Loyal to a fault, I have been a fan of All Elite Wrestling since its inception. From floor seats to loot crates to PPVs and beyond, I have likely sunk thousands of dollars into supporting this product. And I regret none of it — I still love this company; and sans a Vince McMahon buyout, always will.

Tony Khan landed AEW a profitable TV deal which will put them in unchartered territory as the longest running wrestling promotion with a primetime cable TV spot not named WWE. By April 2025, AEW Dynamite will have run longer than WCW Nitro; a feat to be celebrated (at the Mall of America if possible).

Right now, AEW is putting out subjectively good television. Multiple stories, great matches, and the right characters are being featured on weekly shows.

However, I’m not naive.

Attendance continues to drop year-over-year, and TV ratings are still in a slow decline. Blame will ultimately always land on Tony Khan for this, however,  some of this can be explained by no fault of AEW’s. This includes Cord Cutting, Cord Cutting 2.0 (which is different; look it up), inflated ticket prices (thanks Ticketmaster), WWE venue exclusivity contracts (if anyone is wondering why AEW isn’t returning to Minneapolis this fall as they normally do), etc.

But in hindsight, there are lessons to be learned heading into 2025. But I find it best that Tony Khan and AEW take a few lessons from one of the greatest franchises in history – Star Trek. This deeply philosophical and well-written show has been with me for decades now. It’s primarily why I’m not a Star Wars fan.

So what lessons can be learned from this wonderful show that AEW fans and management alike should take to heart? Let’s dig in and boldly go…

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It is Possible to Commit No Mistakes and Still Lose

“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness; that is life,” – Jean-Luc Picard | Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 2, Episode 21.

Don’t misread that — I am not saying AEW is perfect. Far from it. However, there is a chance that no matter how good AEW can be, and no matter how well they are booked, the fact remains is that they are still the #2 brand. WWE is almost too big to fail at this point as a household name.

Even at the height of AEW’s popularity, when the crowds and TV ratings were bigger, they still weren’t surpassing WWE’s numbers. It didn’t matter — because it’s WWE. They’re the monster at the top of the hill, guarding the gates.

The first Star Trek  TV series only ran for 3 seasons. It was cancelled by NBC due to low TV ratings in 1969. Still, they developed a cult following, and after 10 years, the crew would return for the first Star Trek movie in 1979. It took an entire decade for more people to realize just how special Star Trek was.

It was a different time. They were competing with the likes of The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, The Jackie Gleason Show, etc. The world wasn’t ready for a progressive sci-fi show set in space.

The Original Series is looked at fondly by most Trekkies, but it didn’t matter how good it was — it didn’t fit in the popular television broadcast zeitgeist at the time. As of now, they sit, in some ways, where AEW is — the #2 sci-fi franchise to the #1 in Star Wars. And this is okay, but it presents its own set of challenges.

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A Family Member who watches WWE…

A family member I don’t speak to all that much recently informed me that he is a WWE fan. He’s been a fan for nearly two years now, to my surprise. And while I told him my wife and I prefer AEW, he said he prefers WWE for the “spectacle”.

He said he doesn’t mind AEW, and admitted the in-ring product is much better, but it’s just not his cup of tea. He wants the over-production and pageantry WWE provides. And this is of course okay, but it made me realize that no matter what AEW does, short of copying WWE (and we don’t want that), nothing they do will truly matter in the eyes of a devout WWE fan.

Sure, maybe they grab their attention here and there. But ultimately, they will always go back to WWE. It’s what happened with lapsed WWE fans who enjoyed AEW until WWE got better. As I’ve said so many times before — many jaded WWE fans didn’t want an alternative — they just wanted WWE to get better.

WWE is the Kleenex of the wrestling industry. It’s the genericized term for all things “wrestling”, even though WWE is a brand, and not the wrestling itself — much like Kleenex is a brand of facial tissue.

