What is the difference between AEW and WWE?

Since being founded in 2019, All Elite Wrestling has taken the sport by storm and is arguably the second biggest company behind WWE. 

The promotion is owned by Shahid and Tony Khan, who also own Premier League side Fulham.

As for the WWE, the promotion has been recognised as the biggest promotion for quite some time and continues to establish themselves as one of the best sporting organisations across the globe. 

While both are professional wrestling promotions, they tend to have their differences in terms of creativity, business practices and its talent on offer.

But what are the differences between All Elite Wrestling and WWE? Mail Sport provides the answers below.

WWE continues to be wrestling’s biggest promotion, despite the recent emergence of AEW

There are a few differences between AEW and WWE in terms of how they are both run

Entertainment vs Sport

The biggest difference between the two promotions is the fact that the WWE tend to focus more on the entertainment side, while AEW guarantees a more sports-based approach.

Traditionally, the WWE as always been seen as an entertainment organisation. Their way of running the brand has worked out well over the years as they continue to draw immense PPV numbers.

All Elite Wrestling was founded on the basis that they would be more sports focused as opposed to their rivals. 

You could argue that the AEW is more violent and offers a more physical style than the WWE in their events. It is not uncommon for AEW fans to see blood, with the promotion trying to bring back fans who grew up with watching more intense matches.

With that being said, the WWE’s entertainment aspect of the business is second to none. Its goal is arguably to provide a more family-friendly atmosphere, with people of all ages being able to tune in and enjoy the action.

The WWE has always been seen as the promotion who focuses on entertainment in the sport

Schedule 

In AEW, the schedule is a lot more lenient compared with WWE. On average, a household name in WWE tends to travel to three different shows a week. 

It is also very common for a wrestler in the promotion to work four shows in four different cities. As well as that, the promotion tends to hold at least one PPV event a month.

With that being said, in recent times, the promotion has allowed its stars to have more time with family. However, as soon as they are on the road, there is little time for them to travel home. 

For AEW, wrestlers are only featuring a maximum of two shows in a week. There are quarterly PPV events – where AEW stars need to commit to more work, but it is far less than WWE.

While there may be a few wrestlers in each promotion who disagree with the schedule, both organisations are continuing to look at ways in which they can benefit their stars. 

Roster

Another difference between the two promotions is the size of their respective rosters. 

WWE has a large roster of talent which is known for its focus on the entertainment and storyline aspect. There is no denying that the promotion has a group of talented wrestlers who will put on a show for its fans.

In wrestling’s biggest promotion, they tend to adopt a mindset where they focus on their biggest stars. The likes of Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Bianca Belair and Ronda Rousey are arguably a few of the top names in the company. The potential drawback is the fact that you see the same stars every week.

With WWE being around for much longer, they simply have a deeper roster, filled with PPV stars. However, in the AEW, there tends to be a more rotating roster. 

With AEW still fairly new, there is still a lot of time for the promotion to develop its roster and compete with the WWE in the near future. 

It is fair to say that the WWE’s schedule all year round is a lot more strict than All Elite Wrestling

Storylines

In AEW, the promotion is able to tell actual stories with beginnings, middles and ends. Throughout the matches, it is easier for set characters to develop in realistic ways, with their matches working with the storyline to enhance it.

The promotion allows wrestlers to have their say a lot more than the WWE, while Tony Khan will still have the final say. 

As for WWE, its storytelling is fairly poor. Wrestlers tend to have the same matches week in, week out, with it not really going anywhere. 

Fans argue that a lot of the characters are inconsistent and that the storyline is difficult and confusing to follow.

Over the years, the WWE have produced some great storyline, but in recent times, it can be confusing to follow for some fans

AEW works with other promotions

The AEW signs a lot of its talent to exclusive contracts, allowing them to appear on a wide range of promotions.

It has brought in several stars from other organisations and has also brought in Indie stars for special appearances. AEW has partnerships with the likes of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, DDT Pro-Wrestling, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. 

Wrestlers and other personalities also have the chance to make appearances at AEW events.

In the WWE, it is less common for the promotion to work with other organisations in the sport of wrestling. 

While stars within the promotion have worked with other organisations, it doesn’t feature as regularly as it does in All Elite Wrestling.