During a recent interview with talkSPORT, Paul Wight explained why it’s unjust to compare AEW to WWE since the former is still a relatively new company that’s only been in the business for less than five years.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On how AEW has only been around for a few years: “We’re a relatively new company, we’ve been around just a few years, but we’ve had a lot of support, a lot of growth, and we’ve had great leadership with Tony Khan. And that’s how you get anything going. You’ve got to have somebody who understands the product and has the willingness to invest in the talent and invest in the growth. And I’ve seen AEW — since I’ve been there — for two years, coming out of the COVID pandemic when I started with them, and just how they’re growing, what they’re doing, and the way they’re growing the talent they’re building. ”
On why it’s a great time to be a fan: “It’s an incredible time for wrestling fans right now. I think I’m surprised a lot. For a company as relatively new as AEW is to do the incredible TV ratings that we’re doing here in the UK. I mean, massive TV numbers. So that right there shows that people want a different choice of product. And that’s the thing that’s exciting for talent as well because it’s tough as a talent to make a connection with your audience, so you have to have a platform and availability to do that.”
On the steady growth of AEW: “I think we’re on a steady growth program for what we’re doing right now. Again, you can’t really compare the two with the legacy and the history and the years that WWE already has invested. But what you can do is look at our brand, our AEW brand, the talent that we’re creating, the product that we’re bringing in. It’s a different product.
“And the fans make the ultimate choice at the end of the day, but the more chances we get to get outside the US to come to our markets, markets where television is strong [like] in the UK and start expanding from there. I think there’s a good opportunity, and there’s enough fans in the world that I think there’s room for us to become very successful.”
Colt Cabana appeared as the guest on this week’s Hey! (EW) with RJ City, and he weighed in on the wrestling podcast boom.
Cabana was asked about starting the trend of wrestler podcasts with his own “Art of Wrestling” show back in 2010.
RJ City asked Cabana if he would “ever take responsibility for everyone who’s remotely associated with wrestling now having a podcast” to which the AEW/ROH wrestler replied,
“I just said I was ahead of the curb. I say that wrestling is always five years behind the curve, and so I was just on time.”
