Kenny Omega believes AEW has caused WWE to hit the panic button.
AEW has achieved quite a bit for only being in existence since 2019. The rapid success of Dynamite led to AEW scoring a new deal with TNT and a second television show, Rampage. Now, Cody and Brandi Rhodes are set to premiere their reality show on the network.
The company has signed the likes of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Adam Cole. AEW sold out the United Center in Chicago and packed Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. They’ve been hitting over one million viewers consistently on Dynamite as well.
Not bad for a “pissant” company.
Of course, WWE has long been the Big Kahuna when it comes to the wrestling industry. Having been around for decades, the promotion is able to pull in higher total viewership numbers for Monday Night Raw and SmackDown.
With that said, Kenny Omega believes the gap has been closing quickly. Here’s what the AEW World Heavyweight Champion told Tokyo Sports.
“At the start, there was a huge gap between WWE and AEW. (AEW) was just some fledgling promotion after all. But have you realized how the tables have turned? WWE is desperate. They keep bringing back legends every other week. COVID is a terrible thing, and we never wanted it to happen but it is what it is.”
There was a huge down period for the wrestling industry when it came to COVID-19. Many people wondered about the future of AEW since it was a newer promotion. WWE was certainly better equipped to ride out the pandemic but AEW managed to pull through and is thriving now more than ever.
Whether you’re solely an AEW fan or a WWE fan, most can agree that competition benefits the customer. Time will tell just how far AEW can keep going.