WWE Hall of Famer Believes AEW Needs to Improve Storylines, Creating Stars

Booker T says AEW needs "more help" with two crucial aspects.

By Liam Crowley

All Elite Wrestling is nearing the end of its first television contract. Tony Khan's start-up promotion had a hot start under the Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella, premiering its flagship AEW Dynamite program to 1.4 million viewers on TNT. The product's numbers would fluctuate over the next two years before comfortably sitting near seven figures every week. Today, AEW Dynamite sits close to 700,000 viewers. While the constant decline of cable television factors into viewership decrease across all broadcast programs, one WWE Hall of Famer believes two key aspects of AEW's product is hurting its numbers.

WWE Hall of Famer Details Two Areas For AEW Improvement

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(Photo: AEW, WWE)

Booker T thinks AEW needs storylines and stars.

Speaking on his The Hall of Fame podcast, WWE Hall of Famer and current NXT commentator Booker T pointed to two avenues in which AEW can improve upon, those being the company's storylines as well as its ability to create stars. 

"I can say it once, I can say it a thousand times, but it's about creating stars. I think it's about creating a show," Booker T said. "I think that's why NXT is so good right now because it's a really, really good show. The guys play their roles and they play their roles very, very well. You got so many guys in AEW that can play their role, no doubt about it, but without that story, without that feel, it feels like you're missing something."

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AEW was at its most popular in Fall 2021. At the time, the company had just acquired CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, two talents that gave the product a massive surge of star-power. Simultaneously, weekly episodes of AEW Dynamite were built around what still remain AEW's two biggest feuds, those being Punk vs. MJF and Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega. On the other side of the fence, WWE was far from the fan-favorite product it is today, as the sports-entertainment giant was in its final months of the critically-panned Vince McMahon regime.

"I really don't think it has anything to do with WWE why they're not clicking on all cylinders," Booker T continued. "That show was doing bigger numbers and the numbers are falling off just to let you know that the fans even feel like they're not doing something to keep them motivated, to keep their attention, to keep them on that AEW ride, to keep that number up on a weekly basis. It's something that they got to change and I feel like, there again, the show needs to be reformulated. You need more help."

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