Steps Taken by AEW to Cultivate Future Generations of Stars

AEW has seen a lot of changes and development since its inception back in 2019, especially when it comes to all the top talent they have been able to secure. With that said, the steps taken by AEW to cultivate future generations of stars have been revealed.

AEW has a wealth of young talent on their roster, including teenager Nick Wayne. Over in Ring of Honor, Billie Starkz is a top name there, currently holding the Ring of Honor Television Championship.

While speaking on the Battleground podcast, Jeff Jarrett talked about AEW’s initiatives for developing new talent. He emphasized the evolution of talent development in wrestling, highlighting AEW’s collaborations with international promotions like CMLL, AAA in Mexico, and New Japan Wrestling. Jarrett pointed out that these relationships expose AEW talent to a broader audience, including the Ring of Honor brand and various independent promotions.

“You know, when you think about that, you’re talking about the evolution of developing talent. Well, the business continues to evolve. You see our guys, not that Jon Moxley needs reps, but he just went to Japan. You see us working with CMLL. I’m currently going down to AAA in Mexico. Like I just said, the relationships with New Japan Wrestling. Our talent are exposed, the Ring of Honor brand. To take it a step further down from that is the different independents. There’s an independent promotion in Cleveland that I’m currently working with. Guys have their opportunities.”

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Jarrett compared the current state of wrestling to the late 90s, when there were only two major promotions. He noted that those days are gone, much like the music industry’s shift from a few dominant labels to a more diverse landscape. In today’s entertainment world, whether it’s music, comedy, or wrestling, talent can reach their audience through various digital platforms.

The WWE Hall of Famer stressed the importance of emotional connection in growing a fan base, encouraging talent to engage with their audience on a deeper level to achieve success.

”When you mirror it, because I think we’ve come from an era of I’ll call it late 90s that when there was really too big and how the business was, you either work for one or the other. Those days are truly in the rearview mirror. So now you kind of look at the opportunities and you kind of look at the music business. It used to be, you know, three, four, maybe five labels in the music industry ran not just Nashville, but New York and L.A. You were on one of the big three, one of the big five. That’s how you got your music break.

Those days are gone. So all forms of entertainment, whether it’s music, whether it’s truly comedy, wrestling, it doesn’t really matter. Again, it goes back to what we carry around in our pockets. With the different apps, you can expose yourself to your audience in a major, major way. I think that’s what talent have to have the mindset. I think it all starts doing the ears with talent on how do they want to become successful? Emotionally engage with your audience. It drills where I say that often on my podcast, how does the talent grow their fan base? It’s all through emotional connection.”

As for Jeff Jarrett, he failed to advance in the Owen Hart Cup tournament on this week’s episode of Dynamite. Regardless, we’ll have to wait and see what’s next in store for the Last Outlaw, as he is concerned with AEW’s growth in a big way.

Do you believe AEW will properly cultivate the next generations of stars? Let us know in the comments section below!