WWE Rumors: Vince McMahon Limiting AEW's Options By Offering New Contracts

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is going to extra lengths to ensure they maintain their supremacy over the newly formed All Elite Wrestling. They are aware that the new promotion is genuinely threatening their dominance in North America and are keen to stay one step ahead.

WWE chairman Vince McMahon has been taking various measures to ensure his company does not suffer and his first step was to offer the current stars on the roster new contracts, including double-your-money deals to superstars who signed on the dotted line without any hesitation. They have also begun bringing back WWE veterans and legends in order to improve the show and arrest the drop in ratings.

AEW, meanwhile, continues to spread its wings and hosted two sold-out live shows. They are now preparing for the promotion’s television debut on TNT in October with the first taping set to be aired in Washington D.C’s Capital One Arena. They sold tickets for its first three tapings within hours and WWE has taken notice of their rivals’ popularity and McMahon is ready to use counter-programming to lessen AEW’s impact.

WWE’s other brand, NXT, is currently airing exclusively on the WWE Network but there are plans to make into a two-hour production and launch it on FS1 when the promotion’s contract with the Fox Network begins in October. According to Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, via Wrestling News, McMahon is now going the extra mile and making approaches to Indie wrestlers they have had their radar on before the emergence of AEW.

The world’s most popular promotion is simply offering contracts to avoid them joining AEW. Joey Ryan is said to have been approached by WWE but the report claims that he has turned down their initial offer. The other wrestler on their radar is said to be LAX's Konnan, who held talks with both AEW and WWE and are said to be leaning toward signing with the former.

“WWE has opened up talks about bringing a number of people in that they’ve never had any interest in, with the obvious reason that there is a belief they could be of value to the opposition,” Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Newsletter, as quoted on Ringside News.