“What is All Elite Wrestling?”
“Why am I hearing so much about AEW?”
These are questions that are more relevant than ever since the company recently celebrated its third birthday. AEW has changed the landscape of pro wrestling in the U.S. since its founding in 2019, rapidly becoming the No. 2 promotion even though it spent a good chunk of its formative years dealing with restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s been a long time — decades, in fact — since any promotion not named WWE could claim to have AEW’s national TV footprint, its attendance at live events and its share of wrestling fandom’s attention. While it’s not close in most areas to challenging the reigning incumbent in terms of size and mainstream recognition, it does provide an honest to goodness alternative with the potential to attract both lapsed fans and curious newcomers.
If you fall into either one of those groups, welcome! We’re here to provide an overview of AEW so you can better tell if it sounds like it’s for you. Reading through our handy FAQ should make you immediately more conversant in all things All Elite Wrestling, and catch you up just a bit on what’s gone down in its first three years.