WWE Rumors: Vince McMahon Worried About AEW, Executes Plan To Avoid Exits

The threat of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is real is not likely to go away anytime soon and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO Vince McMahon is aware of their emergence as a competitor in the pro-wrestling scenario.

WWE is unrivaled when it comes to being the most popular wrestling promotion in the world and their position is unlikely to be threatened anytime soon. They are the most followed and have on their roster the most popular athletes in the wrestling fraternity.

But AEW, with the backing of Pakistani American billionaire Shahid Khan and his son Tony, are already making waves, which has turned the heads of numerous WWE stars. They are now aware that they have an alternative brand who is willing to offer as lucrative a deal the WWE has been offering or probably even better going by Chris Jericho’s comments.

Long-time WWE loyalist, Jericho, signed a three-year deal with AEW recently and claimed it to be the biggest contract of his career while even comparing it to an NFL-style offer. This proclamation has certainly caught the attention of a number of wrestlers and McMahon is keen to ensure that WWE does not lose members of its roster to AEW.

The WWE CEO is said to be worried about AEW poaching some of their big and emerging stars by offering better roles and as lucrative a contract. According to pro-wrestling expert Dave Meltzer, via What Culture, McMahon does not like the notion of wrestlers having an option and is, therefore, instructing management to tie down as many superstars as possible to new deals.

Recent reports claimed that wrestlers were being offered new long-term deals, while double-your-money deals are also on the table for athletes willing to commit on the spot. Apart from that, the creative direction seemed to have changed in recent weeks with smaller stars now getting a bigger push at live and televised events.

Dean Ambrose’s departure from WWE was confirmed earlier this month, while it is unclear if he will join a rival promotion. But tag-team duos like the Usos and Revival are said to be looking at other options after becoming disillusioned with their roles in WWE.

McMahon is clear he does not want to lose more talent and has thus begun pushing them with better roles. The Revival won the Raw tag-team titles earlier this week on Monday Night Raw while the Usos will be taking on Shane McMahon and The Miz for the SmackDown tag-team title at the upcoming Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

In the singles events, Ringside News claims that Kofi Kingston’s recent addition into the WWE championship match at Elimination Chamber is to ensure they do not lose the New Day – one of the most popular tag teams in the company - to AEW.

The emergence of AEW has certainly given the wrestlers an added advantage in the negotiation table. And despite the new promotion making it clear they have no intention of poaching talent, the athletes will be ready to take any advantage that comes their way if it offers them more ring time and better monetary benefits.