Why All Elite Wrestling is good for the pro wrestling industry
All Elite Wrestling had its inaugural press conference/rally yesterday afternoon in Jacksonville, Florida, and while it may be too early to tell if it will be a threat to WWE or not, it's okay if it doesn't turn out to be a threat.
For years wrestling fans have been wanting a company to rise up and compete with WWE, or at the very least be an alternative to the product. TNA/Impact Wrestling had its shot about a decade ago, but made too many bad business decisions and booking errors, despite arguably having a better roster than WWE did at the time.
While there are other Indy and international companies out there, no one has come close to competing with WWE like Impact. That can change with AEW.
Firstly, they will have plenty of financial backing with the Khan family, who own the Jacksonville Jaguars. Shad Khan is worth an estimated $US6.4 billion, which means AEW can do a lot of things like spend money on free agents, production, booking arenas, etc.
Cody Rhodes has a sharp mind for the business, and is sure to hire smart people who know the business well. They have also probably seen other companies, such as Impact, and have noted the mistakes they have made, and hopefully will learn from those mistakes & not make them with AEW.
The AEW roster is already stacked with guys like Cody, The Young Bucks, Britt Baker, PAC, and Chris Jericho. This is just the beginning, as more names will be announced and signed as time goes on. The key to any successful wrestling company is the roster, and AEW is already off to a good start.
AEW is in its infant stages right now, and there are still details that need to be sorted out, such as a television deal. The point here is that it is way too early to tell if AEW will be a threat to WWE, since the only thing that can kill WWE is WWE itself.
However, with more alternatives to WWE, the better it is for wrestling and its fans, and it may encourage more people to invest in a wrestling company in the future. It is an exciting time to be a wrestling fan, and I think we can all agree on that!