American pro wrestling is hotter than it has ever been right now. Last weekend was the perfect example. WWE held Saturday Night’s Main Event, The Great American Bash, and Evolution. Ring of Honor hosted Supercard of Honor, and its parent company, AEW, held All In. WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg wrestled his final match. Hangman Adam Page rescued AEW’s world title from the clutches of Jon Moxley. Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky wrestled a five-star banger of a match for the WWE Women’s World Championship, only to have Naomi cash in her Money in the Bank contract and take home the title. It was a glorious weekend of wrestling.
Pro wrestling has so many stars now that it has created a problem. How do companies get them all airtime? –The answer is, they don’t. AEW and WWE have so many incredible wrestlers on their rosters that there isn’t enough airtime. Wrestlers sign big contracts and barely wrestle. WWE and AEW have tried to expand their programming, but wrestlers are still often left sitting in catering or at home. The answer to the problem is a third major promotion. It seems unlikely to happen, but AEW sprang up out of nowhere, so that gives wrestling fans hope.
When AEW was founded in 2019, many wondered if it could succeed in an industry where WWE had dominated for decades. More than five years later, AEW is hitting its stride, proving that it can be done. Now, the wrestling industry needs another motivated entity to step up and do it again. If someone like, say, Mark Cuban were to put his weight behind a quality promotion, the next AEW could be born. Many veterans sit in catering, indie stars look to break through, and up-and-comers tire of waiting in line. There is a whole host of Mexican luchadors and Japanese wrestlers who want to bring their talents to America.
Someone could also take an existing wrestling entity and reconstruct it. A rich, smart, and influential entrepreneur could acquire TNA or an indie company like House of Glory or Game Changer Wrestling and make it work. Several entities have almost achieved success with TNA in the past. They couldn’t quite get over the hump to compete with WWE. Now, WWE is working with TNA in a cross-promotional agreement. That could be the boost that finally puts TNA over the top. Maybe WWE will poach all their talent. Time will tell.
A third major promotion could be huge for the industry. There are so many wrestlers that fans are dying to see who could finally have a stage for their talents. Think about a wrestler like Miro/Rusev, who was stuck with a bad gimmick in WWE. He moved to AEW only to barely wrestle and eventually go back to WWE–where he barely wrestles. Think of a fan favorite like Danhausen, who sold tons of merch for AEW, but watched his contract expire without being on television for eight months. The industry is full of wrestlers like Cora Jade, Shotzi Blackheart, Matt Cardona, and Dakota Kai who are ready to shine.
Competition is good for the industry. WWE had grown incredibly stale and complacent until AEW popped up. Vince McMahon and company had not had real competition since they bought out WCW and ECW. It showed in their product. When AEW took off, they were forced to step up their game. Now, both companies are striving weekly to get ahead of the other. Paul “Triple H” Levesque has replaced McMahon at the helm of WWE, and he now sees that competition drives the industry.
So many wrestlers who were sitting on the sidelines, winding down their careers, or stuck in bad roles/gimmicks at WWE found new life when AEW opened its doors. Brian Danielson, Adam “Edge” Copeland, Cody Rhodes, Paige/Saraya, Brodie Lee, Jon Moxley, and Toni Storm are perfect examples. AEW opening its doors also brought talents like Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita, Hologram, and the Beast Mortos from Japan and Mexico. WWE was forced to bring in names like Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, and Dragon Lee to keep up.
So many great talents get stuck in the midcard. Numerous new talents are stuck in jobber roles or on the indies. It is time for the next great wrestling company to be born and break this logjam of talent. Wrestlers like Rey Fenix, Penta, Miro/Rusev, Andrade, Ricochet, Brody King, Buddy Matthews, Queen Aminata, Thekla, and others need that chance to break the glass ceiling.
Pro wrestling was slowly dying. When AEW came along, the pro wrestling world got a shot of adrenaline. Veteran wrestlers got a second life. Indie wrestlers got a chance at the big time. Japanese and Mexican wrestlers had a new landing spot in America. It was a rebirth. Now, it is time for the next AEW to be born. It is time for Scorpio Sky, Miro, Shayna Baszler, Omos, and others to step out of the shadows. It is time for Ricochet, Takeshita, Shotzi, Andrade, Aleister Black, and Penta to win a major world title. Wrestling must innovate more to allow a new crop of superstars to emerge. AEW made stars out of indie wrestlers Darby Allin, Britt Baker, Orange Cassidy, and MJF. Who is next?
I picked Cuban as an example above because he loves pro wrestling, but countless other entrepreneurs could make this a reality. Maybe Billy Corgan and Freddie Prinze Jr. could team up as they have sought a successful wrestling venture. Corgan worked with TNA for a while and currently owns NWA, and Prinze was a writer for WWE. Perhaps, Mets owner Steve Cohen, Mr. Beast, or the Kelce brothers (Jason and Travis) could start the next big thing in wrestling. Whoever it is, the time is now. Wrestling is hotter than ever, and there is a huge crop of talent available.
It will not be easy. AEW lost over $70 million last year before signing its new television deal. With that deal in place, early projections for 2025 show a profit of over $14 million. Rome was not built in a day, and the next big wrestling company won’t be either. Any new company will have to have a TV deal in place early on and will need to start small. They cannot make the mistake that WWE and AEW have made with a bloated talent roster. It will be tough, but AEW has finally proven that it can be done.
Believe it or not, I think a new wrestling company could help the profits of the other companies. WWE and AEW are both paying wrestlers like Britt Baker and Tamina Snuka to stay home. When new options become available, underutilized talent will inevitably ask for their release to sign with the new company. WWE makes waves of roster cuts each year. This sheds payroll. The wrestlers sign elsewhere, and the company saves money. Competition also drops ticket prices for fans, which increases attendance at live events.
I don’t believe that the market is saturated yet. There is still room for another major wrestling company to drive the industry onward and upward, to innovate and excel. Do I think that it will happen? –Sadly, no. Do I believe that it is possible?
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