And with that in mind…

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Recognize Who Your Friends Are

” It’s just that our mental pathways have become accustomed to your sensory input patterns.” – William T. Riker | Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 5, Episode 26

The above quote is attributed to Riker when referencing how Commander Data, an android, views friendship. Riker speaks this line to Data as a way of telling him that he is his friend.

And this jumps off the first point of this article. It’s not that AEW doesn’t need to try and bring over WWE fans, but recognize that many wrestling fans are so familiar with the WWE brand name and production that they simply won’t go elsewhere.

Remember, even in 2019, when the WWE product was subjectively bad, they still drew solid TV ratings and crowds. Sure, they weren’t as big as they are now attendance-wise, but fans still stuck with them.

It’s what they know.

I would argue that even if in a hypothetical scenario where WWE falters again, and AEW gains momentum — it still wouldn’t be enough to bring most loyal WWE fans over. It’s what’s familiar to them, much like AEW, New Japan, Stardom, etc, is what is familiar to a certain sect of the wrestling fan base.

They’re our friends. It’s who we have become familiar with. And sans a major philosophical change or controversy, I don’t see that changing anytime soon. It’s important to truly understand that as wrestling fans and hope that both sets of fan bases can remain strong, so pro wrestling can remain strong as a whole.

 

Embrace Diversity

“The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity, and the way our differences combine to create meaning and beauty.” – Spock/Dr. Miranda Jones | Star Trek: TOS – Season 3, Episode 5

Luchadors, Japanese imports, women’s wrestling, hardcore wrestling, Indies wrestling; embrace what colors your product in many different shades.

For the spectacle that WWE is, at least from an outsider, it all kind of looks the same to me. You get a wide range of characters from all over the world in AEW, and this is something to be celebrated. It’s also wonderful to see so much black representation this week on Dynamite, from the Hurt Syndicate and Swerve Strickland, to Ricochet and Powerhouse Hobbs in the main event.

The AEW International and Continental Champions are Japanese. The AEW TBS Women’s Champion, and the AEW Tag Team Champions are black.

This is who we are. 

Star Trek did. Do you think it was common to see an Asian man (George Takei) and a black woman (Nichelle Nichols) on American television in the 60s? Do you think concepts like interracial relationships, attacking xenophobia and racism, promoting utilitarianism and equality, etc., was common viewing in those days?

Even Star Trek: TNG delved into ideas around gender fluidity, jingoism, LGBTQ+ identities, etc. They embraced diversity and took chances.

From embracing different styles of wrestling to featuring global talents, and investing in women’s wrestling — AEW needs to continue being diverse. It’s what makes AEW who they are, and in 2025, they should lean in to that more than ever.

Variety is the spice of life, is it not? A casual, new, or even WWE fan should always see something that they would never see in a traditional wrestling show when they tune into AEW; or at least close as AEW can. Maintaining a philosophy of diversity is a strongpoint for the company, and will determine its future.

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To Boldly Go…

They used to say that if man was meant to fly, he’d have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to. – Captain James T. Kirk | Star Trek: TOS – Season 2, Episode 20

Newsflash. If you haven’t been paying attention; AEW will never be WWE. This is something to be embraced, not to be looked down upon.

Be bold. Take chances. 

You are the #2, and this is okay. Be different. Be what everyone else thinks you shouldn’t be. It’s refreshing to hear that AEW is moving to a more sports-oriented presentation, which incudes production, come 2025.

Remember, WWE is the “spectacle”. You will never compete with the spectacle unless you form your own identity and path to become your own spectacle.

AEW is the challenger brand, and as such, they need to remain persistent in that identity. Focus on the in-ring, be extreme, take risks, throw caution to the wind and believe in controlled chaos.

This is the AEW we all love and know. 2024 was a large leap from 2023, and I only hope they keep the momentum. Afterall, WWE fans will only tune into AEW if either:

A. They truly see something different and unique that draws their attention away.
B. They get tired of WWE.

That’s it. That is the only way AEW grows. Screw the old fart podcasters, the desperate social media influencers, and the predictable trolls. Keep your fan base happy, and keep forging the path. Be unabashedly bold and unique.

