One MIND-BLOWING Secret From Every Year Of WWE History

6. 2019 - It’s No Wonder WWE Was Frightened By AEW…

Duke Droese Thumb
WWE

Everything changed when All Elite Wrestling formed and indeed before that, when the indie boom blossomed (PAC wasn’t just allowed to walk off into the sunset when he attempted to leave in 2017). 

Shawn Spears was allowed to leave in 2019, but when WWE began to grasp why - he was off to AEW - nobody was allowed to follow him. Brodie Lee tried; he was told by Paul Levesque that WWE would appear like a sinking ship if he left, but they could let him work NJPW dates if he stayed (they said the same thing to Bryan Danielson, never happened). FTR tried to leave, too. They weren’t allowed, either, even though former COO George Barrios once said that WWE wasn’t interested in locking guys up. 

According to a report in the July 15 WON, you can understand (without condoning) WWE’s paranoia. 

Wrote Dave Meltzer:

“[Reigns] is one of the very few people in WWE who hasn’t inquired to AEW”. 

That’s how bad WWE was in 2019; that’s how wild it was that a new mainstream outfit had formed offering major league money.

What would WWE look like if the wrestlers were allowed to simply leave outright?

AJ Styles was one such wrestler who leveraged AEW’s interest into a bonanza new WWE deal (you’ll remember the Club, fired in April 2020, were persuaded to sign because WWE “will always be here”.)

In an incidental trivia note, the Elite half-entertained the idea of launching Dynamite with an Elite Vs. Bullet Club feud, stemming from NJPW New Year’s Dash 2016, when they thought they had a shot at signing AJ. 

 
First Posted On: 
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!