WWE Fears AEW - Here's Proof

Jesus wept.

by Michael Sidgwick
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wwe/ROH

Per the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, suffice to say Vince McMahon isn't f*cking around when it comes to this new wrestling war that's goin' on.

The venerable Dave Meltzer writes - and disclaimer, much of what follows is us editorialising, and you are encouraged to read the always-fascinating Newsletter in its entirety:

"WWE has told people if you can show on paper an offer from another company, they’ll beat it, even double it on the spot provided you sign immediately."

Wow.

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Chris Jericho claimed recently that the offer made by All Elite Wrestling was, by some distance, the most lucrative of a legendary, multi-decade career. Sensing the change in the waters, it was apparently Ring Of Honor's coup of ALL IN show-stealer Bandido that has convinced Vince McMahon to reboot Million Dollar Mania. Failing to secure his signature, Vince has implemented this new, eye-watering policy in order to deny his rising competition of an increasingly shallow pool of free agents. To put into perspective this paradigm shift, Vince once hesitated over signing Rey Mysterio - a more popular and established practitioner of good lucha things - back in 2002, because he wore one of the mask things he wasn't sure kids would want in their millions.

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We can probably infer that this offer extends to existing, contracted talent. Contract details are murky in the world of pro wrestling because they are rarely publicised. Often, we are left to deduce the terms of a contract from past precedent (usually, WWE signs performers to initial three-year deals). As such, conjecture dominates the headlines.

Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio has however revealed recently that AJ Styles' contract is up for renegotiation this year. A clear prospect in the eyes of AEW, whatever happens, the Phenomenal One will end up a very, very rich man. Good for him, and good for his peers, many of whom for years were paid in ugly disproportion to the promoters.

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AEW's next major event is entitled 'Double or Nothing'. Already, it reads deeply ironic.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!