The more time goes on, the less I care about AEW. Their complete lack of good creative and storytelling isn’t doing it for me. Beyond MJF/Cole, nothing is interesting to me. I think the kind of wrestling I like is happening over in WWE right now. Gunther and Chad Gable had an amazing main event match on Raw the other night. There were a few really good matches at Payback as well.
I’ve said it before, AEW is a glorified indy promotion and I just don’t care about it. They had a real shot at being the number 2 promotion and it’s been squandered. In a few years, they’ll be just like TNA. They are a VERY distant number 2. I’ve always been a fan of the big match feel, the stories, etc and I think WWE just does that much better than anyone else. I had hoped AEW would be a WCW, but it’s not even close. Wembley was a good show but that’s where it lies for me. For a guy who supposedly has all of this money, Tony Khan certainly isn’t putting it into production value.
I have a similar relationship to AEW as I do with WWE these days, I'll usually watch their PPVs, but only read recaps of the TV shows. Not enough good storytelling happens in AEW, and WWE has only really had the Bloodline storyline as a major hook over the past year - and that's now fading out. There's usually some good matches on both companies' PPVs though, and the hype packages beforehand are usually enough to catch me up on the gist of whatever story they're trying to tell. It was also basically how I used to watch NXT back in the day - skip the TV, watch the Takeovers. AEW has been worth it alone on the past couple of PPVs for Sting's entrance to Seek & Destroy and Danielson's Final Countdown entrance, honestly.
I think AEW is more destined to be like early-90s WCW in terms of popularity and reach than TNA. I mean, it was bigger and more impressive than TNA from day one. No offence to TNA as I loved watching their show in the mid-2000s, but AEW is in another ballpark. They're a distant second to WWE and I don't see that changing, but they have provided their share of awesome moments and it gives workers a second big company that pays well to go to, so I'm glad they're around even if my fandom is hugely decreased from a couple of years ago.
Ace Steel is gone from AEW. Again. Kind of shame honestly. I watch/listen to the Wrestling Perspective podcast where Ace is a frequent guest and honestly he comes across as a level-headed, really nice guy. I think the dude gets a bad wrap for defending his friend.
I was listening to Eric Bischoff’s podcast yesterday. I know Bischoff is a polarizing figure in wrestling — some people love him, some people hate him, whatever. He made some good points however. He speculated that Warner/Discovery owns part of AEW, which would track with how much leeway they give AEW for no apparent reason and that that is why Punk was truly fired. When you’ve got people screaming about unsafe working environment, a major company like Warner/Discovery doesn’t need that PR. He also mentioned Tony Khan talking about fearing for his life and how on the surface, it seems like such a ridiculous thing to say. He went on to say that as ridiculous as it seems, it is a very smart thing to say to cover your ass from potential lawsuits that Punk may bring against the company for unlawful termination and the like.
There’s been a lot of chatter about Survivor Series being in Chicago this year. It’s amazing to me that so many people, even ones within the business, are flat-out saying they wouldn’t be surprised to see Punk back in WWE. That goes along with pretty much everything we know about that company; if it is “good for business” and they think money can be made there, they will do pretty much anything. Just look at their deal with Saudi. In this scenario, I think it would not be good for their locker room though. I think while Punk does still have friends there, I’m sure that entire locker room is very aware of the situation in AEW, knowing details none of us know and that could be bad for morale. There’s also the matter of a potential non-compete clause.
I don't know what Ace was doing in AEW other than being Punk's boy, so I have no idea if it's good or bad that he's gone. If we're being honest he was lucky to be around in the first place after literally biting one of the EVPs, lmao. I don't know the guy other than that, but it seems like he was in AEW solely because of Punk, so it's not a surprise he's gone alongside Punk.
I'm not sure it's true that Warner gives AEW leeway for no apparent reason - AEW has been far more successful than Warner predicted (they had Dynamite pencilled for around 500k a week max, and AEW has been consistently well above that), it's cheap programming and they barely have to spend a penny on it as the owner is rich and funds the majority of the promotion himself. Unlike TNA for example, who had Spike TV paying Sting's contract. So, I would imagine Warner gives AEW leeway simply because it's a successful show and they have a good relationship with Khan and AEW's execs. It's certainly possible they own a stake, but they've got reasons to cut AEW some slack beyond that. Also from what I read Warner actually liked Punk and were heavily pressuring AEW to ensure he was the face of Collision and appeared on the first show, so I can't imagine they were too keen to get rid as he was undoubtedly the biggest draw in AEW in terms of pure drawing power and merch sales. Danielson as the face and potential booker of Collision could be awesome though, if those rumours are true.
Tbf I think Punk was simply fired for assaulting his co-workers twice and then going after his boss, The last one being the key. I don't think many people walk away from that with their job in tact. I thought it was harsh to ridicule Khan's suggestion that he feared for his life. On the surface it may sound dramatic, but it's understandable considering Punk's history, how enraged he apparently was at All In, and the fact he had literally watched Punk try to choke out Jack Perry. Punk is also a big dude and a trained fighter, whereas Khan is a scrawny fanboy. He gets knocked over and smashes his head on a desk or the floor and it genuinely could be game over. So I get what he means when he says he feared for his life, even if it seems crazy initially. Obviously it also helps to justify firing Punk from a legal perspective, but it's only useful if it actually has merit.
As far as Punk and WWE... they had their chance to sign him a few years ago when he started appearing on their FOX backstage show, and they passed. I don't see Endeavour forcing WWE to sign Punk if Vince and Triple H are against it, and by the sounds of it Vince especially has no interest in having Punk back. Since they last passed on Punk he's gotten four years older, been seriously injured twice, made numerous enemies through his behaviour backstage and eventually got himself fired for that behaviour. It's wrestling and you never say never - things have happened that I never thought would happen - but I would be genuinely shocked to see Punk show up for anything other than a potential HOF induction some time in the future. Maybe some kind of brief cameo at best.
Who knows, though. Punk's return would certainly put a lot of eyeballs on the product. As you say though, backstage morale could take a pretty big hit, and I'm not sure Triple H would risk that. You've got some pretty big stars, like Seth Rollins, who have been very outspoken on their negative feelings towards Punk.
it just seems to be a prerequisite of being a female wrestler today, that you have to have accounts showing your body off to thirsty dudes. Feels like in a lot of ways it puts paid to the notion that things have really progressed in any significant way when it comes to how women are viewed and expected to portray themselves in wrestling. You don't get the same thing in other professions - some women's athletes, but it's nowhere near as common as it is in wrestling. Even the interviewers and ring announcers do it.
some of the quotes are just amazing as well.
