WWE have done what they’ve always done when it comes to their rivals who want to compete with them on a relatively similar platform. But for me, AEW has done far more damage to the wrestling industry in the last decade, they gobbled up my beloved independent scene which even the WWE did not try and eat-up, yes, some of the high profile independent stars ended up working for WWE but that was fine, because it didn’t take away from the likes of ROH & their own development system and fan base, they may have lost a Punk or a Bryan but there was always someone else who was going come through their system having been inspired by the golden generation.
Right now, unless you work for Tony, there are no options for you on the indie circuit besides outlaw mud-shows which are cancerous for our future. AEW has no real development system in place, it’s incoherent, illogical from a purists POV and they don’t truly have a defined style & rely heavily on shock value from a very small portion of wrestling fans. AEW is not a place where the next AJ Styles will look to join & hone his craft in the dark and break-out as the next big star regardless off who he is employed by, but it’s a place where you go to make a few quid because there are few options or if you’re a name, you go there to get your pension. So I will always hate AEW with a passion & not just for the Punk stuff, for what they’ve done to ROH, FTR & The Briscoe’s masked the damage Tony had done; ROH will never capture the authentic it once had.
And don’t get me started on Japan, NJPW has been struggling severely in recent times through their working arrangement with AEW, the money might have been nice but it has done long term damage to their business, NJPW was once selling out MSG & attracted vast swathes of the western audience which was unheard of for many years, they are completely irrelevant right now & thank TK for that.
So if they or other Japanese companies are thinking outside the box, I can’t blame them, this is another consequence of TK killing the independents who had good relationships with Japan. Right now, in the west, you either go into business with AEW or WWE, I know which devil I’d like to the shake hands with when it comes to the long term growth of my company.
TNA are going through a purple patch right now, from their presentation, consistency and general marketing initiatives, if they or as AAA have already done, agree terms with WWE, it’s going to bring more eyeballs to their business. In 2025 we saw AJ return to TNA, I never had that on my bucket list, they still have that ability to attract innovative talent due to their legacy & have managed to find a way to get their top stars positioned to get over for a wider audience. This is as good as it’s going to get for a promotion we loved in the 2000’s, there’s not more I can ask or criticise what their product is today, they’ve been smart and have not removed their loyal fans completely from their agenda. In-fact, I’d personally be open to it, say TNA was on Netflix, it’s easier for me to watch, and I can assure you they have a big global audience. What else should TNA do, join hands with AEW and watch their business go to the gutters like whoever else that company works with? And from that AAA show I watched, there’s hope it’s not going to turn into another RAW or SD.
Bro, AEW are not the saviours we thought they were going to be, I hate TKO in general, but all these shifts in the wrestling landscape have happened when AEW joined the party; they’ve made this a two horse race and don’t offer a competitive alternative either which has made matters worse.