Everyone has heard of WWE at least once in their lives, and I'm sure you have heard of some major names from WWE, the likes of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, John Cena, "Stone Cole" Steve Austin, or even Dave Batista. All of these people have transcended wrestling. Now if you hear one of those names, you don't think wrestling, you think movies and shows, because now they have gotten so big that their background in wrestling doesn't matter. That's the power of WWE. They've become more than just a wresting company. Nowadays, it's more of an acting school than a wresting company. For over two decades, WWE has monopolized the wrestling market and made it into whatever they wanted it to be. They were able to take over any small indie startup and shut it down. So they would be the only wrestling company. A huge portion of the people reading this couldn't even name one other wresting company. That's how WWE wants it. For years, people have said, "WWE is the be all and end all. If you really want to make it, that WWE is the place to be. " But over the years, WWE has become less about wresting and more about "entertainment". Hence the "E" in WWE. The shows got so bad to the point where people stopped watching and the wrestlers left and fell out of love with the wrestling aspect. They couldn't just leave and join another company and have the same or more success because it was not the WWE. This happens over and over again, slowly killing the wrestlers' and fans' passion for wrestling.
As I am currently writing this, there is a war brewing. A war that will shake up the world of wrestling. How did we get here? After years of having full control of the wrestling landscape, WWE got sloppy. They got lazy after years of being at the top. This was what a small wresting company needed to eventually trample the juggernaut that is WWE. This company is named AEW, which stands for "All Elite Wrestling." AEW has brought new life into people's love for wrestling. They are everything WWE tried to erase and everything WWE once was. As a wrestling fan, we are living history. The events of these two companies colliding will send shock waves for years to come. Finally, we are seeing someone stand up to WWE and be in direct competition with them. This is not only good for us wrestling fans, but also for the wrestlers. They now have an opportunity to venture off and be free from the grasp of WWE. AEW has put more eyes on indie wrestling than ever before. Something WWE has tried to keep hidden for decades.
September 1, 2018 was the day wrestling changed. AEW had their show "ALL IN" and did something incredible that hasn't happened in over 23 years. They managed to sell out an arena for a wrestling show that wasn't WWE. To the common folk, it was just a whatever thing, but to us it meant something. It shows that WWE is not the end. AEW manages to sell out "ALL IN" in one hour... ONE HOUR! That is unheard of in this business, let alone a company that would be their first show. This was the first time a company landed a hit on WWE. That demonstrates how desperate people were for something new and exciting. This show was the catalyst of a weekly show that would go head to head every week with WWE. There were two events that would make people turn their heads towards AEW. This was one of them. The second would be the return of "CM Punk" He would've become a modern day "The Rock" who would have had the potential to single-handedly save WWE, but WWE dropped the ball and fired him. After seven years of being away from the sport, he returned, and it was spectacular. Over the years, CM Punk was very anti-pro wrestling. WWE suffocated his passion and forced him to turn on the thing he once loved. His return to wrestling was so big that AEW didn't even promote him; the rumor that he was coming back sold out the arena that he was going to show up at. This was the day AEW would truly show everyone they are here to stay
So I leave you with this. Wrestling is much more than wrestling. It's the stories, the larger-than-life characters, and the sheer spectacle of seeing these performers hurt themselves and leave literal parts of themselves in the ring that just shows that these people really do care about the sport. Enough time has passed that the days of WWE controlling every aspect of this business are long gone. Now more than ever, the number of small indie wrestling shows is insane. One of the things that caught my attention while seeing all these promotions start up was the young talent who had yet to break out and show the world who they are. If you once liked wrestling, you would love to see how the business has evolved over the years and how great it feels to be a wrestling fan again.
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