AEW is scheduled for one of its biggest weekends of the year as the promotion heads to the Globe Life Field for All In: Texas 2025 on July 12. One night prior, ROH will host its marquee Supercard of Honor event too. However, Tony Khan’s promotion will not be alone in hosting shows on that weekend, as WWE recently announced a triple billing of big events to go up against AEW – NXT Great American Bash, Saturday Night’s Main Event, and the second ever Evolution PLE. This is not the first time that WWE have counter programmed AEW and waged war on the company, especially in 2025, where many shots have been fired their way. However, despite all being fair in business, WWE is doing nothing but hurting the entire wrestling world with their approach – including themselves. We will take a look as to why that is the case.
WWE Is Looking To Kill AEW As Competition
AEW Is Massively Important To Professional Wrestling
- WWE put Saturday Night’s Main Event and NXT Battleground against AEW Double or Nothing.
- WWE countered an AEW-CMLL supercard announcement with a WWE-AAA show.
- Triple H and Nick Khan have taken shots at AEW.
WWE will claim otherwise, and in some other world this counter programming is just a wild coincidence, but it is hard to ignore the fact that WWE have stepped up in their attempts to pursue AEW and to take them out as a company. AEW Double or Nothing 2025 weekend contended with Saturday Night’s Main Event and NXT Battleground, AEW’s trip to Australia for Grand Slam was accompanied with NXT Vengeance Day, and ahead of All In: Texas 2025, WWE announced three major shows for that weekend too. Not only that, but shortly after AEW’s announcement of a supercard with CMLL, WWE scheduled the exact same with AAA.
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There are other examples of WWE taking aim at AEW, both in terms of booking shows and when it comes to the media too, with the likes of Nick Khan and Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque not being afraid to take potshots at AEW, predicting to take their talent in the future, and downplaying AEW’s role in the wrestling world – shots have become more commonplace on WWE programming too, with Tony Khan referred to as the son of a billionaire, among other things. These instances are all no accident, and it is clear that WWE does see AEW as somewhat of a threat. In an ideal world for WWE, there is no AEW, and trying to take business away from them is the first step in trying to make that a reality.
No AEW Would Be Bad For WWE
If AEW Were To Fail, WWE, Fans, And Wrestlers Would Suffer
- Buying AAA and working with TNA shows that WWE is trying to monopolize wrestling.
- AEW’s existence forced WWE to step up and create a better product.
- We wouldn’t have Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Jade Cargill, and more without AEW.
With the purchase of AAA, the close working relationship with TNA, and a step into the independent wrestling scene, it looks as though WWE may be trying to once again monopolize the business. What they don’t realize is that killing AEW and taking over the whole wrestling business does no favors for anyone. With AEW’s rise, WWE had to step up, becoming a far better product and finally giving the fans something to shout about. This led to new stars, a boost in attendances and viewership, and consistent broken records. In 2025, WWE has finally begun to receive some criticism for the quality of the product, something they haven’t taken to kindly, with Triple H stating multiple times that fans need to suck it up and enjoy it. With AEW’s product beginning to flourish, it means that WWE once again has to step up.
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Without AEW, WWE doesn’t need to step it up. Following the death of WCW, WWE’s product gradually worsened, losing viewers and dropping in attendances year after year, to a point of complete catastrophe between 2018 and 2019 when it was sometimes embarrassing to watch shows. However, WWE didn’t care because there was no alternative. WWE would naturally become a worse and lazier product without AEW, which is not good for them or the fans. Additionally, AEW provides so much good for the wrestling world – offering alternatives to fans and to wrestlers, giving people careers and opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have. Not only has this helped AEW, but it has helped WWE too. Without AEW, CM Punk might never have been brought back to wrestling, Cody Rhodes wouldn’t have risen to the star he is today, and WWE would not have taken notice of the likes of Jade Cargill, Ricky Starks, and more.
WWE Should Just Leave AEW To Do Their Thing
WWE’s Approach Will End Up Turning Fans Towards AEW
- AEW will never be bigger than WWE and Tony Khan isn’t trying to make that happen.
- Competition in wrestling is healthy to push different styles and options.
- Tony Khan is confident about taking on WWE’s push against AEW.
Let’s face it, AEW will never reach the levels of WWE. The WWE has had a multi-decade head start and is now a global brand recognizable all over the planet. Tony Khan has no illusions about AEW remaining as number two, and in truth, WWE should just allow this to be reality. It is healthy to have competitions, options, other career paths, and different styles of professional wrestling. This is why WWE should simply let AEW do their thing and not attempt to continually counter-program them any chance they get.
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If WWE persists down this path, then they will seem like the bad guys more and more, meaning that they may actually end up sending more fans down the route of AEW, especially with how WWE’s product has been consumed with sponsors, celebrities, less ring time, and hosting shows purely where the most money is. Regardless of whether AEW is your thing or not, we all must hope that they survive. At AEW’s Double or Nothing 2025 press conference, Khan was asked about WWE’s counter-programming. He summed things up succinctly, confidently, and perfectly.
“I’d say it’s the most consistent event head-to-head scheduling I’ve seen since Jim Crockett Promotions saw a lot of scheduling that went that way. And I can tell you this will go a lot differently than that did.” (Tony Khan, AEW Double or Nothing Media Scrum)
