5 things AEW needs to do to defeat WWE

Fans of a certain age are quick to tell you that at the heart of any great wrestling era lies a bitterly fought, equally matched rivalry between promotions.

Even in the relatively respectful days of the NWA, each territory had one eye on how to out-do the rest. As we all know, one company from the North East managed to do just that, and to this day the WWE remains atop the wrestling world seemingly for the foreseeable future.

It hasn't been all plain sailing, however. Whether it was Jim Crockett Promotions in the 80s, WCW in the 90s and - to a lesser extent - TNA in the 2010s, Vince has never been without a pretender to his crown.

Indeed, some of his most creative and memorable work has come as a reaction to competition and it's safe to say that without this kind of direct rival, the wrestling business as a whole suffers greatly.

This is why, as we enter into the 2020s, so many fans across the world are willing the latest claimant to the throne - All Elite Wrestling - to finally slay the McMahon hegemony (or at least give it a prod or two) and give wrestling that sense of urgency and excitement we all miss so dearly.

We are still in the early days of the AEW brand but this gives us all the time in the world to plot out how one up-start promotion can possibly think about taking over the wrestling world.

Yes, with the McMahon fortune and years and years of history behind them, the WWE may never see a rivalry the likes of the Monday Night Wars ever again, but when it comes to Pro Wrestling, anything is possible, right?. So, how are AEW going to defeat the WWE? Here are 5 possible ways they could do it:

#1 Go after NXT first

The Hunter has become the hunted?

On the surface, taking on the WWE feels like an insurmountable task. It's not so much David vs. Goliath but rather David vs. Goliath, King Kong, Godzilla and The Big Show in a 4-on-1 handicap match.

That being said, perhaps AEW should not be looking to topple the entire empire in one go. You don't just march into King's Landing and demand The Targaryens give up their seat of power straight away - rather, you pick the battles you have an outside chance of winning first.

Like any 'big man vs. little man' match-up in wrestling, sooner or later the smaller underdog will attempt to get the monster on his back by taking his legs from under him.

NXT is very much the 'legs' of the WWE at present. Triple H's faction spends an excruciating amount of time honing the skills and personas of the developmental talent and end up putting on Takeover shows that more than rival those of the main roster in the process.

Surely a cerebral wrestling company would be looking to target their efforts here rather than trying to infiltrate the heart of the WWE main event scene from the get-go.

What is more, the kind of fans most likely to ditch the WWE for AEW are the kind to watch NXT. The Wednesday night brand benefits from having a more concentrated audience to appeal to and can focus its attention on what the so-called 'hardcore' fans like most - 5 star matches and character development.

AEW are in a position to offer this fanbase an 'NXT-type' form of entertainment without the ominous presence of Vince McMahon and the main roster hanging over it.

No more would fans get themselves invested in a character only for them to vanish into thin air the moment they set foot on RAW or SmackDown. Instead, AEW fans can rest easy knowing that their favourite wrestlers will be allowed the space to raise their own bars and cement themselves as genuine main event talent in their own right.

AEW taking over from NXT as the go-to 'hardcore fan' promotion might not worry Vince too much at this point, but you can guarantee Triple H would have to start paying attention.

#2 Find their 'go-to' rivalry

Endless possibilities

It's likely that AEW will want to be creative and offer fans something they haven't seen before. Pushing the boundaries of our expectations is what will ultimately allow you to stand out from the rest, and from what we've seen so far, there's every chance Cody and the rest of the Elite understand this.

That being said, there are certain things in wrestling that will remain evergreen. After all, fans love wrestling because there are certain aspects of it that are unique to the form of entertainment itself. Amongst the long list of these said aspects is an epic and lengthy rivalry.

While other sports do have historic rivalries in their own rights, wrestling bookers are able to consciously manipulate what happens to a much greater extent.

They don't need to rely on a structured timetable or unlikely upsets that might throw a narrative off course. If football was more like wrestling, for example, you could have Barcelona vs. Real Madrid in a Champions League final whenever you wanted.

