10 Ways WWE Is Better Than AEW

In defence of the (almost) indefensible - what WWE are still getting right that AEW can't crack.

WWE AEW
WWE/AEW

An all time cake-and-eat-it moment, this.

Over the years (and especially the last three), you might well have read a number of articles on this very website calling for unity between wrestling fans behind the cause of great wrestling over favourite multi-billion dollar organisations.

Not to be confused with the "just enjoy it!" brand of toxic positivity, this particular request has echoed from corners exhausted by the most visceral debate between fans of either WWE and AEW (and it is these two companies, nobody ever gave a flying f*ck when TNA were pretending to make a fist of it in the 2000s, and people were even less bothered when NJPW was inarguably the best product in the world at various points in the 2010s), when all the action's there to be sampled and/or devoured.

It's both reasoned and flawed.

Reasoned because wrestling theoretically needn't be tribal beyond having favourite specific wrestlers. Flawed - somewhat hypocritically so - because everybody constantly goes on about how competition was good in the territorial days, in the 1990s and even now!

To this end, here are 10 Ways WWE Is Better Than AEW, with the exact counter-point article hopefully elsewhere on WhatCulture.com as you're reading these words. We're not here to tell you to like both, but it doesn't mean they don't have certain strengths...

10. Building ONE Star Still Fundamentally Works Just Enough

WWE AEW
WWE

All too often, the only star Vince McMahon gives a sh*t about building has initials rather than a name, but when he does actually like one of his wrestlers, he backs them to the hilt.

Since John Cena reshaped what it was to be Titan's top star then got off the full time grind for good after 2015, the WWE letters have been harnessed to flog tickets and TV shows more than ever (and more on that elsewhere in this article). But Roman Reigns' megapush since August 2020 has at very least proven that audiences will stay sustained (if not grow all that much) if they're given at least one relentless winner to stick with.

The 'Tribal Chief's run has come at the detriment of many aimless midcarders on SmackDown - nobody on the regular main roster can claim to be in his orbit - but the blue brand's ratings have stabilised around two million anyway. Wins and losses and rankings are all-important, but there's not a single top star or belt-wearer promoted with as much conviction as 'The Head Of The Table'.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett