"It's a great marketing device" - Paul Heyman on the comparisons between AEW and ECW
Paul Heyman believes the "Us vs. Them" mentality is shared between AEW and ECW.
Ahead of Sunday's Survivor Series, Paul Heyman recently sat down with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport to discuss all things WWE. When asked if he felt AEW was similar to ECW, Heyman provided a very interesting response.
"Yes and no," Paul Heyman said. "Yes, because of the 'Us vs. Them' mentality. It's a great marketing device. It works. Do I see the comparisons between the two promotions and business? I don't think we could be further apart in what ECW was and who AEW is, which is no knock towards them, probably, overcomplimentary towards them. We're two totally different entities. The similarities are the Us vs. Them tribalism, which is a conscious marketing tool and one that is, in some years, very heart felt, and works on a big level."
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Paul Heyman believes WWE is worried about their own programming
There were a lot of reports when NXT was on Wednesday nights that the company had both shows playing on the monitors in the WWE production truck. When Heyman was asked if talent in WWE pays attention to what AEW is doing, he thought not only they do, but they should.
"Usually, we're doing stuff live and there is a whole different pressure to do network television when you're live," Paul Heyman said. "We're not worrying about what the other guy is doing. That's the trap. Now you're counterprogramming. We're worried about our own programming. Plus, we're the guys to catch. We're the brand. You have to come to us, beat us, take from us, cut into our market share. We're not looking to cut into anybody else's market share, we're looking to defend our own. We're not worried, as talent, what the other guy is doing. Do we watch? Sure. Should we? Absolutely."
While it's likely neither show is counterprogramming against one another, it's evident that the talent of both WWE and AEW are checking out each other's shows on a weekly basis.
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＠HeymanHustle talks to ＠arielhelwani about the culture within WWE and working with Vince McMahon.
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What do you make of Paul Heyman's comments? Do you see valid comparisons between AEW and ECW? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
Thanks to Fightful for the transcription of this interview.