AEW's Huge F*** YOU! To WWE (... & Why It Will Win)

Cole Gargano
WWE.com

He wormed his way into Vince McMahon’s ear all the way back in 1997 when he - independently of Jim Cornette, who pitched the idea out of sheer frustration - pitched the Montreal Screwjob for an altogether more cynical reason. It took a few more years and one marriage for Levesque to gain creative control over his character, after which he barged into the creative room, and then Titan Towers. Levesque took control of developmental - after indirectly burying the dire job John Laurinaitis did with it in the build to WrestleMania XXVII - and in doing so, invited a glimpse into his psyche.

For a developmental league designed, through the Performance Center, to build top WWE Superstars from scratch, by 2019, NXT sure looked like Pro Wrestling Guerilla with a far bigger budget. 14 wrestlers appeared on the main TakeOver: New York card: a show heralded as both the zenith of NXT and one of the greatest wrestling events ever promoted. Of that 14, just three could be described as WWE “originals”. Shayna Baszler and The Velveteen Dream had minimal experience before becoming the property of the Performance Center; Bianca Belair had none. The PC might as well have not existed in April 2019.

Levesque recruited the best talent from the indie scene - when they came considerably cheaper - because he very much enjoyed being sent fruit baskets by Reddit and being the guy who put the coolest and most critically acclaimed talents over.

You take one look at that card, and the idea that he wouldn’t want to sign Will Ospreay is preposterous. Had New Japan Pro Wrestling not awarded Ospreay a contract after just one match, Levesque would have put the NXT title on Ospreay quicker than he moved on from Chyna.

CONT'D...(2 of 5)

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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 current Undisputed WWE 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!