Whether it was Dusty vs. Flair, Hogan vs. Andre, Rock vs. Stone Cold or Cena vs. Orton - every generation of wrestling has had their own personal rivalry to live through, and AEW needs to figure out which feud will allow them to print money at will - preferably quickly.

For a while it looked as though Hangman Page vs. Pac may be the one to fit this gap, but this appears unlikely to materialise. But with Jon Moxley now in the fold the possibilities are numerous. With the announcement of Moxley vs. Omega for All Out later on this summer, this seems like the perfect place to start.

#3 Celebrity endorsement (lots of it)

Remember this?

It's safe to say that celebrities and wrestling have had an uneasy relationship over the years. Nowadays the announcement of a singer or actor making an appearance on a wrestling show is met with great scepticism - and perhaps this is justified.

Most fans still remember the god-awful days of the special guest host of RAW, where an endless line of celebs would come out and wave to a fanbase they couldn't care less about just to sell their latest film or album.

But perhaps it's not celebrity itself that's the problem. Maybe today's wrestling companies just aren't using them correctly. Looking back, it was celebrity endorsement in the 80s and 90s that arguably made the WWE what it is today, and AEW would do well not to forget that.

It may just take the right celebrity in the right story line to really give the All Elite guys the boost they need. If they can secure the kind of endorsement that Cyndi Lauper or Mike Tyson gave to Vince McMahon when he most needed it, perhaps a new era of AEW dominance would soon be upon us.

And let us not ignore the fact that celebrities bring money and attention. Yes, it's a fine line between utilising popular culture to gain fans and outright selling out, but let's show faith in Cody and Co. to do this right.

After all, they do seem to understand how wrestling works and will likely be mindful of what Hollywood has done for the industry in the past.

#4 Slow things down

Beat him at his own game.

This may be a more nuanced point, but it is still every bit as important. If AEW truly want to defeat the WWE, they need to ask themselves what the WWE is currently failing to give its fans, and make sure they are the ones to supply it.

True, this list is growing in length by the day, but something I think most fans agree on is that WWE hasn't been able to provide that consistency and level-headed booking we all used to know for quite some time now.

It's not difficult to understand why nobody has truly been able to supplant John Cena as the number one guy in the business - there are seemingly plenty of potential candidates, but if they are not given the time and space to reach that summit, we will forever be left with this endless cycle of short-lived pushes and untapped potential.

AEW have the luxury of taking a step back and plotting out their immediate future in a way Vince is no longer able. With the constant demands of TV deals, advertisers, and a bloated roster, the WWE must feel like they are treading water the majority of the time.

AEW should be in no hurry to reach these levels, and instead gradually build themselves from the bottom up.

For instance, they need to decide which individuals are likely to shine brightest for them and put in the time and effort to draw out their rise to the top with care and precision.

#5 Sign CM Punk

Let me dream.

To quote the late, great John Lennon - 'you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one'.

We are now fast approaching the 8 year anniversary of the infamous CM Punk 'Pipe Bomb' on Monday Night RAW (feeling old yet?), and while the Second City Saviour is nowhere to be seen amongst wrestling circles, his 2011 run with WWE still lurks behind the horizon.

Some may even argue that the roots of AEW lie in this very episode of RAW when Punk decided to let his feelings be known, perhaps unsure of the number of people who were able to relate.

It may be a controversial point, and no doubt many of you are rolling your eyes at the mere suggestion of Punk joining AEW, but I challenge anybody with an ounce of wrestling knowledge to argue that CM Punk joining AEW would not be the biggest thing to happen in wrestling since Bash at the Beach 1996.

True, AEW should not rely too heavily on this unlikely moment for their future growth, but it seems like such an easy way to inject a hell of a lot of publicity into the company and really put the fear into the McMahon family.

And from Punk's point of view, it must be awfully tempting for him to join the WWE's main US rival and help bring down the company he feels has treated him so badly over the years. It may be a long shot at this point, but never say never.