Over last year, The wrestling landscape has changed drastically due to the creation of AEW. All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was created to provide an alternative to WWE’s stranglehold on network television. Although there have been other broadcasted wrestling promotions such as TNA and RoH, no promotion has possed as big of a threat to WWE as AEW has. At the moment, All Elite Wrestling is currently battling WWE’S NXT for viewership supremacy. Earlier this month, Warner Media announced that AEW Dynamite would remain on TNT until 2023; this extension will also bring another AEW show to TNT. WWE has felt the pressure of AEW and changed their performance policy to appease their workers.
AEW has sought to change the wrestling landscape. Their current business structure allows AEW wrestlers to work with different independent promotions on their free days. Wrestlers also have the opportunity to take small vacations at their own leisure. A WWE employee told Ringside News,
“Since the AEW WarnerMedia announcement, WWE Superstars haven’t been as shy about asking for time off. Vince McMahon seems to have changed his policy in that regard as he wants to keep people happy.
Guys are making more and they are not afraid to ask for time off like before. We know these aren’t guaranteed contracts like WCW but Vince more accommodating these days because he wants to keep everyone happy so that wall has been torn down. Some people are getting offered more money with a better schedule. We have AEW to thank for that so I would say thank you AEW for being around.”
Wrestling Woes Eased
In the past, WWE wrestlers would be pulled from shows or even fired for requesting time off. The best example of this in recent years was when Phil Brooks, C.M. Punk, was fired on his wedding day. This comment shows that the WWE landscape has been altered for the better. Since the creation of AEW, unrest has filed the WWE locker room. That said unrest has led to several WWE talent requesting their release from their contract.
This change in policy might just be what the WWE needs to keep staff satisfied. At the moment, AEW still has a lot to prove. The company is currently financed by the Kahn family, who also own the Jacksonville Jaguars. This change in WWE policy seems to be an attempt to keep their wrestlers happy. So WWE superstars have their AEW counterparts to thank for a more relaxed atmosphere.
Previous Work Policy: Lords of Pain
