During his recent Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross addressed criticism that AEW signs too many former WWE stars…
“It’s a weak argument. ‘They’re WWE lite.’ I don’t agree with that, and I’m not knocking WWE. I had 26 great years there and I’m not anti-WWE. I don’t feel like we’re in a wrestling war. The war is AEW against its self – getting our young guys to continue to evolve and get better. I think we’re seeing that. Some of your homegrown kids are starting to find their way. There’s a big difference in working in PWG or an indie show and working a match on a national television show. It’s a different mindset and a different ballgame…..I just believe we’ve got some talent and I love watching the evolution of it.”
“That’s what we all want – we all want the business to be healthy. The trickle down if someone gets hot. It’s good for all of us. Everybody gets a share in some of that newfound or renewed enthusiasm. I want Ring of Honor to do well, or Impact. I still enjoy watching New Japan. They give you some really great matches. I’d love to see Okada in a big pay-per-view main event for AEW someday, and who’s to say that can’t happen? We have a good relationship with the New Japan office. I think that somewhere down the road, one would assume when travel issues are lessened, having an AEW presence in New Japan in big shows seems to be a likely move.”
