With the notable exception of Cody Rhodes, the flow of pro wrestling talent between WWE and AEW since the latter came into existence a few years ago has been a one-way street. Wrestlers who were unhappy with their place in WWE left and showed up on AEW a few months later, helping bolster the roster as the company grew.
But with Vince McMahon out and a new team in charge at WWE, including Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan as co-CEOs and Paul “Triple H” Levesque heading up creative duties, WWE could already look like a much more attractive place to work for top talent from other promotions — including those currently under contract with AEW.
That presents a new and potentially significant challenge for AEW, one that’s not lost on CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan. As he explained in a recent interview with SportsGrid, however, Khan believes it’s an overall benefit to the wrestling industry (h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription).
“I think that’s always been a concern, but now probably more so than ever, I imagine great wrestlers are going to be in demand … I think this is probably going to be good for the wrestling fans because that’s one of the most exciting things about pro wrestling: free agency,” Khan said. “It’s one of those things that was really missing from the sport for almost two decades before AEW came in, because there was not a legitimate competitor in the free agent market, and now there is. I think it’s going to be some exciting times ahead, hopefully for many years to come.”
It’s still very early days for the “new” WWE, but the first show with Levesque in charge featured a bigger push for Ciampa and the weekly TV returns of IYO SKY (formerly Io Shirai) and Dakota Kai, two performers who were reportedly on the outs with the company in the last months that Vince McMahon was in power. That alone suggests WWE will be a place where different kinds of wrestlers may get chances to prove themselves on a top level than before.
Still, Khan seems up for the battle, and believes that with two strong companies pushing each other, it’s the fans who will ultimately benefit.
“It’s going to change the competition, but I think that’s a good thing,” Khan said. “AEW’s got a big fan base. We’re on in 130 countries now around the world, and here in the US, we’ve built a great fanbase … And the competition is going to change. It’s a different person in the chair, opposite me, but I don’t think that’s going to be a bad thing for the wrestling fan necessarily.”