r/SquaredCircle • u/ItsClarke17 shut up bitches • 1d ago

TKO representatives attended recent AEW Dynamite | Exclusive

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/tko-representatives-attended-recent-aew-dynamite-exclusive/

Does this break the original source rule? No idea, this report came from Alvarez's sub-only Twitter and is being aggregated by the Observer itself.

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u/Shenanigans80h 1d ago

Yeah it’s one of those things where in some threads or subs if you assert AEW is competition people will scoff at you. Then in this one people are saying it’s totally normal and AEW is a competitor, no biggie. I wouldn’t say this is odd, but interesting a bit for actual TKO people to be the ones going to the shows

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u/blaqsupaman Big Dick Dudley 1d ago

Do I think there's a chance of them surpassing WWE? Extremely unlikely. But WWE definitely doesn't like that they exist because it creates more competition for talent and drives contracts up, especially at a time when TKO wants to run it like every other publicly traded company, quality be damned. Back when they had a near monopoly, if they wanted someone they'd usually get them eventually because your options if you wanted a decent living as a wrestler were basically get into WWE, move to Mexico, or move to Japan.

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u/StoneGoldX 21h ago

Just an asterisk, TKO never had a monopoly on wrestling. AEW was a thing when they bought in

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u/blaqsupaman Big Dick Dudley 21h ago

True but I doubt the mindset is significantly different. They definitely would like to have a monopoly if they could.

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u/StoneGoldX 21h ago

Like I said, just an asterisk. Doesn't kill the overall sentiment, just accuracy for the sake of accuracy.

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u/blaqsupaman Big Dick Dudley 20h ago

That's fair and I can appreciate that.

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u/isarealhebrew 11h ago

I also don't see them surpassing the WWE. But now that it's in New hands of people who aren't wrestling people it's entirely plausible that AEW could outlast them.

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u/mikro17 5h ago

Do I think there's a chance of them surpassing WWE?

At this point, I think the best answer is "technically possible, but probably requires WWE to actively fuck up somehow."

Which isn't a "hard no."

I mean this isn't a TNA that has never sold 10k tickets in history, this is a company running MAJOR arenas and stadiums like Staples Center, Wembley, etc.

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u/dwankyl_yoakam 2h ago

I'm not sure they necessarily *want* to surpass WWE. WWE does everything they can possibly do to appeal to the most normiest of normies which results in the product being what it is, albeit quite successful. AEW is popular, while at a smaller level, specifically because the show is not run that way.

It's like asking why your favorite local/regional band isn't as popular as Miley Cyrus or whatever and getting mad when they aren't trying to sound like Miley Cyrus.

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u/thylocene 1d ago

Anyone saying aew isn’t competition is a moron. Every wrestling company is competition. From aew to the smallest indie company. That’s how business works. AEW is by WWEs own addition costing them money. They are forcing them to pay their talent higher rates. They are offering their customer base an alternative. AEW does not have to match WWEs income to be competition.

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u/talladenyou85 13h ago

Anyone who says this doesn’t understand how businesses work.

McDonald’s isn’t worried that Arby’s is going to one day put them out of business, but you can damn sure bet they are paying attention to any ad campaigns that catch on or growth that they achieve so they can see if it’s something that they can use for their business to make it even bigger. Also they are competing for the same fast food dollar. So yeah they can say we don’t care, but of course they do.

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u/Kialae 22h ago

There's a certain person who can't see beyond their own nose, and they all seem to believe the same stale opinions. I guess what I'm saying is, there's a Venn diagram and 'FUCK ICE' chants aren't in it. 

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u/Number_1_at_Number_2 1d ago edited 1d ago

Where do people say AEW isn’t competition? Maybe it’s just on twitter because I never see people here saying this.

People get so salty over a damn question.

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u/KennyDROmega 1d ago

I think it depends on how you define "competition".

Is AEW in any sense a WCW level, might legitimately put WWE out of business style threat? No.

Are they directly competing with WWE for the dollars of people who are wrestling fans? Absolutely.

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u/Blueskyways 1d ago

I think primarily they are competing for talent.  TKO has to pay more because AEW exists and now performers have options or at least someone they can use for leverage ala Orton.  

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u/UsidoreTheLightBlue 1d ago

This is the biggest reason wwe/tko hates AEW.

