"Not like SmackDown" - Dutch Mantell outlines a major advantage that AEW has over WWE (Exclusive)
The rivalry between AEW and WWE got fresh fuel this week, as Dutch Mantell recently spoke about All Elite Wrestling's advantage over the global juggernaut of sports entertainment.
Tony Khan has seemingly left no stone unturned in making his promotion a mainstream attraction. Apart from signing established veterans like CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, he has also elevated fresh talents like Wheeler Yuta and Wardlow. This has helped his company emerge as a legitimate competitor to WWE.
In the latest episode of Sportskeeda's Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell brought up a particular aspect of AEW which was better than SmackDown:
"I think they got all these people over. I don't really know how, because very few of them followed successive weeks on TV, correct or no? That's the way they book it. But they keep their talent fresh because... not like SmackDown. SmackDown, when you see the guys come out, I've said it 15 times already, you could almost guess the segment they are gonna be in." (42:25 - 42:51)
You can check out the full video here:
While WWE might be on the top right now, it would not be far-fetched to say that AEW has the potential to become the biggest promotion in the pro-wrestling scene later on.
Eric Bischoff believes WWE is better than AEW in one aspect
On the other side of the spectrum, critics of AEW like Eric Bischoff have also voiced their opinions on the differences between All Elite Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment.
Bischoff has been involved in the pro-wrestling industry for decades now. He had the role of General Manager of RAW in 2002. Apart from that, he has also appeared sporadically in AEW programs.
On an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff commented on the difference between the two promotions' handling of storylines:
“WWE’s attention to detail and commitment to structure and story is severally lacking and has been for a long time. I’ve been saying that since probably 2014 or 2015 and I still say it, but I think it’s far better than what I see in AEW. You could tell me all day long, ‘yeah, but here’s the story, here’s what’s going on.’ Great if you feel that way, but the vast majority of people in this country don’t and wrestling fans don’t."
It’s great to have @EBischoff visiting us at #AEWDynamite! It’s always great to see Eric, and it’s nice to have Eric back on TNT participating with Chris Jericho and MJF in the Inner Circle Town Hall!
As the two sides try to outdo each other every week, fans will agree that the competition enhances the quality of both products. Only time will tell whether AEW will be able to surpass WWE in the future.
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