Ever since WWETKO started to consistently counter-program AEW, the topic of the above headline has been discussed at length. And tirelessly, I have dredged through countless articles and discussions on how to ‘improve’ AEW. Most of these people mean well. They want the equivalent of what WCW was to WWF during the Monday Night Wars. They want the excitement that flipping between two pro wrestling shows brought and who was doing what better.

I get it. I was one of those kids.

But the hard truth on how exactly AEW can get there (to “compete”), is not an exciting answer, and it involves a bit of patience. But before we jump into this mess (and the answer), let’s address all of the ways AEW can “improve”, and why literally all of those ways will actually fall short. I always hear three main ways AEW can “compete”, and honestly, they’re all wrong…

However, before that, a quick note. 

Most recently, WWE fans have been coming to AEW Reddit pages asking how to get into the product. They cite frustration with the current WWE product, hoping to see something fresh with AEW. Don’t take my word for it — just head to Reddit. Some fans are naturally gravitating to AEW.

Keep this in mind moving forward…

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What Won’t Work

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1. Tony Khan Doesn’t Need to Step Down

This is something I hear a lot about how AEW can instantly “improve” is that Tony Khan needs to step down, either from booking, or to sell the company entirely. I hate to break it to those who believe this, but simply switching ownership won’t change AEW overnight. Furthermore, it’s been reported that since January, TK has been “in the weeds” working with building stories and characters, as well as production.

The result? A slight ratings bump on TBS/TNT for 2025. And when you include the projected ratings for Max (according to multiple sources), AEW is likely averaging over a million viewers per Dynamite. When you take into account Live+ or Live+7 numbers, as well as Max’s 110 million subscriber count — this is quite reasonable. I know I am one of those viewers that rely on Max to watch, and I didn’t have cable prior, as I used AEW+ on Triller. (there are many like me)

Attendance for PPVs still average around 6-8,000+, and All In: Texas is closing in on 19,000 tickets sold. While these aren’t WWE-level numbers, any logical and rational human being would be able to look at AEW as a successful company. As I’ll get to later in this article, they truly have turned things around this year and have found their identity.

Anybody that doesn’t believe AEW is a successful business is grossly lying to themselves to fit a pointless narrative.

Here’s the thing people need to realize:

-Most AEW fans like Tony Khan, myself included. We like a boss who is clearly a complete pro wrestling nerd and wants the best for his employees.
-Most WWE fans who actively dislike AEW, will never like Tony Khan, nor likely AEW itself. Simply removing TK won’t bring them to watch weekly AEW TV.
-Casual fans who haven’t discovered AEW yet, and aren’t terminally online, probably don’t know (or care) who Tony Khan is.

Khan stepping down won’t change the alternative that AEW is. And if these fans who criticize TK consistently just want AEW to become a version of WWE, then they’ve missed the plot entirely. From a business standpoint, and a creative standpoint, there is no real reason for him to step aside.

What, you want Scott D’Amore to take over? You mean the man who heavily praised Double or Nothing as the PPV of the Year? And you think he would do anything different?

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2. AEW Doesn’t Need to Appeal to Casuals…But…

Another argument I hear to “fix” AEW is to appeal to casuals.

When zeitgeists shift, they do so without permission or emulation. Paul Heyman even used this example himself — when Hair Metal ran its course, Nirvana picked up where they left off and grunge soon overtook the mainstream. Any successful outlier in history (and let’s stick with music for these examples), from Alice Cooper and Marylin Manson, to Slipknot and hell, even Babymetal, didn’t alter and influence their genre and become successful by simply mirroring what was popular at the time. Hell, even The Beatles were doing different things with their music for their time that set them apart from the rest.

Married With Children became successful in the 80s and 90s as the anti-sitcom. Donnie Darko, The Big Lebowski, Office Space — just a few examples of “underground” low to mid-budget movies that were so unique that they became global hits.

AEW does not need to follow the WWE formula. That doesn’t set them apart. It doesn’t make them unique. 

Why would a casual fan tune into AEW when they could see the same thing in a more well-known brand in WWE? It doesn’t make any sense, does it? AEW is not supposed to look like WWE. If you’ve been trained to see WWE as “larger-than-life”, then nothing AEW ever does will match that until they keep growing, or at least until your perspective changes as to not be easily-influenced by high production flash.

You need to let casual fans come to you, not chase them down by changing your identity. That being said, it should be easier for casuals to find your product, and WWE’s current strategy of counter-programming to blanket AEW is a bit frustrating and cheap.

Tastes change. People change. There was a time as a young teenager when early 90s WWF didn’t do it for me, so I eventually found ECW and AJPW. When WWF caught up to the modern zeitgeist, I tuned back in; as did many. And as evidenced above with Reddit, there are some fans that are looking for something new. People’s tastes, especially teenagers and those in their early 20s, will most definitely change. So for those fans who become jaded with WWE television and want something different, why would tuning into a WWE-lite version of AEW appeal to them?

