Welcome to the Bleacher ReportWWEand All Elite Wrestling mailbag.
The B/R community has always been outspoken, especially when it comes to opinions on pro wrestling and its biggest stars.
We will answer your questions and react to your hot takes about WWE, AEW and the world of pro wrestling.
This week's topic of discussion was the recent releases made by WWE, including names such as Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Bronson Reed and many others. We asked a simple question: Why is WWE letting so much talent go?
"They weren't moving the needle. New blood. New faces." (@theDOG802)
"I suppose that is what happens when you hoard talent and don't have the TV time to support them." (@rufiojones)
"Vince isn't selling WWE. NXT cuts are more likely because they weren't seen as main roster guys and maybe never would be. Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt will return after SummerSlam." (@mrraley)
For several years, WWE was hiring way more people than it was releasing, which led to many people accusing the company of hoarding talent.
The fact is a lot of the people WWE hired and then released were never going to be big stars in the company. Vince McMahon likes certain types of wrestlers, and a lot of the younger guys don't fit the bill.
Rufio's point about not having enough television time might not apply, though. WWE has been running rematches week after week for months on end. It has more than enough time to regularly cycle people in and out of rotation.
In fact, WWE used to be much better at this when all of its weekly shows were only an hour long. We used to go weeks at a time without seeing some guys because the company had to keep the lineup fresh.
As far as Strowman and Wyatt returning goes, only time will tell. I could easily see both men making returns by the next Royal Rumble. That would be the best time for their returns to have the biggest impact, especially if one of them wins the men's match in January 2022.
"They are finally starting to lose to AEW just like we all said would happen. AEW will buy WWE out in two years tops. You boomers are scared to face facts." (@markcurtis51)
I am not going to say AEW buying WWE is impossible, but saying it will happen within two years is wishful thinking.
WWE's TV and merchandising deals alone would be enough to carry the company for several more years even if it started bleeding money, which it's not.
The company's financials have been strong for years thanks to huge contracts with Fox and NBC Universal, especially with the recent Peacock deal.
AEW is still growing and wouldn't have the revenue to make a purchase like that in two years' time. Just because the Khan family are billionaires doesn't mean the promotion has billions of dollars at its disposal.
As far as AEW beating WWE goes, getting better ratings than NXT every week does not mean AEW is beating WWE. When it starts getting higher ratings than Raw and SmackDown every week, then we can talk.
"The wrong people are running the company. They don't know how to utilize talent and can't realize when they have something good." (@Jlong2011)
While I won't claim I could do a better job running a promotion, I do tend to agree with Jlong that WWE has a problem that goes all the way to the top.
Nick Khan is not a wrestling guy. He is a businessman who was hired to do a specific job, and that means he has no emotional connection to the WWE Superstars like we do. He just sees dollar signs.
That is not meant to be an insult to the WWE president and chief revenue officer, though. It's just the kind of attitude CEOs need to have in order to be profitable, but he may have underestimated how invested the hardcore fans can be in their favorites.
The truth is it might be time for Vince and his inner circle to pass the torch to a new generation to run a modern wrestling promotion. Triple H, Stephanie and Shane McMahon are the most obvious choices to take over here.
"WWE is up for sale. Larger contracts need to come off the books to hold the value of purchase. Amazon, NBC or ABC will buy them soon." (@Wobblicious)
"WWE is being sold." (@jg116)
"Balancing the books to sell the company to Disney." (@Rawzon)
"WWE is getting ready for bankruptcy." (@Bear71)
The most common take in the B/R community is that WWE is cleaning up its books so it can prepare to sell the company in the next few years.
This has been a topic of discussion for months. Names such as Disney, Amazon and NBC Universal have been thrown around as possible buyers, but nobody from WWE or any of those companies has confirmed there even being talks of this happening.
Unfortunately, a possible sale does seem like a realistic possibility. Many people assumed WWE would remain a McMahon-owned company for a long time, but it no longer feels that way.
A couple of decades ago, new content was king. Studios needed original shows and movies to draw an audience. Nowadays, it's all about the size of the library they can license to streaming services or use for their own.
This is why Amazon, Disney and NBC Universal are the most likely candidates to make a play for WWE. They all have streaming services, and WWE has thousands of hours of content that would bolster any of them.
Disney is slightly less likely than the other two due to WWE's many controversial segments over the years. Considering the promotion has had a good relationship with NBC Universal for many years, that would be the likeliest buyer.
"It's because AEW is a work and Vince is starting the largest invasion angle in the history of the business." (@suavocado503)
If you believe that, I have some swampland in Florida to sell you.
Suavocado is obviously having a bit of fun here, but believe it or not, this isn't the first time I have seen this take. There are some people out there who believe this is a real possibility.
It likely stems from the fact that Vince secretly funded ECW for a brief time before buying it outright. People will connect the dots any way they can.
But seriously, how amazing would it be if WWE and AEW actually did work out some kind of invasion angle in a couple of years? It could be epic if done right.
As long as Lance Storm is involved, it'll be fine.
