It’s been 18 years since WWE has felt any heat at their heels as it pertains to competition for the professional wrestling industry’s top spot. Yes New Japan Pro, Ring of Honor, Impact and others are the real deal and have a well-deserved tremendous following, but May 25th, 2019 changed everything, and be clear… it changed everything for the better.
We all know that its the bully on the playgroung we all want to get punched in the face, but for so long we, as fans weren’t sure if WWE was the bully or just the last man standing. In March of 2001, Vince McMahon purchased World Championship Wrestling. Dream match after dream match was thought about and hoped for, but with the exception of Rock/Goldberg, Rock/Hogan, and possibly a few others, the actuality fell short of the anticipation. A generation has grown up since then, and with that maturity, we now realize that WCW being no more could be the worst thing to ever happen to the business.
The worst thing to happen to a strong entity is having no competition. Limited competitive parties lead to laziness, and that’s exactly what WWE has been over the past 10 years or so. Oh yes the HBK’s, the Triple H’s, The The Rock’s, The Undertaker’s, The Austin’s and most recently the Becky Lynch’s, the Velveteen Dream’s, The Undisputed Era’s among others have reminded us from the time to time of what World Wrestling Entertainment should be all about, but more times than not wrestling fans have been left wanting more with no hope for change in site for the industry’s top professional wrestling company. Thank goodness for NJPW, ROH, IMPACT, MLW, SHIMMER and others who have given us what we want, but with all the progress the “little guys’ have had, never in recent memory has this writer and so many others felt what we felt on May 25th.
All Elite Wrestling was just an idea before May 25th. Of course Y2J, Hangman, MJF, Britt Baker, Omega, Cody and others gave us hope, but for the first time since ROH/NJPW’s G1 supercard, and for the first time in a very long time for those who watch WWE, the fans once again have hope. We now have hope that someone will ignite a fire that has been extinguished for far too long…. COMPETITION!
Now, we all know Vince McMahon, Triple H and other executives of wrestling top dog feel AEW is a “piss ant company”, but we all saw at Double or Nothing from a sold out MGM Grand Garden Arena on pay-per-view, that so-called “piss ant company” is in actually a company that should finally inspire WWE decision makers to GET OFF THEIR COLLECTIVE REAR ENDS, and DO SOMETHING! Jericho vs. Omega, the women’s four-way and 6-woman’s tag, Cody vs. Dustin, the MJF/Hangman promo, Bret Hart’s appearance, the jump of Billy Gunn and Dean Malenko, the epic debut of the former Dean Ambrose aka Jon Moxley…. It all should be a wake up call for WWE.
That being said, it probably won’t wake up anything in Stamford, Connecticut, and we all know why. WWE fears no one because they feel they are untouchable. Well, I got news for you WWE, AEW is coming, and it’s bringing the fight to your front door. Hey, facts are facts WWE… You beat WCW in 2001, you beat a threat from TNA in 2010, you’ve beaten everyone who stepped in your path over the past 20 years, but so did goliath… Until he got taken down by David. Goliath (WWE)…. David (AEW) is here and that slingshot and rock is about to hit you right between the eyes!
Check out the #HubbardWrestlingWeekly podcast featuring exclusive interviews with wrestling stars from MLW, Shimmer, House of Glory, All Elite Wrestling as well as new ‘RETRO REVIEWS’ of some of pro wrestling’s biggest events from the past, and much more… on HUBBARDWRESTLINGWEEKLY.COM , iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. *Follow @Hubb_Wrestling on Twitter*.