What if AEW tanks?
All Elite Wrestling has been a central topic for gossip and conjecture among hardcore wrestling fans for months now. The new company has only gathered steam with the announcement of top free agent signings like Chris Jericho, Pac, Pentagon, Rey Fenix, and Kenny Omega. Spurred on by the success of All In, Double or Nothing may have more buzz behind it than any wrestling event this year, besides WrestleMania.
All of these developments have fans wondering if AEW may pose a legitimate threat to WWE as a rival promotion. Sure, there’s a lot left to be seen in terms of AEW’s TV situation and if Cody Rhodes and company can recapture the magic of All In for another show, much less a regularly aired TV product, but fans and pundits seem generally optimistic.
There’s always the possibility that things don’t pan out for the new promotion, though. Maybe the product winds up not appealing to fans, maybe the big signings trail off, or maybe the company’s seemingly sound financial foundation falls out from underneath them. This article considers what may happen if AEW tanks.
#5 Chris Jericho returns to the WWE fold
Chris Jericho is the biggest signing attached to All Elite Wrestling at this point, but also holds the unique distinction of having done right by WWE in the process. On an episode of his podcast dedicated to his journey to AEW, Jericho discussed his business relationship with WWE, and what he describes as a friendship with Vince McMahon. That includes having given McMahon the heads up as to his plans before officially signing.
There may be some hard feelings about the choice Jericho made, but he nonetheless is one of the most famous wrestlers in the world and still remarkably capable in the ring on the mic for someone his age. While WWE may not throw as much money at Jericho, or be as inclined to feature him prominently if AEW tanks, he nonetheless remains one of the few guys who can feel confident he’d still have a job waiting for him with WWE when he wants to go back.