3 Top storylines WWE may have copied from AEW
WWE and AEW are currently the top two wrestling promotions in North America. While the former has been a sports wrestling juggernaut since the mid-20th century, the latter was founded in 2019 by Tony Khan and a few wrestlers. In just six years, the Jacksonville-based company has become World Wrestling Entertainment's fierce rival.
WWE recently organized WrestleMania 41 from Las Vegas, Nevada. While the two-night event underdelivered, fans still got to witness John Cena become Undisputed WWE Champion again. Interestingly, according to some fans, a few WWE storylines are quite similar to AEW's. The Stamford-based company will certainly not outrightly admit to 'copying' All Elite Wrestling, but some angles are very similar to its rivals.
Here are three top storylines WWE may have copied from All Elite Wrestling:
#3. Dynamite Diamond Ring and Crown Jewel ring
The Dynamite Diamond Ring was introduced by AEW in 2019. This piece of jewelry is now one of the company's most precious assets. Interestingly, former AEW World Champion MJF has been the only recipient of this ring. In 2024, WWE introduced the Crown Jewel Championships and Crown Jewel rings for men and women.
The concept of the Crown Jewel rings is inspired by the Super Bowl rings. However, it simply can't be ignored that AEW introduced this idea to professional wrestling first. Triple H may have come up with the Crown Jewel rings after seeing the success of the Dynamite Diamond Ring.
#2. FTR's attack on AEW Collision and Gunther's attack on Pat McAfee on RAW after WrestleMania 41
At WrestleMania 41, Gunther was dethroned by Jey Uso as the World Heavyweight Champion. This was an unexpected moment, as for several months, it looked like the former Walter was invincible. The Ring General was furious with this result, and on this week's RAW, he snapped. He first put his hands on veteran commentator Michael Cole before Pat McAfee intervened. This led to Gunther choking out the sports analyst with The Sleeper Hold.
This was quite a shocking and entertaining segment. However, according to many fans, it was similar to FTR's attack on Tony Schiavone on Collision earlier this month. The only difference was that Schiavone was rescued by McGuinness, but nobody could stop Gunther from brutalizing McAfee.
#1. Paul Heyman's faction and The Don Callis Family
At WrestleMania 41, Paul Heyman betrayed both CM Punk and Roman Reigns and allied with Seth Rollins. Furthermore, this week on RAW, Heyman and Rollins recruited former Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker to their new faction. This new storyline has immense potential. However, All Elite Wrestling fans were quick to notice that this angle was quite similar to the one involving The Don Callis Family.
Like Paul Heyman, Don Callis has also been recruiting top All Elite Wrestling stars to his faction. Currently, the AEW group consists of Callis, Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Trent Beretta, Lance Archer, Brian Cage, Mark Davis, Josh Alexander, and Rocky Romero. If The Wiseman's new faction keeps expanding like the All Elite Wrestling group, it will be clear that the Stamford-based company has copied the Tony Khan-led company's idea.