It is confirmed: All Elite Wrestling is happening. The Bucks, Cody, and Hangman Page (along with SCU) made the announcement during a video that dropped last night. Read more about it at this article below from Wrestling Inc.
More On All Elite Wrestling, "Double Or Nothing" Rally To Be Near WWE Event, Who's Already Signed? - Wrestling Inc.: More On All Elite Wrestling, 'Double Or Nothing' Rally To Be Near WWE Event, Who's Already Signed?
Obviously, this is a huge deal for the landscape of professional wrestling. This introduces another promotion that has huge financial backing to it. As Chris Jericho and Jim Cornette mentioned in their interview on Talk is Jericho (a great listen, by the way), we now have multiple promotions backed by billionaires.
There are several things to look out for in 2019 when it comes to AEW
1) TV/Streaming- How will this promotion get started? Will "Double or Nothing," the event teased during the newest "Being The Elite" video, be the launching point for this new promotion? Will they be able to land on a major network to air content? Obviously, Fox and USA are taken. Would they be able to get their content on another cable channel? Perhaps they could go for a streaming partner like Amazon or Netflix. With cable cutting being a growing trend in today's culture, perhaps this is a more viable option than it ever has been. And with Amazon, you know it would get promoted to high heaven. The fact is that for AEW to be considered a big enough draw, it needs a good platform. Having its own streaming service would only do so much. It needs a good TV network on a good night or a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon to grow its audience. Otherwise, it'll be like MLW: a great wrestling product on a lower tier sports network using YouTube to get more viewers.
2) Kenny Omega- Where was Kenny in this video and all this promotion? I think this raises some doubts as to whether Kenny is automatically just going to be coming to the promotion full-time. Then again, Omega could simply drop the belt at Wrestle Kingdom and ride off into the AEW sunset. I think we'll get a clearer picture of where Kenny Omega is after Friday's Wrestle Kingdom 13. (Which I will be covering live starting at 2AM. I hate sleep apparently. Lol.)
3) Playing Nice- All In benefitted from multiple promotions deciding to join together to produce the biggest independent show in wrestling history. But could that be a distant memory? There is evidence to suggest that the days of "peaceful collaboration" may be ending. ROH has tightened a lot of their roster into contracts and has snatched up talent on the Independent scene that might have gone to AEW. And we do not know yet whether Impact or MLW would be willing to do floating talent exchanges like they have with each other with a third promotion like AEW.
The biggest question on this one (as the Wrestling Inc. article above suggests) is NJPW. New Japan already has an arrangement with ROH. But who is to say that NJPW might not open its arms to a relationship with AEW? It would allow The Elite to still stay involved in New Japan and give opportunities for possible double or triple (if ROH decides to work with AEW via New Japan) promotional events.
Otherwise, AEW is going to have to get either disgruntled current/former WWE stars or do some talent raiding of smaller promotions. It can't just be The Bucks, Cody, and Page show. They need more to be a viable product. And that may have to come with putting that money out there to get some talent to come in at the expense of leaving other promotions. It's a necessary evil for this promotion in all honesty with or without working with other companies.
Going back to the previously mentioned Jim Cornette interview on Talk is Jericho, this could be a unique situation. IF these companies decide to band together and collaborate on big events, this could be a net positive for all of them. Individually, despite their financial backing, I don't think any of these companies could ever hope to reach the levels of WWE or even WCW. But together, they may make enough of a noise and gain enough attention to get their larger piece of the wrestling pie (as it were). A pack of wolves may not be able to kill an elephant, but it can do enough to bring that elephant down a peg while getting some food in the process.
In the end, 2019 promises to be a very important year in the history of the business. Best of luck to AEW and all the other smaller wrestling promotions trying to survive Wrestling's Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
More On All Elite Wrestling, "Double Or Nothing" Rally To Be Near WWE Event, Who's Already Signed? - Wrestling Inc.: More On All Elite Wrestling, 'Double Or Nothing' Rally To Be Near WWE Event, Who's Already Signed?
Obviously, this is a huge deal for the landscape of professional wrestling. This introduces another promotion that has huge financial backing to it. As Chris Jericho and Jim Cornette mentioned in their interview on Talk is Jericho (a great listen, by the way), we now have multiple promotions backed by billionaires.
There are several things to look out for in 2019 when it comes to AEW
1) TV/Streaming- How will this promotion get started? Will "Double or Nothing," the event teased during the newest "Being The Elite" video, be the launching point for this new promotion? Will they be able to land on a major network to air content? Obviously, Fox and USA are taken. Would they be able to get their content on another cable channel? Perhaps they could go for a streaming partner like Amazon or Netflix. With cable cutting being a growing trend in today's culture, perhaps this is a more viable option than it ever has been. And with Amazon, you know it would get promoted to high heaven. The fact is that for AEW to be considered a big enough draw, it needs a good platform. Having its own streaming service would only do so much. It needs a good TV network on a good night or a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon to grow its audience. Otherwise, it'll be like MLW: a great wrestling product on a lower tier sports network using YouTube to get more viewers.
2) Kenny Omega- Where was Kenny in this video and all this promotion? I think this raises some doubts as to whether Kenny is automatically just going to be coming to the promotion full-time. Then again, Omega could simply drop the belt at Wrestle Kingdom and ride off into the AEW sunset. I think we'll get a clearer picture of where Kenny Omega is after Friday's Wrestle Kingdom 13. (Which I will be covering live starting at 2AM. I hate sleep apparently. Lol.)
3) Playing Nice- All In benefitted from multiple promotions deciding to join together to produce the biggest independent show in wrestling history. But could that be a distant memory? There is evidence to suggest that the days of "peaceful collaboration" may be ending. ROH has tightened a lot of their roster into contracts and has snatched up talent on the Independent scene that might have gone to AEW. And we do not know yet whether Impact or MLW would be willing to do floating talent exchanges like they have with each other with a third promotion like AEW.
The biggest question on this one (as the Wrestling Inc. article above suggests) is NJPW. New Japan already has an arrangement with ROH. But who is to say that NJPW might not open its arms to a relationship with AEW? It would allow The Elite to still stay involved in New Japan and give opportunities for possible double or triple (if ROH decides to work with AEW via New Japan) promotional events.
Otherwise, AEW is going to have to get either disgruntled current/former WWE stars or do some talent raiding of smaller promotions. It can't just be The Bucks, Cody, and Page show. They need more to be a viable product. And that may have to come with putting that money out there to get some talent to come in at the expense of leaving other promotions. It's a necessary evil for this promotion in all honesty with or without working with other companies.
Going back to the previously mentioned Jim Cornette interview on Talk is Jericho, this could be a unique situation. IF these companies decide to band together and collaborate on big events, this could be a net positive for all of them. Individually, despite their financial backing, I don't think any of these companies could ever hope to reach the levels of WWE or even WCW. But together, they may make enough of a noise and gain enough attention to get their larger piece of the wrestling pie (as it were). A pack of wolves may not be able to kill an elephant, but it can do enough to bring that elephant down a peg while getting some food in the process.
In the end, 2019 promises to be a very important year in the history of the business. Best of luck to AEW and all the other smaller wrestling promotions trying to survive Wrestling's Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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