AEW entered the professional wrestling world in 2019, and since then it has arguably been considered the second biggest promotion in the industry. The Jacksonville-based promotion has been able to secure a lot of historical achievements in the past five years, as it has been home to superstars like MJF.
Due to the kind of path All Elite Wrestling has followed and the success it has achieved, a lot of people have often compared it to the iconic Extreme Championship Wrestling. But WWE veteran Bully Ray doesn’t really feel the same way, and he talked about the same during an episode of Busted Open Radio.
Talking about how fans often compare both, the wrestler gave his perspective on one of the big things that separates the ECW from how AEW is performing today. He said, “ECW took fans from WWE. ECW took fans from WCW. ECW did such special things that we forced viewers of two wrestling companies that were much bigger than us, and much more financially stable than us, and brought them over to our side.” (Via: Wrestling Inc)
“So much so that both companies had to deal with ‘ECW’ chants on their live TV shows. AEW isn’t doing any of that. They’re catering to their fan. And if Tony Khan didn’t have a gazillion dollars, only catering to your fan would get old and financially [unstable] very quickly,” he added. These comments from the legendary in-ring star showcase how he believes that All Elite Wrestling isn’t even close to what ECW achieved as a promotion, due to Khan‘s mindset of catering to specific fans only.
ECW was the special attraction that AEW isn’t
Bully Ray clearly mentioned how Extreme Championship Wrestling grabbed the eyes of fans from WWE as well as WCW, and it was all possible due to the kind of content they offered to the audience. Wrestling fans were invested in watching the action in the company because ECW was a special attraction that AEW isn’t.
The storylines and in-ring product in ECW were attractive at the time, as they used to witness performers go extreme, which was not an ordinary thing in other companies. Even though the Philadelphia-based promotion’s last event was in 2001, it’s still a memorable part for most of the fans. But, AEW hasn’t really been able to build such a loyal fanbase, which shows how Tony Khan’s company isn’t at the same level as Extreme Championship Wrestling.
The booking decisions by Tony Khan haven’t really helped AEW
While it could be said that the reason Bully Ray shared is one of the reasons why All Elite Wrestling hasn’t been able to create its own legacy, it’s the only one. In fact, the booking decisions by Tony Khan haven’t really helped AEW establish itself as a company that can take away fans from top wrestling promotions in the world, mainly the Triple H-led promotion.
Even though it’s a fact that AEW’s journey started just five years ago, the kind of momentum it had in the initial stage was extraordinary, and the future looked bright for the Jacksonville-based promotion. But the CEO hasn’t made wise decisions around his organization, and it has even led to discussions like Tony is probably the wrong choice to lead AEW.
In addition to this, his decision to let go of superstars like Cody Rhodes and CM Punk backfired on him. Also, WWE has been able to pull up their game, and have some of the best storylines in the history of professional wrestling for fans. Al l these factors have played their part in holding All Elite Wrestling back, and that’s why it’s safe to say that AEW is still miles away from being the modern day ECW.