10 Ways AEW Is Dangerously Close To Following In WCW's Footsteps

3. Those Network Concerns

Tony Khan WCW
AEW

To most wrestling fans, the name Brett Weitz won't mean a thing.

Up until earlier this year, Weitz was the General Manager of TNT, TBS and truTV, and was a huge believer in All Elite Wrestling. As such, many believed he was key in AEW's network presence and pivotal to the expansion of said presence. Not just was Brett important in establishing AEW Dynamite, AEW Rampage and the quarterly AEW specials, but he also had an eye for other TV ventures for AEW talent - as seen by Weitz overseeing Cody Rhodes' Rhodes to the Top show.

So, when this May saw it announced that Brett Weitz was leaving his role, some who were around during the WCW days became concerned for the implications this would have on AEW. Why was there that concern? Well, that's thanks to a fear of another Jamie Kellner emerging.

Kellner is viewed as being the person who put the final nail in the coffin of World Championship Wrestling.

Once the AOL Time Warner merger went through in 2000, there were several suitors weighing up purchasing WCW, with Eric Bischoff and Fusient Media Ventures leading the pack on that front. By now, Kellner was heading up the Turner Broadcasting division which housed WCW, and he made it clear that rasslin' would not be a part of the TV line-up in the future - meaning anybody purchasing WCW would have no TV slots.

Under Ted Turner, WCW always had a home on TNT and TBS, regardless of how many anti-wrestling executives were in Ted's ear. Once Turner was out of the equation, that safety net was gone. So, some feared that the departure of Brett Weitz would open the door for a Jamie Kellner figure - as in, someone not as passionate about pro wrestling - to have a detrimental impact on the future of AEW.

Thankfully, Weitz's exit has yet to cause any damage to AEW, although there is the fascinating proposition of the company's next TV negotiations on the horizon.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.