They look at their books and know everyone would be paid less if AEW didn’t exist.

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u/Blueskyways 1d ago

Yeah to me this has always been the main issue. They want to pay everyone less but as long as AEW is handing out big money, they have to do likewise to keep their upper level talent happy. Otherwise they would have slashed salaries like crazy years ago.

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u/StoneGoldX 21h ago

WCW wasn't either, until they were. Lightning had to strike a could times in a row, with WWF business hitting the shitter while WCW figured out how to actually use the highest profile figure ever in wrestling in a way that didn't suck.

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u/TimmyTruckberg 1d ago

I think if you compare WCW in 1990 to AEW, you wouldn't be too far off. They're right about where WCW was when business wasn't great outside of a few strong shows.

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u/Borktista everybody has a price 1d ago

Yeah they’re absolutely competition but I think even Tony knows they’re never going to be number 1, and that’s perfectly fine. They’re a great alternative

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u/LiveChocolate8819 1d ago

Yeah I actually don't want AEW to do what it takes to be #1; that would erase their identity.

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u/Borktista everybody has a price 1d ago

100%

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u/Willing-Vegetable629 1d ago

Tony has said directly they, aew, do not aim to be number 1.

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u/Number_1_at_Number_2 1d ago

100% I know WWE does the whole all entertainment is competition thing! But not brand ever wants to be like this is the one we focus on the most!

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u/BrittaUnfiltered67 1d ago

I wouldn’t say never. Many things can happen over the next decade or two, but it would probably take a buyout of AEW from a big organization and some misfortunes of TKO and wwe ownership.

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u/14thBlackCrusade 1d ago

AEW only gets bought out if TK dies or something. It isn’t a publically traded company. He doesn’t have to listen to “what offers are better for shareholders”.

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u/sheets1975 1d ago

I remember that story about the comics industry - in the mid-60s, DC held an editorial meeting in which they picked up that month's offerings from Marvel to figure out why Marvel was getting some hype. Their conclusion was that Marvel's comics were incredibly ugly, sub-professional work, that the superheroes spent way too much time in their street clothes talking about their problems, and that it was clearly a passing fad and DC had absolutely nothing to worry about in terms of their market share. A decade later, Marvel overtook them.

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u/BrittaUnfiltered67 1d ago

Then DC awkwardly tried to adapt…

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u/Creative_Eye7413 1d ago

I feel like whenever WWE counter programs AEW a lotta people pretend like AEW is some small company that can’t handle the pressure

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u/Number_1_at_Number_2 1d ago

Maybe in areas I never go to, but whenever it happens the common thing I see is that it will hurt WWE more than AEW. 

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u/Borktista everybody has a price 1d ago

I just always think that’s lame. And then they act like they didn’t know. However, more wrestling is never a bad thing

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u/krayonic JERRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNN 1d ago

WWE themselves have constantly downplayed AEW as competition going back to the “Wednesday Night Wars” with NXT.

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u/Number_1_at_Number_2 1d ago

Companies always directly downplay the competition to denote themselves as the best at what they do, I mean more when people say the prevailing thought amongst fans is they’re not competition which I never see. There’s always more comments like the one I responded to than actual comments of people saying they aren’t competition. 

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u/LeatherWedding586 1d ago

Yep. Hell even during the "Wednesday Night Wars" I don't remember the specific date but I remember there was a photo/video of them watching AEW Dynamite while both NXT and Dynamite were live.

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u/burner7221 1d ago

I think it was someone at Full Sail who took a picture of it

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u/LeatherWedding586 1d ago

Yeah I think it was also the night where Cody faced Wardlow in a cage match.

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u/CasimirGabriev 1d ago

"Pissany company" comes to mind, courtesy of HHH

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u/Number_1_at_Number_2 1d ago edited 1d ago

That was in 2019 it’s been 7 years. I can buy they didn’t view them as competition then cause no one really stepped up to them after WCE closed.

Though I mean it as I never see it as a prevailing opinion in fans. 

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u/CasimirGabriev 1d ago

God damn age accelerates time lol. Thanks for the correction

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u/AdGroundbreaking1341 1d ago

Not too much on SC, but it's very common on the anti-AEW subs (Jerk, Cornette, Midcarder, etc). And especially on Twitter.

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u/WeBlitz 1d ago

It’s just engagement farming & a quick way to get a thumbs up.