And speaking of fans…

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Listen To Your Fan Base

 The first tenet of good medicine is, never make the patient any worse. – Dr. Beverly Crusher | Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 5, Episode 16

While AEW fans aren’t your patients, we are the loyal crowd that will practice patience with the product. With that, listen to us when we are trying to tell you something.

When Gates McFadden (known for her role as Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: TNG) was let go after the first season, she was replaced by Dr. Katherine Pulaski in the second season, played by Diana Muldaur. Guess what? Fans hated that move. Even in 1988, angry fans wrote letters to CBS demanding the return of Gates McFadden to the show.

It worked. She returned in Season 3.

Much in the same way Star Trek: Discovery was largely scoffed at by Trekkies for its overly cinematic style (it’s as if they tried to be Star Wars in some ways), the franchise returned to its roots with Strange New Worlds not long after. 

They listened. Tony Khan must do the same.

And this has happened in the past, which includes giving the tag team titles to The Acclaimed, and even recently, the new pushes for names like Private Party, Daniel Garcia, etc.

But I swear, if TK hasn’t taken notice that the House of Black have been getting huge pops lately, be it Buddy or Malakai, and doesn’t pull the trigger on a major program with them, then he’s breaking a cardinal rule of trust.

Listen to the fans who got you here. We may not know what’s best all the time, but we’re the ones that have earned the trust of AEW’s higherups.

Trust us. We’re not stupid.

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Believe in Your Women

You know as well as I do that fear only exists for one purpose: to be conquered. – Captain Kathryn Janeway | Star Trek: Voyager – Season 2, Episode 23

What are we waiting for?

Women’s Tag Team Championships, giving the AEW women their own show, actually featuring women in A-Plot stories, etc. Why, after a successful Storm/May storyline, have we run into another wall with the women’s division?

Believe in your women. Especially right now as injuries have claimed some of WWE’s top female talents.

Trust your badasses. Star Trek did.

Kathryn Janeway, Deanna Troi, Michael Burnham, Guinan, Seven of Nine, Nyota Uhura, the list goes on of badass female characters in the franchise.

But over the last month we’re back to the one women’s match per show, and one women’s segment. Why do we keep doing this?

Jamie Hayter, Hikaru Shida, Thunder Rosa, Britt Baker — top names either notably absent, or if present, without a real direction. I enjoyed Hayter/Ford from Wednesday night, but what was the point of it all? 

I get that TK is probably waiting until Mina is available to further the Mariah May/Toni Storm/Mina Shirakawa angle. But come on, for the AEW Women’s World Champion to not even be present at last week’s show is inexcusable.

You have AEW going to MAX. This means 110 Million people will technically have access to AEW programming. Why aren’t we at least trying to create a 1-hour women’s show in the likely death of Rampage? Why not create a women’s tag team division and feature it on Collision; again, which will be available to 110 Million subscribers?

I believe in the AEW women’s roster. Captain Janeway would, too. Why doesn’t Tony Khan?

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That’s a Wrap

“Mortality Gives Meaning To Human Life, Captain.” – Commander Data | Picard – Season 1, Episode 10

Will AEW be around forever?

It’s hard to say. They’ve built a very successful #2 brand in the wrestling industry. But they may not be around forever. And whether this is by no fault of their own or not, they need to remain who they are, and more importantly KNOW who they are.

Star Trek always knew what it was and what it wasn’t. That’s the beauty of the franchise, and why it’s been around for nearly as long as WWE itself. In 2025, AEW needs to cement who they are, who they aren’t, and forge ahead.

Of course, taking tips from Star Trek isn’t going to hurt, and in fact, I’d recommend it. Regardless, we all won’t be here forever. And it’s time for AEW to continue to be who they are, and leave behind who they aren’t, and most importantly, ignore what some internet fans want them to be.

With that all being said, I’m going to watch some Star Trek now.

Live long and prosper.

-TKW

tokusenwrestling@yahoo.com