What If... Tony Khan NEVER Launched AEW

Wrestling was a pretty bleak place towards the end of the 2010s.

Well, in North America at least.

That landscape had been well and truly dominated by Vince McMahon's WWE for an age. And a lack of real competition once WCW died a death ultimately led to that Sports Entertainment product going from a must-see, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, to an often soul-destroying experience. The occasional program would trick you into regaining a little faith in the machine, but that hope would soon be crushed by the despicable old man holding the pen. In short, an alternative/escape was needed for many.

And that's precisely what finally burst into the industry back in 2019.

While it was eventually revealed that Tony Khan himself had begun working on his new wrestling project as far back as April 2018, All Elite Wrestling only officially became a thing on January 1, 2019, with an Elite fresh off of putting on a game-changing first All In event announcing its creation during an episode of Being the Elite.

And the wrestling world was never the same.

Gone were the days of WWE being the only real big dog in town in the States.

World class in-ring action, blood (!), glorious curse words, and deeply compelling long-term tales all utterly refreshed a business many a "hardcore" and casual had been falling out of love with for years. It hasn't all been marvellous, of course. And for every transcendent AEW Moment, a completely baffling/frustrating one - like the signing of Ric Flair and half-arsed booking of the women's decision - has never been too far around the corner.

But for the most part, Tony, and his father Shad Khan's decision to invest in this much-needed alternative has indeed changed things for the better... or has it?

Would a world where TK didn't fancy giving this pro wrasslin' stuff a go really have been an agonising one?

Would certain corners of the industry actually still be thriving in an AEW-less corner of the multiverse?

Well, one thing is for sure...