Major Update On The Future Of The Elite

WWE or AEW?

by Michael Sidgwick
The Elite
AEW

According to a report in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the AEW soft roster split gamble appears to have proved a success. Per Dave Meltzer:

"The prevailing belief is that the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Adam Page are staying."

The return of CM Punk, following the events of Brawl Out, was fraught politically. In order to accommodate all of his top acts, AEW President Tony Khan used the additional two hours - that Warner was going to allocate to AEW regardless - to separate the Elite from CM Punk, who is now the fulcrum of Collision. This experimental compromise is in some ways bittersweet, in that it has all but killed any CMFTR Vs. Elite worked shoot fantasy booking, but if the report proves to be accurate, it was the correct business decision.

Many thought that Khan had created an untenable scenario, but this appears not to be the case. Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, Hangman Page and CM Punk were all present in the Scotiabank Arena for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door (albeit on separate ends of the building) without incident. That workaround, coupled with Meltzer's report, indicates that this compromise has worked.

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Meltzer substantiated the report with the following:

"We do know from a WWE standpoint that months ago they had the impression they had a good shot at Omega in 2024 and he was the most coveted of all the guys being talked about like Jay White and the others. That has gone cold so they do believe he’s staying with AEW."
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!