10 Dream Scenarios For Wrestling's New BOOM Period

9. Tony Khan Hands Over Ring Of Honor

Bryan Danielson ROH Thumb
AEW

Developing talent in wrestling is difficult. 

Developing the next creative minds within wrestling is next to impossible, since the conditions for that barely exist and haven't for the entire 21st century. There are writers under Paul Levesque and wrestlers and producers who pitch to Tony Khan, but there's no real way to become a booker. You either build your own indie, buy a major, or wait 25 years to hopefully one day take one over. In 2024, there's no in-between. No career plan. 

This needs to change, and Tony Khan has a great - and virtually risk-free - means of doing so. 

Only the hardcore of the hardcore need Nu Ring Of Honor. The very best thing about it - Athena - is wasted there. Athena, a few great pay-per-views with a suboptimal atmosphere, and...that's about it. The brand does not need to exist and, writing from experience, is an imposition when taking in AEW as a live experience. 

Tony Khan should use it to forge the next great wrestling mind. He should install a rotating cast of bookers, Bryan Danielson among them, and give each of them six months to see what they can do. If they fail or don't make much of an impact, who cares? It's only ROH. 

If they flourish - and a new booker proves themselves as somebody who can engage an audience and tell absorbing stories - Khan can draw upon them to assist with Dynamite and Collision. 

This isn't some "Tony Khan needs help" concern trolling, but rather a no-risk way of ultimately finding new ways to energise the audience - which literally cannot be a bad thing.

Contributor
Contributor

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!