Ranking Wrestling's Most Shocking Surprise Every Year 1990-2020

2. 2019 - The Launch Of AEW

Hulk Hogan John Cena nwo
AEW

The announcement wasn't exactly surprising following months of post-ALL IN speculation and various trademark and copyright applications in its wake, but the scale of the operation proved not just to be the story of the year but perhaps the decade.

Confirming a pay-per-view, the intention to become television presence and several newcomers and major stars in early-year press conferences, All Elite Wrestling was at long last the robust opposition to WWE's North American monopoly.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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