AEW is considered one of the top promotions in the professional wrestling world. However, the company has been struggling to fill arenas and sell out shows. However, they have still managed to clinch major network deals and announce bigger shows. This led to a bold prediction by a renowned face of the industry.
The company was started by Tony Khan and other EVPs in 2019 as a direct competitor to the global giant, WWE. After five years of being in the business, it has managed to do fairly well. The company has a roster filled with some big names and rising stars in the industry.
Related: New Rumor Claims AEW Lost Major TV Deal Due To Consistently Declining Ratings On TNT And TBS
But despite that, AEW has struggled in terms of show attendance for weeks. But at the same time, they have managed to get a much bigger deal with their parent network, WBD. Subsequently, the company landed a deal with MAX, which saw AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen make its debut on the show. Witnessing the entire year, a WWE legend issued a statement regarding the company’s future.
Which WWE legend made a bold prediction regarding AEW’s future?
During the latest edition of his own podcast, Busted Open Radio, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray predicted the future of the top three promotions in the world. Bully claimed that WWE and TNA would expand further. However, in the case of AEW, Bully had a completely different perspective. He predicted that AEW would either experience a major resurgence or will fall to its demise. Despite his prediction, Bully hoped that he would discuss AEW’s success in the future rather than demise.
“TNA will grow, the WWE will grow bigger, and we will either be talking about the resurgence or the demise of AEW, and I go 50/50 on that,” Bully Ray said. “I want to see the resurgence, but from what I see right this very moment, I hope we’re not speaking about the demise, and that’s just my fair assessment on everything.” (h/t Wrestling Inc)
2025 is a major year for all three promotions. WWE is set for a major line-up of huge Premium Live Events. This would also see SummerSlam move to a two-day format. For TNA, they announced their Slammiversary pay-per-view in July. The event is set to take place in UBS Arena in New York, which will be one of the biggest venues for TNA.
In the case of AEW, the company has two major events planned. They would host AEW Grand Slam for the first time in Australia. Furthermore, 2025 will see their premier event, All In, take place in Texas instead of London. With Tony Khan’s company off to a great start with the MAX deal, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to thrive in the new year.
Also read: Former Member Of AEW Management Blasts Company For Wasting Kazuchika Okada