AEW star on WWE: “We’re on the same level as them”
Powerhouse Hobbs believes AEW are on the same level as WWE:
“We’re on the same level as them. We’re their competitors. They’re on national TV and we’re on national TV. We go head-2-head. We’re right on them. We’ve beat them in ratings at times. We’re right there on their neck. There are two major companies in this business, and it’s WWE and AEW…”
“We’re right there with them. When people say, ‘Do you ever want to go to WWE?’ I tell people, we’re right there with them. If you’re watching AEW or watching WWE, I think any wrestling fan should watch all wrestling. You’re getting all types of flavours. We’re right there, on their neck.”
(Via Chilling with ICE)
Umm… I don’t think so… I love his optimism and his dedication and loyalty to AEW but the facts are the facts and he’s just wrong. AEW is far from WWE’s heels much less “their neck”. This kind of crap, always going back to WWE, is one of the reasons AEW just can’t break through. AEW’s identity cannot be tied it WWE, it needs to be unique and their own. WWE isn’t talking about MLW or Impact or AEW, they’re securing the next generation of stars and looking to keep their hot streak rolling for the next five years. I would love for AEW to truly break free, but they will not remove themselves from the shadow of WWE. It’s almost like being in that shadow is where they WANT to be. Either way, Hobbs is way off base. Love the spirit, but the facts are just WAY OFF!!
Oh are they?
“We’ve beat them in ratings at times.” Yeah, your A-show is competitive with their C-show. Great job.
Don’t get me wrong, I get that he has to say that to stick up for his employer, and I like his “if you like it, watch it” philosophy, and AEW is indeed the closest thing WWE has to actual competition (at least in the U.S.). But as MJF would say, they’re not quite on the level of the devil.