Why does AEW keep bringing in other talent ?

I’m not sure if people realize but if you look at the preview for dynamite they have juice Robinson and Bandido facing their champions.

This is on top of the numerous times that they used people like to Takeshita etc before.

I’m a little curious – if the prevailing thought seems to be that they already have so much talent and there’s clearly people upset that are not being used, like Malakai Black, and Andrade, Miro, and a list of others, why are they bringing in these people that really have no storyline business or role in the company to wrestle their top talent ?

I mean I could be wrong but I don’t think they’re gonna spike rating for juice Robinson or Bandido because a lot of people have no idea who they even are. I mean Will Osprey didn’t spike a rating how are these guys?

I’m just confused – I get bringing in job guys to get over your stars but literally they’re putting these guys in main event matches so it’s not going to be a squash fest And you are essentially giving the audience a character that is unlikely to be back in the company anytime soon, while keeping your normal crew on the sidelines.

Just seems a bit odd – I mean wondering if people have thoughts about why they keep doing this?

So they’ve been doing this Forbidden Door bit for years and part of their product differentiation is that you are going to see talent from other promotions on main TV shows.

Behind the scenes it likely strengthens relationship(s) with other promotions, or in the case of Free Agents can be a recruitment tactic to lure them or test them out.

Also as a TV show, the idea the main cast members are constantly facing foreign challengers harkens back to the Territory days of rotating people in and out, as well as other forms of story telling where the constant is the protagonist and new challengers are introduced to either introduce new characters who will stick around OR as cameos.

I think AEW’s success has been in differentiation as well as breaking norms of what everyone assumes a weekly wrestling show should be. Book the roster against each other every week, wind up with 50/50 booking across the board, and completely over-expose and drain intrigue from everyone within a year. Or buy time with this strategy which also serves the differentiation strategy.

It’s a good and worthy debate to be had on the strategy.

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Replying to myself because I want to ask @Alex_Patel a question:

Why does WWE keep bringing in other talent ?

The two companies with major TV are using talent as a TV show would a cameo to draw interest.

  • AEW is doing this by bringing in outside Wrestlers
  • WWE is doing this by bringing in outside Entertainers

Their target audience of who they are trying to drum up interest with is different. That’s a separate conversation.

In that context, Alex - does it make more sense?

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Both are whats best for business.

I think it keeps every episode fresh. You’re not getting tons of rematches, nor does it burn through big matches - yet still feel specials.

There are dozens of matches still on the table that feel like true dream matches (and some have frustratingly not happened yet). It makes every episode feel unique.

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So I think WWE does it bc they believe someone like Logan Paul will spike ratings and interest and get main stream media attention.

I’m not sure Juice Robinson fulfills any of that

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I love it because it’s fresh matches. We aren’t watching Ziggler vs miz or Sheamus vs Orton for the 16,000th time.

Also the TV is there to build up and put over the stars. If you give away all the big matches on tv no one will buy their PPVs.

I get this. But I also haven’t seen Miro or Brian Cage or Lance Archer in a while. Wardlow seems cold. I would rather see those guys over Juice

I think it’s more of an aesthetic choice on Tony’s part than a particular business strategy. We all know how influenced he is by old territorial stuff, and the fact that he treats AEW as part of the larger, fluid wrestling world (rather than a hemetically-sealed silo of Supertars™) is part of what drew me so fully into AEW in the first year or so. This is as much a question as to how the style and ethos (or “brand”) of AEW feels as it is about quarter hours.

It’s also pretty low-risk in terms of cost (at least compared to the Paul brothers’ projects) or risk (compared to, say, the David Arquette debacle). At best, an open invite leads to someone like Kingston becoming a valued part of the company. At worst, War Horse or Johnny DripDrip Elite gets a payday.

In terms of existing roster members being somewhat occluded by this practice, in theory I think it’s a valid concern to be tracked, but on a case by case basis. Miro’s plans have been thrown for a loop by the HoB uncertainty, and I’m of the opinion that Wardlow’s still hot and is getting some needed seasoning. You’re right about Archer, though, Alex. Whether he’s sticking around or not, there’s value in him either challenging your champs or being used as a punisher/gatekeeper for younger talents.

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No, so I’d agree there, but I do think it does serve probably for some audience retention. Or interest in tuning in each week to see something or someone unique and new.

Also it gets into debating the incremental improvement to the product by swapping way a Miro or Juice. Probably not much.

Agreed with a lot of what @Contrasoma said.

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Yes both you and @Contrasoma male good points !

It really thought Juice had a poor G1 this year. I was much higher on him a couple of years ago.

Good point. I was thinking more about his G1 during that match than the fact that he was the guy Mox anonymously targeted and tormented for months before debuting in NJPW.

To be fair, comparing outside talent that AEW uses to Logan Paul is a bit unfair. If anything, I’d compare the usage of Paul to someone like AEW using Shaq which for all intents and purposes was a good use of a celebrity.

I don’t have a problem with either to be honest.

Keep bringing in more and more “other talent” if we get matches like Jericho vs Bandido tonight.

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Ok it’s unfair to evaluate the attempted strategies.
Tribalism it is!

At least AEW is giving National spotlight and opportunity to WRESTLERS and not devaluing them by making them appear as low-skill-talent that any Logan Paul or Pat McAffee can replicate in 1 month of training and look every bit as good :man_shrugging:

Is that fair @kliq ?

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Hahahaha. Tribalism it is you are hilarious !

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In seriousness - I thought the compare and contrast was extremely valid in that they are two strategies designed at targeting different viewership and appeal, executed in very similar fashion via the use of TV Cameos.

One is scratching its itch to be an Entertainment company by showcasing entertainers with crossover appeal, One is fufilling its mission to deliver the best weekly wrestling show by showcasing outside wrestlers.

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It was close this week. Not a great Dynamite especially that womens segment. That was one of the worst of the year.

I still think better than RAW based on main event but it was closer than usual. Will see what Smackdown brings

If you didn’t like the Women’s division before, last night should make you hate it for good. That was such trash. I thought the Women’s Evolution was left as a PR stunt in the last decade.

Just give the women time to have great matches. That recipe never fails.

Ugh, I can’t believe they have 3 years left of this Twitch Influencer. At least the types we were debating above all wrestle. Twitch influencer Paige doesn’t even do that. Awful.

Lol….for the record, I have no issue with them bringing in outside talent, I like the fresh matchups.

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