Vince McMahon abruptly retiring cost AEW one of its best competitive advantages, and with Triple H in charge of WWE now, future free agents may not see the choice between these two companies as clear-cut as they may have a few months ago. When McMahon ruled WWE's creative with an iron fist, smaller wrestlers knew they had virtually no chance of climbing the ladder to becoming a World Champion. At one point, even the likes of Cody Rhodes felt he needed to strike out on his own to prove that he was capable of being a superstar. Capable of drawing money in the wrestling business.
That landscape has shifted dramatically over the last several weeks, and the perception of both WWE and AEW has changed fundamentally. Any talk of AEW directly competing seems to have vaporized, with stars such as CM Punk frequently referring to the company as a viable alternative instead of direct competition. That's probably the best way to frame this rivalry moving forward, given WWE's monster head start in about every conceivable avenue. The one thing AEW had going over its first two years what its cool factor, especially in the eyes of talent looking for a shot outside WWE. Jon Moxley, the current World Champion, is an ex-WWE guy. So are Chris Jericho and CM Punk, the two other biggest draws in AEW. All told All Elite rosters more than 30 former WWE performers.
Many wrestlers shifted because they saw a path towards television time and championships with AEW. It was a fantastic jump, but Dave Meltzer wonders if that buzz had died off with Triple H in charge of WWE now. From the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter: "The idea was no longer, as it was last November, that the cool wrestlers, Punk, Danielson and Cole, wanted to be in AEW rather than WWE, but that the tide was shifting, particularly since Rhodes was considered one of the founders of AEW and MJF was its biggest and youngest home-grown star." This passage was part of a larger aside about when the perceptions of WWE and AEW began to shift. MJF is mentioned because through his pipebomb promo, "AEW, on its own show, presented the idea that one of its top talents wanted out to go to the opposition."
AEW & WWE Talent Wars Are Just Warming Up
A big part of Triple H's booking philosophy centers on surprise returns and debuts. If wrestling fans miss these moments, it creates a real sense of FOMO. This could help explain why Monday Night Raw has stopped bleeding viewers as the second hour moves into the third.
For example, anyone at home who decided to turn off the August 22 episode of Raw at 10 pm ET would have missed Johnny Gargano's out-of-nowhere return to the ring. AEW reportedly contacted WWE to warn them about tampering with their contracted wrestlers, as the company had reached out to some All Elite talent. Those conversations are unknown, but the coming years will be exciting for wrestling fans. Who knows which AEW talent will pop up in WWE now and vice-versa?
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter