How WWE and AEW Can Solve Their Biggest Problems This Fall

Professional wrestling is booming. There hasn't been a better time to be a wrestling fan in the past two decades.

WWE has found new excitement after a changing of the guard. Vince McMahon stepped down, leaving leadership roles to Nick Khan, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, and everyone is excited about what they are bringing to the table.

Meanwhile, All Elite Wrestling has become the first true alternative to WWE since WCW closed its doors. With top names including Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson, the company is thriving with great weekly viewership for AEW Dynamite.

However, both companies also have problems to overcome. WWE has struggled to reestablish two complete rosters, while AEW cannot avoid media scrutiny.

These are all solvable issues, though. In the next few months, the two promotions can straighten things up and get even better.

The following are some of the biggest problems facing WWE and AEW, and we also offer some potential solutions.

Problem

Roman Reigns is the WWE undisputed world champion of Raw and SmackDown. That makes him the biggest star in professional wrestling, but he works a part-time schedule and rarely appears on the red brand.

This leaves Raw without a clear titleholder to target, and the product suffers for it. The USA Network cannot be happy about missing a world champion.

Solution

It's time to find a creative way to get the gold off Reigns. He has been heavily protected over the past two years, so WWE will need to establish someone worthy or get creative.

The most obvious option would be for Austin Theory to cash in his Money in the Bank contract. There are plenty of creative ways to get him the title without him actually pinning the champion.

The other option would be to put The Head of the Table's WWE Championship on the line in a multi-man match. Perhaps WarGames at Survivor Series in November could have a stipulation in which the winner claims the title, even without pinning the champion.

Problem

AEW has struggled to handle recent backstage drama comfortably. MJF's contract frustrations were eventually turned into an angle but still overshadowed a major show, while CM Punk's frustrations with The Elite boiled over into a messy mass suspension of talent.

Perhaps the worst offense has been AEW's inability to contain leaks to the media. After his negotiated release, Malakai Black voiced his frustrations on Instagram when details of his private conversation with the company were leaked.

Solution

AEW must get a handle on its locker room and quiet the media circus. Since the incident at All Out, the product has calmed down to focus on the reliable talent.

Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley are two reliable names, and one will be AEW world champion by the end of Grand Slam on September 21. That ensures there will be no more title drama.

However, the most important goal is to keep communication lines open between talent and management while guaranteeing conversations remain private. Unless media leaks can be addressed, all drama will continue to be amplified.

Once that is settled, AEW can get back to highlighting the in-ring product and its many great wrestlers.

Problem

WWE has a tag team problem. It's a systemic issue that has gone back decades. It is rare in any era that tag team wrestling was a key focus of the company.

Right now, The Usos stand supreme, and there are plenty of potential challengers to the champions. But none feel relevant enough to dethrone them. Just this week, Butch and Ridge Holland won a No. 1 Contender's match in their first main roster bout as a duo.

This also extends to the women's tag division. While Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai hold the gold in the best angle in the division, the number of relevant challengers is frustratingly low.

Solution

Storylines sell characters. This is a fundamental of professional wrestling, but it's often lost outside of the main title scenes.

The best way to create challengers is to tell stories without gold on the line. WWE has some interesting angles to explore but needs to lean into what will sell them to an audience.

Hit Row will gain more from continuing the feud with Maximum Male Models and Los Lotharios than going right after The Usos. The Viking Raiders are the most relevant tag team right now due to the angle with New Day.

Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. have formed a tag team with promise but little payoff. The company needs to invest in this team and others with relevant stories that sell them as serious competitors, not just makeshift alliances to go after gold.

Problem

AEW has always had a women's wrestling issue. In an era when female wrestling is highlighted more than ever before, the booking of AEW's women's division has been inconsistent and limited.

Beyond Britt Baker, the company lacks established stars. Toni Storm and Athena were brought in recently to fill a void, and they have simply taken over spots held by Nyla Rose, Hikaru Shida, Riho and others. There has been no natural growth in the past year.

Solution

While no company is going to be perfect, AEW has plenty of examples to take from whether it be WWE, Impact Wrestling or Shimmer. What matters is that women's wrestling is treated as equivalent to the men's game.

The division will not get equal air time weekly as there are more men signed than women, but the talent should get the same respect. It's important to tell multiple stories beyond the title scene and ensure champions make weekly appearances.

Storm needs challengers who will tell complete stories with her in and out of the ring. Jade Cargill needs to be competing more often to boost her win streak, while Mercedes Martinez must be a more regular presence.

When healthy and available, no one fully signed with AEW should miss a full month of Dynamite and Rampage. The company has too much talent to have just one women's match on each show, often featuring the same set of six to eight women.

Problem

Triple H quickly moved to bring back key talent he valued after taking over WWE Creative. Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Dexter Lumis, Hit Row and Braun Strowman have all re-signed in the past two months.

While these names have taken a clear focus on WWE television, even hopping between Raw and SmackDown, others have disappeared including Elias, Veer Mahaan, Robert Roode and Xia Li. It comes off more as roster replacement than growth.

Solution

WWE has a talented roster that can still grow, but no one signed should have to be sidelined. As the new creative team finds a healthy story footing, it's important not to overrely on certain performers.

The women's and tag team divisions have seemed to float between Raw and SmackDown lately, excused by championships that are shared by each brand. It seems to indicate Triple H will be more fast and loose with the brand split.

This is not a problem unless it leads to WWE shutting out valuable talent. To avoid that, it should reach out to the names not being used to find the right place for them.

Some may need a new character, while others may just need a fresh start with some good wins. Perhaps NXT could use some veterans.

What matters is that WWE continues to grow into a talent friendly environment.

Problem

AEW has three men's singles champions, two women's champions, tag team champions and trios champions. On top of that, Ring of Honor has three men's champions, a women's champion, tag team champions and trios champions competing for AEW.

FTR hold the ROH, AAA and IWGP Tag Team Championships. Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti are the AAA mixed tag team champions. Most of this gold has been defended on AEW television before and will be again.

Solution

AEW has smartly differentiated the titles under the company's direct watch, but the overuse of titles from other companies has devalued every championship. It's time to pull back.

While the ROH World Championship and Pure Championship have been a focus on TV, the ROH TV Championship feels unnecessary, and the ROH Women's Championship and ROH Trios Championships have barely mattered outside of ROH shows.

These titles need to be almost entirely separated from AEW programming quickly, hopefully after an announcement of ROH television.

Until then, Wardlow and PAC need to be more of a priority as AEW champions than Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia and Samoa Joe as ROH titleholders.

Despite holding tag titles for three separate companies, Dax Harwood has competed in more singles matches than tag matches in the past three months. If FTR are going to hold all that gold, they should be entirely focused on representing tag team wrestling.