The All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has been a significant player in the pro wrestling space since its founding. It has built its brand and created stars of its own. But the question remains: how long can it last?
The answer is complicated and depends on what you think about the future of pro wrestling. However, it’s clear that if AEW doesn’t keep ahead of the competition, they’ll run out of steam quickly.
According to fans, here are five ways AEW could improve to stay in business.
Build Stars Outside the Elite
AEW needs to build new stars. That means finding people who can be used in other promotions, movies, and TV shows. It’s not just about wrestling; it’s about building a fanbase that can be used by other promotions as well.
They can use veterans Chris Jericho, Matt Hardy, and Serena Deeb to help develop wrestlers. Cody Rhodes and others are even taking an active role in helping new stars reach the next level. Using these talents to help groom new stars for the next level is crucial to AEW’s future.
In addition, AEW should be willing to give up on their current stars if they don’t perform, but not so quick to throw away the baby with the bathwater. The most successful wrestlers in WWE are often pushed as outsiders or villains.
Still, there’s no reason why AEW can’t continue on this path and build up its own roster of exciting storylines and characters without having them all fall back into roles that are less than ideal for them.
Open Up Its Promotion to A Wider Audience
AEW should reach as many people as possible. The promotion must be available across various platforms and services, including social media, streaming services like Twitch and YouTube, and even rival promotions such as Impact Wrestling or Ring of Honor.
Despite being great mediums to promote wrestling, many social media platforms don’t currently have an active wrestling scene compared to other industries, such as online sports betting.
With video clips and highlights from events being shared on these sites, they don’t allow fans who can’t make it out to shows or watch them live to still feel like they’re part of the action. They can also help promote and build a bigger fanbase for the brand.
Have A War Chest of Great Matches Handy
Having a large number of matches ready to go is essential to AEW’s success. This will ensure that they can put on a good show at any time, and it will also allow them to build up their reputation as an independent promotion that doesn’t have to rely on other promotions or organizations for its shows.
When you’re putting together your roster of talent, all the stars must be willing not only to be able but also willing to work with each other again in the future. If you don’t have this relationship with talents, your company could lose steam quickly because stars can get the same thing elsewhere for free (or very little).
Let Wrestlers Be Themselves
They need to stop forcing their wrestlers into a certain mold because it makes things easier for the writers. If someone wants to be an arrogant jerk, let him be one. If someone likes wearing speedos and singing songs about how awesome he is, then let him do that too. Instead, allow them to be who they are and let the fans decide whether they like that person.
The same goes for the company as a whole. If they build an entire roster based on one guy’s name value alone, they will end up with an inferior product overall. It’s because every wrestler has his own unique personality and story that would benefit from being told through multiple characters (or even just one character).
Keep Taking Risks
AEW can also bring some of the best aspects of WWE into its own product, such as its fantastic production values. They don’t need to copy; they just need to build on what works and leave behind what doesn’t.
Moreover, AEW needs to keep pushing forward with a more modern style of wrestling to succeed. It’s easy for fans of the company to get caught up in the hype of their big first show, but they need to remember that it wasn’t just a one-off event.
Final Thoughts
It’s time for AEW to recognize that they’re uniquely positioned to change how fans view wrestling. They have the resources and the talent to do so, but only if they continue to build upon their current foundation and take more risks with their promotion.
If they don’t, it’s no surprise that WWE will steal some of their stars away. The stars might even begin producing their own shows as AEW becomes just another brand competing with WWE for viewers—something that was never on the table when AEW was first formed.
