10 Biggest Ways WWE Changed In AEW's First Full Year
3. Offered Huge Money Contracts
Not only did WWE not let talents go when they'd requested their releases, WWE started paying big bucks to convince stars to stay. In some cases, they paid handsomely for stars they had no plans to use.
Talents like Randy Orton, Edge, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, along with Mike and Maria Kanellis all leveraged AEW to get better deals with WWE. While Orton and Edge played pivotal roles in WWE storylines after they'd re-signed, others faded away and WWE didn't seem to mind, if for no other reason than to keep performers from jumping ship.
Prior to AEW's emergence and the deep pockets of their ownership, wrestling free agents didn't really have options. If they wanted to be in WWE, it was take what was being offered. If they didn't, the choices were to wrestle in Impact, NWA, or travel to Japan.
Some talents like Dean Ambrose, Shawn Spears and The Revival refused to take the money offered. Others saw the big paycheques and stuck around. Ironically, these contracts may have been why a team like The O.C. was let go during the recent WWE cutbacks.