How WWE Is Reportedly Incentivizing Superstars to Stay Out of AEW

The hottest narrative in all of wrestling centers around WWE Superstars potentially jumping to AEW. However, WWE is taking measure to make sure that even their neglected starts stay put.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE will give love to unhappy Superstars in the form on-air pushes and pay boosts via new TV deals and money from Saudi Arabian shows. We can’t speak on the money but can’t help but notice guys like Chad Gable, Bobby Roode, Apollo Crews, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, and Mojo Rawley all getting an uptick of camera time in recent weeks, solidifying The Observer’s scoop.

In the wake of Dean Ambrose’s upcoming exit, PWInsider reported that WWE is proactively trying to lok down Superstars whose contract are set to expire within two years. WWE is said be negotiating with AJ Style and the Usos currently.

But is WWE being paranoid? Not really. AEW is backed by major money, a budget that Chris Jericho said handed him his best wrestling contract to date. With whispers of a TV deal and more acquisitions, AEW is without question North America’s #2 wrestling destination and they have yet to ring a single bell.

There has been no shortage of speculation surrounding AEW potentially raiding WWE’s locker room. With reports of AEW extending a lucrative deal to a “top star” with WWE along with Randy Orton reportedly being open to hearing from AEW, there’s room for WWE officials to be concerned.

While Cody Rhodes has said that he’s not interested in competing with WWE, that’s not to say that he won’t pursue some of their neglected stars. For the last 20 years, WWE has been the only truly prosperous option for wrestlers, but now that AEW is here, talent has another place to land safely.

We’re bound to see at least WWE Superstar bounce from Vince McMahon’s circus to AEW, but it’s impossible to know who that will be. Internet conspirators would say Ambrose will show up in April, but that may be more fan fiction than a legitimate possibility. Regardless, this miniature arms race is going to be fun to watch and is a healthy development for professional wrestling.