WWE is like the superhero genre, AEW is like the independent horror genre
So Conrad Thompson made the news again when he said in an interview with Ariel Helwani, “AEW is making wrestling for fans, and I think WWE is making wrestling for investors.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve aired this quote in the news, as others working for AEW—and I’m not saying Conrad is working for AEW—such as Ricochet and even Tony Khan have said versions of that quote from time to time. It got me thinking: Is this quote really an accurate representation of what’s going on, or is it simply a marketing quote designed to attract more fans to AEW?
Personally, I feel like there is some truth to it, but at the same time, it’s not as black and white as Conrad and others make it seem.
To illustrate my point, I’m going to compare both products to movie genres.
1. WWE is like the superhero genre
When I watch WWE, I feel like the product is similar to the MCU and other movies in the superhero genre. The product is made for the general audience that just wants to have a good time. When it works, it makes a lot of money, and when it doesn’t, it can become a major flop.
Fans of the WWE product generally don’t care how many stars a match receives or what those wrestlers did before joining WWE. They just want to have fun and be entertained for a few hours, and that’s exactly what WWE is giving them.
That’s also good for shareholders because the more fans who enjoy the product and spend money on it, the more profitable the company becomes. When the company makes more money, the shareholders benefit. That’s how business works.
By giving WWE fans what they want, WWE is also giving shareholders what they want. It’s similar to how a movie like Avengers: Endgame makes a lot of money. Disney benefits financially from the movie’s success, which is ultimately good for its shareholders.
2. AEW is like the independent horror genre
To me, AEW is similar to the independent horror genre. Those types of movies are primarily made for horror fans and rarely attract audiences outside of that fandom. Occasionally, you’ll get a movie like Terrifier 3, The Backrooms, or Obsession that crosses over into the mainstream, but for the most part, these movies are primarily made for horror fans.
I see AEW in a similar way. It’s a company that is primarily made for the hardcore wrestling fanbase, or, as I like to call them, the “Meltzer crowd.” These are the fans who love watching pretty much anything wrestling-related, know everything happening in Japan, Mexico, and other countries, and want to see high-impact wrestling.
They generally care less about character development and storytelling and more about the wrestling itself. It’s similar to the horror genre, where the focus is often more on the scares and big set pieces than the story.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. However, if the goal is to grow your audience, I don’t think that approach is going to work as well because AEW is primarily booking for that existing fanbase rather than trying to appeal to a broader audience.
3. Conclusion
In the end, both companies are actually made for the fans. WWE is mainly targeting casual fans who just want to have a good time and don’t want to feel like they need to do homework before watching a wrestling show. AEW, on the other hand, is primarily targeting the hardcore wrestling fan who loves independent and international wrestling and places a greater emphasis on in-ring work.
And you know what? That’s OK in my book.
Why is it a bad thing for WWE to care about giving casual fans a product they can enjoy?
I also think the “Meltzer crowd” tends to generalize too much. Yes, AEW is clearly made with a certain portion of the wrestling fanbase in mind, but not everyone in the wrestling fandom likes AEW’s product. Just like not everyone likes WWE’s product. And that’s OK.
The fun thing about being a wrestling fan is that everyone can like different things.
Just because WWE is a publicly traded company doesn’t mean the product is being booked solely for shareholders. If WWE wasn’t giving its fanbase something they wanted to watch, the company wouldn’t be doing as well financially as it is. Giving the fans what they want and making money in the process is simply good business.
So while I understand where Conrad Thompson’s comment comes from, I think he’s wrong in his assessment. At the very least, I think the statement is deliberately oversimplified, and perhaps part of the reason he made it was to get people talking about him again.