The effects of Vince McMahon retiring from WWE in the wake of his personal scandal are just beginning to be felt within the company, but the impact of new leadership headed by Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan and Paul “Triple H” Levesque will pose “a big, big challenge” for AEW.
That’s the opinion of the dean of pro wrestling journalists, Dave Meltzer, who was a conveniently timed guest this week on the Under the Ring podcast with host Phil Strum. With so much goodwill swirling around WWE programming under the new regime, it could mean talent and fans won’t perceive AEW as the clear alternative to WWE it was when it sprang to life a few years ago.
“The AEW thing is that they have to battle this company that’s been around forever and is part of the culture,” Meltzer said. “The fact they’ve come as far as they have is absolutely amazing when you really look at it, but a lot of it was taking advantage of … I don’t want to say weaknesses but the mentality of Vince McMahon, and providing an alternative. And now, yeah, the other company’s going to be doing something more similar to what you’re doing, and they’re bigger and they’re better known and they’ve got the bigger arenas and the better production.”
Meltzer added that talent that may not have wanted to go to WWE while Vince McMahon was in charge may reconsider, given the lessened emphasis on “sports entertainment” and the financial resources WWE has at its disposal.
“It’s going to be a big, big challenge for Tony Khan, I mean, without a doubt.”
Listen to the full interview above to get Meltzer’s insights on:
- Why the business side of WWE is “idiot proof,” and why he expects the company and its TV deals to grow
- What Vince McMahon brought to the table as head of WWE in his most recent years, both positive and negative
- How talent development will change at the top levels of pro wrestling
- Why “learning about the business” is the best part of covering wrestling and editing the Wrestling Observer newsletter each week
- What his much discussed and debated star ratings for matches really mean
New episodes of Under the Ring drop each Monday, with Strum finding a different but always insightful person from the world of pro wrestling to engage in open conversation with every time out. Recent guests have included Dutch, a.k.a. Bill Carr, WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan, and AEW/ROH rising star Wheeler Yuta.
To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.