Just before the end of 2024, I penned an article about what could be used for a happy new year for WWE brass, mostly focused on the fact that the retirement tour of John Cena, almost unanimously the biggest star that company produced since the heyday of Steve Austin and The Rock in the Attitude era, could be the centerpiece for the publicly-traded corporation to draw big numbers at higher ticket prices than in the past. I also mentioned that Cena, the guy who was a total workhorse for the company throughout the vast majority of his career, deserved the final run, particularly with the possibility of dethroning Cody Rhodes to break Ric Flair’s recognized title record. I doubt you could consider it a knock on Cody or a downgrade on his status if he dropped the belt for the time being to someone at the level of Cena. In many ways, Cena provided the blue print for the modern top guys, such as Rhodes and Roman Reigns, to follow as far as a representative for the organization. Sure, the wild stories of the 80s are fun cannon fodder during podcast interviews, but there’s a way too lengthy list of performers that passed away way too young because of their lifestyle at the time. In the modern when everyone has a camera on their phone and social media could ruin a career within minutes, it’s exponentially more important for top guys to be as cautious and measured as possible.
You won’t see John Cena get a DUI, he won’t storm off of an important interview, and he takes his role as a figure that some fans look up to seriously. As I wrote prior, John Cena is the real-life hero that Hulk Hogan pretended to be on-screen.
However, All Elite Wrestling is the other side of the coin, as for all being the other major force within the sports entertainment industry. For all of its faults, and there are plenty of rightfully faults of the AEW product, the Khan-owned organization still has a noticeable impact on the direction of the business. It’s nothing new, regardless of the struggles that company had behind the scenes or with the numbers for the on-screen programming, but the bottom line is as long as Tony Khan is willing to offer competitive money for talent (and sometimes he even overpays) compared to the WWE, his promotion can dictate a portion of the narrative of the genre in the United States.
So, what does All Elite Wrestling have to do for a happy new year in 2025?
This isn’t a jab about the competition, but it goes without saying that it’s exponentially easier for WWE to bank on Cena because of his history and star power over the previous two decades.
For All Elite, the answers are potentially much more complicated since the harsh reality is that the company has lost steam and viewership since Cody Rhodes left the organization nearly three years ago. As we know, Rhodes mentioned publicly in the documentary released last year about his return to WWE that he signed a nondisclosure agreement prior to his exit from AEW, but hopefully, at some point in the future, someone with knowledge of the situation can shed some light on it, as it appears that there was a serious divide between the once tight-knit Elite group. Regardless of the reasoning, Rhodes’ exit and then the terrible publicity of backstage chaos in the few years afterward have drastically impacted the perception of the organization. It might be a cliche, but sometimes cliches are true, and in this scenario, perception is reality. The ratings and attendance reflect that narrative, as the controversy around the company has eroded some of the enthusiasm and good will of the audience.
As far as putting a positive spin on the new year, including Max as a streaming platform is artificial corporate fluff. Sure, it makes the WBD executives happy, and it makes sense to keep those suites happy since they gave AEW a few hundred million dollars for their next TV deal, but it’s important to keep in mind that a simulcast doesn’t improve the content of the shows. Let’s be honest here, Dynamite was streamed and Triller and Fite prior to this so none of this is new territory for the television show. Viewers that aren’t watching All Elite programming don’t watch because of dissatisfaction with the content, not a lack of access.
The substance of a potentially positive spin for AEW will sink or swim based on the decisions made that will determine the overall direction of the show. Don’t get me wrong, Tony Khan is a billionaire, and I’m not so what do I now? But, my two cents on the matter is that Tony’s philosophy of catering to the diehard audience that usually follows The Wrestling Observer newsletter won’t translate to success on national television. By nature, the newsletters aren’t for the general public or the casual fan, but when a show is on TBS, it must be geared toward the broadest audience possible.
That’s not to say that a wrestling-based product can’t be successful, WCW proved that it can be during its peak, albeit for an abbreviated period because of discontent behind the scenes, not the action in the ring.
In many ways, the general philosophy of an emphasize of wrestling action is the right call. All Elite should aim to be the Pepsi to WWE’s Coca Cola. There are a few decades to prove that nobody is going to produce a slicker show or have more pyro and ballyhoo than the WWE machine. The WWE sells the spectacle and became a billion dollar corporation because of it. Let the franchise guys like Ospreay and Okada go other there, much like they did at Worlds End, and place an importance on it that is on the level of their skill set. The biggest problem with the set up for the finals at Worlds End was literally no progress was made, Okada started as the Continental champion and then finished as the Continental champion so from a storyline prospective, if a view simply skipped the tournament, what did they miss? Was remain the Continental titleholder really a way to make Okada seem more important, specifically when his character doesn’t have much direction since The Young Bucks disappeared from AEW TV?
As far Ospreay, I wrote previously that he could be the guy for AEW in a similar way that AJ Styles was considered the standard for TNA, but he’s spinning his wheels working the mid-card with only an emphasis on “great matches” instead of being booked in the main event scene to establish his star power.
I want to make it clear, All Elite Wrestling has a tremendous amount of talent, but the way that they are used doesn’t highlight or establish them as money-drawing stars. Again, if great matches alone were the way to draw money on a national level in the United States, TNA would’ve had an exponentially bigger run than it did during its peak almost two decades ago.
This is why for All Elite to have a happy new year, my two cents on the matter to the billionaire boss that runs the company is to simplify every aspect possible of the on-screen presentation. Don’t concern yourself with how many stars a match-up will receive from Dave Meltzer, the talent on the roster is solid regardless of a ratings system in a newsletter, take the talent that is the most over with the audience and book them against the heels with the most heat from the crowd. Allow the baby face to fight for the audience and get the heel to put obstacles in the way. Maybe Ospreay should’ve been the one to save the organization from the reign of Moxley’s faction. The four-way at the pay-per-view was an artificial way book a main event without a compelling angle. What’s the point of the Moxley stable? Despite some rambling promos, I’m not sure a purpose has been declared.
Tony is a well-known fan of old school wrestling, and instead of an overly-complicated presentation based on the charts and graphs from his days of E-fed booking on the internet, perhaps a simplified old school approach would be useful for his wrestling project in 2025. It might be more productive to take the most over talent and book them against the most hated heels. The journey of the baby face to triumph is ultimately how you draw money, there are decades of examples from dozens of territories to prove it as being an effective strategy for the company. The progress and purpose of each angle should be consider top priorities for AEW storylines throughout the year.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
