"There was no true competition"- Tony Khan explains why wrestling became less popular
Wrestling has lost a lot of its shine in the last decade. AEW boss Tony Khan thinks lack of competition is one of the reasons.
During the Monday Night Wars in the 90's, wrestling was at its peak. Even if one ignores the difference in television ratings, the product had a much stronger appeal.
WCW had arguably the hottest angle of all time with the nWo, while WWE witnessed the rise of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, two megastars to come out of wrestling.
the summer of ’97 in the WWF feat. the Hart Foundation was maybe the most I’ve ever loved wrestling. I was an American 15-year-old supporting the “anti-American” sentiment of that group because I couldn’t turn my back on Bret, my favorite wrestler.
Over the years, however, WWE seemingly adopted a casual booking approach because of the absence of any real competition, and this diluted the product.
Tony Khan discussed this issue with the New York Post:
"In wrestling, we’re worth more against each other... I believe there is greater value in the wrestling market when we’re fighting, and people want to see competition in wrestling... One of the reasons people lost interest in wrestling was because there was not true competition for 20 years."
Tony Khan believes AEW's rise has made wrestling exciting again
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According to Khan, AEW's rise as a promotion has provided competition to WWE. And this has made the wrestling business more exciting as a whole.
"Now with AEW in the mix and competition back in wrestling, I think there are more people excited about wrestling than there have been in a long time with the free-agent movement and good shows. At the end of the day, it has to be good shows. Through the 90's, there were a lot of great wrestling shows. Every week, every month, there would be great stories and great matches, and you couldn’t miss it. I think it’s starting to get that way again," Tony Khan said.
It's hard to argue with his assessment. AEW is the second-largest wrestling company in the world. Wrestling stars now know there is an alternative to WWE that has a great roster and excellent shows.
Other steps like cross-promotional shows, breaking down the 'forbidden door,' and the barbs between WWE and AEW have made wrestling much more exciting to follow.