AEW is: An abundance of high-quality in-ring pro wrestling. A product with adult themes and violence a bit above the family-friendly norm. A company with over-the-top characters, and a rabid and excited fan base to get behind them. A company that will give you Anarchy in the Arena (which embodies everything AEW is).

Perhaps AEW is a little cult-like, much the same as ECW was. But perhaps that is part of the appeal. AEW is a giant weekly house party with the best wrestling in the world — and you’re invited. It’s not overly corporate or sprinkled with high production value. You won’t get commercial breaks every 10 minutes or see long breaks in action without wrestling in favor of promos. You also won’t have your hand held either, and an emphasis on pro wrestling itself is the entire point of what AEW is. That’s part of the charm — and the right fans looking for something new, casual or not, will appreciate that difference.

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3. .They Need a “Major Star” (Drop this narrative)

Good luck.

The entire reason why WCW became as hot as they did was because they had Hulk Hogan. Full stop. It was one man, and one storyline. But do you think Sting would have worked in that same storyline over Hogan?

You’re bullshitting yourself if you say ‘yes’. Hogan had a backstory of being the “All-American Hero” prior to his heel turn. Worldwide popularity. This story only could have worked with Hogan. Not Sting, not Flair, not Savage. Now does AEW have access to a similar Hogan-like WWE talent that would immediately move eyes to their product?

Nope. Because that consists of two names: John Cena and Roman Reigns. Those are two names that would arguably bring internet and casual fans alike to any promotion if they jumped — and we all know the chances of that happening are slim to none.

Fans who say this are also asking for lightning in a bottle. When we take a look at a name like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, or “The Rock” — these guys created themselves. They got hot at the right time, under the right circumstances. If Bischoff never fires Steve Austin from WCW, he never creates the roots of his WWF gimmick in his short stint in ECW. If the fans, jaded with “family-friendly” WWF don’t chant “Die Rocky Die”, we never get the “People’s Champion.”

You can’t just “invent” a star. It doesn’t work like that. Never has. It needs to be organic.

Who was the last major draw WWE created?

…right. Roman Reigns. They didn’t create Cody Rhodes; Cody Rhodes created Cody Rhodes. They didn’t create C.M. Punk or Logan Paul. They created themselves. And are we saying that names like Seth Rollins or Drew McIntyre are big enough to carry a company alone, on their back, like Cena or Reigns could?

No. Don’t be silly.

AEW has stars. “Hangman” Adam Page, MJF, Toni Storm, Mercedes Mone, Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay, Willow Nightingale — these are names that are extremely over with AEW fans, and I’d argue likely have some mainstream appeal under the right circumstances and certain exposure. But do they have “THAT” one star? The one that brings in viewers from around the globe just for him/her?

No. Because it’s extremely difficult to do, and it needs to be organic. So until then, they need to work with the stars they have, and they have a pretty solid handful right now. But “star” creation will always be at a disadvantage in AEW because they simply do not have the platform and reach that WWE has. We have to be a little realistic here.

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What Is Working and What Has Changed

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They’ve Already Made Adjustments/Improvements

We have to understand that if we want to be honest about the AEW product — we have to be honest with ourselves. What do we want out of this show? Another WCW, or something actually unique and different? Because TK already brings that every week. Everyone clamored for changes to be made to the product — and well, have you watched lately? AEW looks a bit different than it did a mere 2 years ago. The constant critiques of AEW over the last few years have been corrected.

-AEW dipped a little in popularity, so they transitioned to smaller and more intimate and unique venues (resulting in packed houses and hotter crowds).
-TK had problems juggling too much talent, so he trimmed the roster. Gone are names like Black, Starks, Miro, Penta, Fenix, and allegedly Mariah May.
-They improved production and moved into a sports presentation in their camera work.
-We have multiple long-term stories playing out right now.
-There has been an emphasis on character work; most notably with Ricochet and Toni Storm.

Remember, AEW is not supposed to look like WWE.

The booking style is different. Khan books like a hybrid of Paul Heyman, Mike Quackenbush and Gedo. TV matches look different than they do on WWE television. In-ring promos are treated differently, and with a lot of non-scripted intensity. And most importantly, the style of wrestling is based on a Fighting Spirit mentality. If WWE is Marvel, then AEW is the entire genre of Anime.

Neither is the “right” way. It’s art. It’s subjective. But in my view, TK has done everything he possibly could to tow the line of making the product “casual-friendly” while still maintaining the identity that AEW has locked in on since late 2024. All of these changes have been made and implemented, yet AEW still isn’t “competition” to WWE. Okay, so what is it?

