Since the closure of WCW in 2001, WWE had reigned supreme without any significant competition. As even when TNA attempted to challenge them, the ratings remained heavily lopsided. However, the landscape began to shift in late 2018 when Tony Khan, a lifelong pro wrestling fan, decided to get involved in the industry and officially launched AEW in 2019. And now, in a recent interview with IndieWire.com, Khan, who, driven by his deep-rooted passion for the sport, commented on the rivalry, publicly acknowledging, “The companies hate each other.”
“Everyone knows that the most real thing in wrestling is the competition between the companies. The companies hate each other, and it will be a natural resource that powers the industry. They want to beat each other and take everybody’s free agents, and that makes it interesting for everybody else.”
Tony KhanWWE obviously had a significant head start on AEW and is, therefore, still the number one wrestling company in the world in terms of business metrics. Yet, from an actual wrestling perspective, that is very debatable, as Khan prides himself on his in-ring product being better. Additionally, when you consider that the Khan family has almost bottomless pockets, WWE has a challenger that will push them for their number one position for many years.
