving firm producing the form of content material they take pleasure in.
There’s important concern that with out competitors the motivation for enchancment disappears. It might result in transfer again to a mindset that favors coasting over innovation — not only for WWE, however AEW as properly. AEW would have considerably much less strain in pushing itself with out looming TV rights agreements ready for them, with broader rights negotiated for either side of the corporate.
It doesn’t matter what trade you’re in, or which model you assist: Competition is sweet. Pressure forces innovation, and any time we see massive conglomeration from opponents it tends to lead to customers shedding out on the again finish.
That stated, AEW getting concerned is MUCH higher than Saudi Arabia shopping for WWE
There is completely little question that the worst attainable final result of a WWE sale can be seeing Saudi Arabia management the corporate. We’ve mentioned the myriad the reason why this could be horrible, and nothing has modified on that entrance.
If you’re taking a look at a choice sheet of what can be finest for the enterprise it might in all probability go:
No. 1: Media firm buys WWE
No. 2: Investment firm buys WWE
No. 3: WWE merges with AEW
…
No. 999: Saudi Arabia buys WWE
A merger might be an enormous boon for employee rights
Unquestionably the worst enterprise observe WWE continues is the way it treats its employees. For years WWE has bent tax legal guidelines to categorise its wrestlers as “independent contractors.” This has absolved WWE from a majority of employment productions granted to full-time staff, together with not offering advantages — whereas additionally someway guaranteeing its unbiased contractors can’t work for every other firm, or pursue income streams exterior of WWE.
This is a routine criticism of WWE’s practices, and stays in place largely out of concern from wrestlers they’ll’t discover employment elsewhere, or the idea that any problem would get buried within the courtroom system — with WWE finally profitable by attrition.
Meanwhile, AEW has been lauded since its inception for its worker rights. Many wrestlers are both true unbiased contractors who’re in a position to work for different wrestling corporations and pursue their very own unbiased bookings, or occupy full time positions inside the corporate the place they complement their in-ring work with workplace duties, artistic duties, or organizational duties.
In addition, a lot is manufactured from the lighter AEW work schedule. Rather than expertise being anticipated to wrestle 2-3 instances per week both on TV or in untelevised home reveals, wrestlers historically work one match per week at most. In addition the corporate operates virtually seasonally, with the time between every quarterly pay per view being a possibility to rotate out expertise, let some wrestlers get important relaxation, and showcase different employees — significantly within the decrease to center playing cards.
There’s lots of hope that merging the 2 corporations might result in standardization of labor practices — which might extra possible see WWE undertake a few of AEW’s insurance policies than the inverse. This can be the most important bounce to employee rights WWE wrestlers have ever seen, and vastly enhance their high quality of life.
This might be sensible, if the manufacturers keep separate
If this merger had been to occur, either side must study from the sins of the previous. One of the most important errors in wrestling historical past comes from the mishandling of the WCW “Invasion,” which took one of the crucial memorable angles in wrestling historical past and turned it into an utter mess.
When the mud settles it was clear that the higher path would have been to maintain WCW as a separate model, however with WWE’s stability and administration to vary its route — somewhat than attempt to combine WCW expertise into WWE and watering down the product because of this.
This is a really completely different scenario. Neither firm is failing, however the level stays: AEW and WWE have to stay separate entities with virtually no crossover. These are two completely different TV audiences who don’t must really feel pressured into having to observe 4-5 nights of wrestling per week simply to really feel like they understand how tales are progressing.
The exception can, and needs to be uncommon marquee dream matches — or doubtlessly a once-per-year tremendous present, the place expertise face off no matter model. Who doesn’t wish to see Ricochet vs. Ray Fenix, or Kenny Omega wrestle Sami Zayn?
Dream matches can be wonderful — offered there’s restraint in nonetheless retaining every core viewers.
Could this truly occur?
Honestly, I don’t know. At this level the ability seems to be in Vince McMahon’s palms, and he’ll must reply to reply the query “What’s more important: Ego or legacy?”
McMahon’s legacy took a deserved hit with particulars surrounding his sexual misconduct and hush cash funds that resulted in him strolling away from in shame in 2022. If he had been to promote his firm to Saudi Arabia it might solidify his disdain for followers and the trade. It would protect his ego, nonetheless, permitting him to exit on his phrases and by his personal hand.
Merging with AEW is an inverse choice. This would undoubtedly be seen as a “loss” for McMahon’s ego, basically promoting a part of his firm and shedding management to a smaller competitor. However, it might protect the long-term way forward for WWE and hold it as a US-based firm, which might massively profit how McMahon is considered far into the long run.
With all of the elements at play a possible merger between AEW and WWE feels very, most unlikely — but it surely’s one thing to observe, as a result of talks seem like taking place. This would change the way forward for wrestling perpetually. Whether that’s a great or dangerous factor is as much as you.