Is it because they aren’t perfect?

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Don’t Expect Perfection

The plight of a #2 is always having to be nearly flawless to climbs towards ousting who is at #1. This goes for any business in any field, and the same goes for AEW.

This is what I see so often from detractors. It’s the insane ability to always focus on negatives and ignore the positives. I get that on the psychological level, anger and cynicism are emotions that can be addictive. There are human beings on social media that have made it their life purpose to dunk on AEW. For that matter, there are human beings that have made it their life purpose to dunk on WWE.

Look, as a student of wrestling history, I love and appreciate the art that the craft is, was, and has become — in all of its forms. But at the end of the day, we’re simply watching men and women playfight in tights.

It’s entertainment. It’s not that deep. This isn’t Handmaid’s Tale.

Tony Khan will make mistakes. So will TKO, as the backlash for firing R-Truth has led to such an uproar that he’ll likely be hired back. Yes, Tony “fumbled” Wardlow. But do you know who he didn’t fumble? Will Ospreay. Ricochet. Swerve Strickland. Toni Storm. Sting. The list goes on and on…

I’m not saying never to critique a wrestling product. I’ve done so plenty, as I personally worry about a lack of women’s matches at All In: Texas right now. But there is a difference in honest criticism and an expectation of perfection, which I believe AEW is expected to live up to. Acknowledging that AEW is like any other company in the world — which will make mistakes, which will carry some negatives with it — shouldn’t overtake the positives they are putting out. When we don’t acknowledge this, AEW will never grow, as fans will always habitually look down at it. They will always be under their thumb.

Perception is everything. And it seems as if there’s a weird narrative that AEW must commit no errors for it to rise to the top. And that’s ridiculous.

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Branding Takes Time

What people don’t realize is that branding takes a lot of time. AEW is working up against over six decades of global branding from WWE. Even WCW had decades of exposure through the NWA and their southern territories — and 13 years of being ‘WCW’ before landing their primetime weekly spot for Nitro. Global branding can take anywhere from 5-10 years — and AEW is in the difficult spot of being up against a company whose name is synonymous with pro wrestling.

Businesses ebb and flow, they evolve and adjust, and sometimes it takes awhile to find your identity. And while AEW had lost a little momentum in 2023, they are slowly building it back with 2025 becoming a year of very consistent shows. Why anyone thinks that even after 5 years that AEW could compete with TKO and WWE demonstrates a lack of knowledge of the business world. Hell, Pepsi-Cola was founded in 1893, yet didn’t start to really compete with Coca-Cola until the 1970s. Burger King, which opened in 1954, didn’t really start competing with McDonald’s until the 1980s.

It takes time.

When I tell a non-wrestling fan that I am watching wrestling Wednesday, it will take potentially another decade before the response isn’t “like WWE?” and instead “Oh, AEW or WWE?”

Which brings the actual way AEW can compete with WWE…

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How AEW Can Compete With WWE? Be Patient. Support the Product.

That’s it.

This is how AEW becomes competition. It’s a matter of consistency and remaining in the public eye. Look, we know that some WWE fans are checking AEW out, and now is a pretty good time to do so. The product has been pretty consistently booked since late 2024, and we’re seeing a focus on a select group of talents to push the company forward.

But what if you don’t like AEW? How can you support it?

By accepting it.

If it’s not for you, then don’t watch. It’s totally fine. But we must acknowledge that AEW is an alternative — and not in the same way WCW was. It is its own beast and creation, and will likely never follow the same WWE formula — even though there are definitely some elements of WWE-like influences sprinkled throughout the product. It needs to form its own identity, and honestly, I think it already has.

If you tune into the 4 hour extravaganza Wednesday night and decide it’s not for you — then that’s okay. But much like a food preference, you can decide to accept it for what it is and move on. However, if you do like it, then perhaps you can appreciate the differences between AEW and WWE, and accept and embrace the alternative that they are.

It’s really that simple.

AEW will continue to grow. They have a core base of fans that will only expand as time goes on. Their numbers are slowly ticking upwards, and Max is only helping that number grow. Moving to a “creative shift” and becoming more like WWE will only lose fans. By simply accepting that AEW is there, and either becoming a full-fledged fan, or even occasionally checking it out — that is the best way for competition to happen. Because all we need is a shift in that consumer zeitgeist.

Remember, kids will grow out of WWE. It’s natural. I did, and many will for one reason or another. And when they’re looking for something new, AEW will be there (hopefully). And who knows if that sparks another bump in AEW’s popularity and with it, a seismic shift like we witnessed during the 90s.

So in conclusion, if you want to support AEW, great! If you want to still critique the product, but still enjoy the ride and appreciate the positives of the show, great! But AEW doesn’t need to be “fixed”. It just needs time…

-TKW