Michael Perry on May 6, 2022
AEW has reaped the benefits of multiple waves of WWE talent releases over the last year or two. Some of the top stars from NXT made the jump, including Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, Samoa Joe, and several others. The pendulum of momentum now appears to be swinging the other way.
Several AEW stars have been considering signing with WWE. With a new TV rights negotiation coming up, many have been told to stick things out, as more money will eventually be coming into the company. It could be a pivotal time in the competition between AEW and WWE.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer discussed the potential scenarios for AEW’s new television rights package. If AEW is able to increase their revenue from TV, the talent budget would go up. That means those who stuck with the company would be in line for a nice raise.
“Previously, there were talents that were interested in coming from AEW to WWE that were making main roster salaries that were told by friends in AEW to stay put until 2024 when the company would be able to budget far more for talent.
Even if AEW gets $90 million per year, it should be very profitable going forward and able to bid for a lot of talent whose deals are up and as important, retain its own top talent because WWE would bid for some of them. It also should be noted that a lot of top AEW talent is under 200 pounds, and those guys are not likely to do well in the WWE system.”
If AEW doesn’t get the kind of rights deal they’re hoping for, several wrestlers could be moving on to WWE. Whether they would fit in is questionable, but most would do what is right for their family over anything else. It will be very interesting to see what kind of deal AEW cuts, as it may have major implications on how the landscape of pro wrestling looks in a couple of years.
What do you think of this story? Let us know in the comments!
May 6, 2022 8:22 am
Disqus Comments Loading...
