The wrestling world is in a strong place right now. WWE has partnerships with Netflix, Peacock, and other major platforms, helping the brand reach mainstream audiences every week. The company is at its peak, thanks to the success it has seen in recent years.
WWE’s biggest competition has been AEW since it launched in 2019. While AEW is clearly the No. 2 promotion in the wrestling world, it still has its appeal and a partnership with Max through its deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.
With two major promotions gaining mainstream attention, landing streaming deals, and attracting more celebrities, wrestling feels like it’s in one of its best eras in recent memory.
Still, some fans and media members don’t seem to support the idea of both promotions thriving. While those voices aren’t the loudest, they do pop up from time to time.
Swerve Strickland Says You Can Enjoy Both Promotions
There’s a way for most fans and media to appreciate both WWE and AEW. AEW has a stacked roster featuring stars like Will Ospreay, Swerve Strickland, MJF, Hangman Adam Page, and others. Former WWE legends Edge (now known as Cope) and Chris Jericho have also made a name for themselves in AEW.
Meanwhile, WWE boasts an incredible lineup of superstars, including Roman Reigns, The Rock, John Cena, CM Punk, Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and several others.
While on “The Bootleg Kev Podcast,” Strickland spoke about the idea of supporting both promotions. He also took a moment to credit Ricochet while acknowledging that some wrestlers find more success in different environments.
“You can enjoy both, and both are successful. That’s the beauty of it. It’s like Ricochet is probably, in my opinion, going to find more success with AEW because his talents are going to be utilized, and he’s going to be heard.”
Strickland makes a great point. Some wrestlers will thrive more in AEW due to how the company uses them, while others fit better in WWE. Having both promotions is a win for wrestling, as it creates more opportunities for talent, especially when things don’t work out in one company.
Recent AEW Departures Heading to WWE?
Ricky Saints recently arrived in NXT, changing his name from Ricky Starks after his time in AEW. Miro (formerly known as Rusev in WWE) also left AEW recently, but his next move is still unclear. Penta joined WWE earlier this year and has already started making an impact.
Two more recent AEW releases seem WWE-bound, with one vignette strongly hinting at the arrival of Rey Fenix. The former AEW luchador (and brother of Penta) looks set to debut on SmackDown. Meanwhile, a vignette featuring the No. 4 suggests that the return of Aleister Black is imminent.
Black and Fenix are prime examples of why having options in wrestling is important. Black left WWE for AEW in 2021 in search of more opportunities, but things didn’t go as planned, and now he appears to be heading back. Wrestlers having the ability to move between companies benefits the business as a whole, and that’s why supporting both promotions makes sense.