4 times WWE evened the odds with AEW
WWE is the longest-running pro wrestling promotion in the United States. The company has been around in some form for about 70 years now, with roots dating back to the 1950s.
While World Wrestling Entertainment has had a long and storied history with many ups and almost as many downs, the company has been on an upswing for the past year or so. Business, in many metrics, has never been better for the Triple H-led sports entertainment juggernaut.
Meanwhile, the company's biggest competitor is All Elite Wrestling. The Tony Khan-led promotion burst onto the scene in 2019 and quickly gained momentum. It seemed as if the company repeatedly found ways to one up their new wrestling rival. That has seemingly changed over the past year or two, however.
While, for the longest time, AEW kept getting the buzz of the wrestling world, their momentum has stalled. Triple H, Nick Khan, and the rest of World Wrestling Entertainment seem to be getting the better of Khan on a regular basis.
This article will look at a handful of times in recent memory where The Game evened the odds with AEW, ultimately shifting the direction of momentum that was previously in Tony's favor.
Below are four times WWE evened the odds with AEW.
#4. The Rock countered Edge's AEW arrival
Edge leaving WWE was, in theory, one of the biggest news stories in pro wrestling. Rumors started to circulate prior to his last match that he could be retiring, while others felt he may be heading to All Elite Wrestling. This should have garnered a lot of attention.
Yet, for whatever reason, Edge, now going by Adam Copeland, and the impact of his signing with All Elite Wrestling appears to be less dramatic than many expected. He quickly became just another member of the roster. While this could be for any number of reasons, one could be due to a bigger moment happening shortly before he arrived. This one was for WWE, however.
The Rock made his shocking return to Friday Night SmackDown on September 15th. With the former world champion electrifying audiences on FOX, Edge's debut and subsequent run in AEW just couldn't compare, despite being a phenomenal star in his own right.
#3. A stacked episode of NXT countered and defeated AEW Title Tuesday
WWE's NXT brand went head-to-head with All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite program from the very beginning of the latter's formation. The two battled it out on Wednesday nights for some time, and while some shows were closer than others, the fight was pretty one-sided.
Dynamite had victory-over-victory when it came to a battle of viewership. As a result, NXT even ended up moving to Tuesday nights. That made their renewed fight several weeks ago very intriguing, when Dynamite moved to Tuesday for one night.
Title Tuesday, as the show was called, went up against NXT, but this time. Triple H and Shawn Michaels went in with guns blazing. Asuka, Paul Heyman, Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, The Undertaker, and John Cena all appeared on the show. NXT ultimately crushed their competition in viewership that time around.
#2. Triple H has begun hiring some of AEW's younger stars
Another major aspect AEW seemingly had over WWE for quite some time was the ability to pull talent over to their promotion. Be it due to mass releases or contracts expiring, it felt like another beloved NXT, RAW, or SmackDown star found themselves on Dynamite on a nearly weekly basis.
Recently, however, that dynamic has started to shift. Cody Rhodes, who had previously been with WWE, left AEW to return to his home promotion in 2022. Since then, Triple H has managed to sign two younger stars who had once been part of All Elite Wrestling.
Both Jade Cargill and Brian Pillman Jr., now known as Lexis King, have joined the sports entertainment juggernaut. Many believe that other young stars, such as Ricky Starks could be the next to make the jump too.
#1. CM Punk signing with WWE and making a massive difference immediately is notable
CM Punk is one of the most controversial superstars in wrestling history. He was in the WWE from 2006 until 2014. At the aforementioned end of his run in the company, he walked out on the promotion and was then fired, seemingly never to return.
The Straight Edge Superstar stayed away from wrestling for quite some time before finally making his return to the sport with AEW. He instantly helped boost their business, but things eventually went awry, and Tony Khan publicly fired Punk.
Tony's loss proved to be WWE's gain. Triple H would end up signing Punk, with him making his return to the Stamford-based promotion at Survivor Series WarGames 2023. Since then, CM Punk has been breaking viewership and social media records left and right, proving that Khan may have made a mistake in how he handled the former AEW World Champion.