All Elite Wrestling made a clear statement with its first official event - and it should put WWE on notice
AEW might not want to say they are in direct competition with WWE, but their actions tell a different story.
There is no established company line when it comes to how AEW performers compare the brand to WWE, and some have been hesitant to position the new company as a competitor to WWE, given its young, and still unproven status.
"We all just want to do the best shows," said Khan after AEW's inaugural show. "I'm not really thinking about [WWE] shows, and I hope their shows are great because, at the best times in wrestling, everyone was doing great stuff."
That said, inside the ring, AEW appeared to tell a different story, with Cody Rhodes using a sledgehammer — the weapon of choice of his WWE executive/performer counterpart Triple H — to destroy a throne designed with skulls and an iron cross, a reference to Triple H's infamous WrestleMania entrances.
"I want to play ball," said Rhodes of the meaning behind his destruction of the throne. "I know we don't say 'competition,' but it stands for itself."
Rhodes has emphasized that he wants the wrestling to be the focus of AEW, with stories told in the ring, so don't expect such overt jabs at WWE regularly. That said, if the opportunity arises to throw such a punch in service of the story being told, it's clear that AEW isn't afraid to take a shot.
Diversity in performers, styles, and matches.
WWE has made major strides when it comes to diversity in wrestling in recent years. At WrestleMania, a women's match headlined the show for the first time in history, and Kofi Kingston became the first black superstar to win the world title.
But at AEW, diversity is a founding principle, not only in the performers, but the types of matches they put on, and the wrestling backgrounds and styles they present to their audience. The card at "Double or Nothing" featured both men's and women's matches with athletes from all across the world, in styles both traditionally found in the WWE, as well as matches that employed performers and wrestling styles native to China and Japan.
After the show, Rhodes said that diversity was a part of the plan for the company.
"The old territory system of 'just one,' that's out," Rhodes told reporters. "The best wrestlers are going to field the game, and that's a very diverse profile. And I'm really proud of it. But I know that we're going to promote them of wrestlers. We're not going to make it a PR element. It's about the wrestling."
There will be blood.
One of the most jarring examples of the difference between what AEW can offer wrestling fans in comparison to WWE came during Rhodes' match against his brother Dustin.
Early in the match, Dustin began to bleed, letting copious amounts of blood spill over his face and onto the mat. By the end of the match, Cody's bleach-blonde hair was smattered with streaks of red.
Blood was an essential part of wrestling in the past, and still a fairly common feature of matches outside of the WWE, but McMahon's company has steered away from bloody matches over the past few decades in favor of keeping shows family friendly, using it sparingly.
The match between the Rhodes brothers was immediate proof that if the story called for it, AEW was willing to show some color.
"Our pay-per-views will take it a step up," Rhodes said, when asked if the blood was an indicator of things to come from the brand. "Wrestling is sports-centric. The other wrestling company almost runs a TV-G show, with how protected it is. But there's a huge part of the audience that still wants sports, still wants violence."
"The pay-per-views will take it a step up, and I'm not trying to spoil it, but we even talked about a pay-per-view itself that's another step up," Rhodes said. "Wrestling is violent. It's part of combat sports. And I don't mind using that word."
With death-match specialist Jimmy Havoc on the roster, as well as Jon Moxley apparently ready to return to his hardcore roots, the brand has the potential to put on some stellar, if vicious, matches in the future.
AEW isn't just a WWE alternative for fans, but for talent.
Not only is AEW's emergence a promising sign for fans looking for something in wrestling that WWE isn't currently offering, but it's also a massive opportunity for performers looking to make the most of their primes that might be disillusioned with the lack of character control afforded to them by WWE.
While McMahon still has the final say in virtually every creative decision made by his company, Rhodes has indicated AEW will give its performers more agency over their characters.
With ex-WWE performers such as Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho already in the fold, and more superstars looking to exit their WWE contracts to potentially join with AEW, it appears that the strategy is working so far.
Having a second prominent wrestling company in America means more competition to retain talent, which could lead to better contracts for performers at both companies. With WWE still under criticism for its treatment of wrestlers as independent contractors, any leverage the performers can gain in negotiations can be considered progress in the right direction.
AEW is ready to talk.
Outside of the show itself, the most striking difference between WWE and AEW was found after the matches had all concluded, when Rhodes took questions from reporters for more than 10 minutes.
At WWE, media is a tightly controlled environment, with most interviews, especially those regarding the in-ring action, closely curated or done in-house entirely. Rhodes' Q&A session felt like something out of the NBA postseason.
While this might have been just a bit of extra promotion for a company still in its young stages, Rhodes said before that he wants to ground the company in the world of sports, so don't be surprised if such post-match interviews continue in some form.
Further, AEW is not afraid to address the issues and is already reaping the benefits of such a stance. While speaking to the diversity of the company, Rhodes told a story about how he once told his African-American wife Brandi, that he "doesn't see color."
"Well, then you don't see my experience," she replied, as Rhodes explained how the interaction widened his perspective and understanding on the issue.
A clip of Rhodes' comment went viral beyond the wrestling world, even being retweeted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who called the exchange "a promising peek into what growth looks like in our national discourse on race."
Rather than shying away from what might be a difficult topic, AEW seems comfortable speaking about issues when asked.
AEW won't put WWE out of business, but they have put them on notice.
WWE is a billion-dollar behemoth, and is not going to be threatened by the arrival of AEW on weekly television this fall — there's a reason the brand uses the slogan "Then. Now. Forever."
But while AEW won't be the ultimate downfall of WWE, it could present some real competition to the landscape of the wrestling world for the first time in a long time. AEW has promised viewers something different, and at "Double or Nothing," met those promises and then some. For fans tiring of the product that WWE puts out, or for those just looking to add some new styles of wrestling to their weekly consumption, the appeal of AEW could not be more clear.
As Rhodes and Khan both stated numerous times, AEW is aiming to put wrestling first. We're only one show into their run, but so far, the strategy is working out well, and depending on how the weekly show on TNT takes off in the fall, we could be looking at the beginning of the next chapter of professional wrestling.
We don't know how it will end up, but for now, it's a thrilling time to be a wrestling fan.
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