AEW to Sell Out Wembley? Plus, World Heavyweight Championship Thoughts – The Wrestling Estate Mailbag Week of May 8, 2023

This week marks the beginning of a new weekly series on the site where I answer YOUR burning questions about the goings on in the world of professional wrestling.

If you’d like to have your question answered in future weekly mailbags, feel free to email us at thewrestlingest@gmail.com.

Right off the bat, I’d like to congratulate Joey Ace on winning the 2023 ECWA Super 8 Tournament over the weekend. The Super 8 has long been a staple tournament in independent wrestling and has a long and cherished history of showcasing elite independent talent before they became household names. This year’s tournament took place at The Jersey Dugout in Marlboro, N.J. John Corrigan did an incredible piece on the history of the tournament back in 2021, so be sure to check that out to hear as it will tell you everything you need to know about the tournament’s cherished past.

As for Joey, the win is much deserved. It is one of the few things he had been yet to accomplish in ECWA and he is, in this writer’s opinion, an elite talent in every way. He and Corrigan once worked a fun angle that I’m sure had to have been a bucket list moment for John. Joey has appeared on programs such as AEW Dark: Elevation and as an extra on WWE Monday Night Raw, and I think he can be an immediate asset to any company.

He’s got the athleticism to hang with guys who prioritize work rate, but his character work is what really sets him apart from his peers. Nevertheless, winning the “Super 8” is a huge feather in his cap and I can only hope it leads to bigger and better things like it has for some of his predecessors.

Anyway, that’s enough about “The 5-Star Stud” for one day. Let’s get into some reader questions.

Q: What are your thoughts on the way WWE has re-introduced the World Heavyweight Championship? — Mike W., San Diego

JG: I’ll get this out of the way right now; I like the World Heavyweight Championship. I like the design quite a bit and feels as though it’s caught a bad rap from fans for some reason. I think a lot of it has to do with the shroud of mystery surrounding the title’s role in WWE. If the goal was to really commit to the brand split this time and Raw its own championship, I don’t have a problem with having it. I think it makes sense.

I think it would have made more sense for Roman Reigns to have lost the undisputed world title at WrestleMania, but I am not alone in that thinking. Obviously, that would have opened up a host of opportunities for rising heels to take a crack at the babyface champion Cody Rhodes, and it’s not like Roman has been around to make his presence felt anyway. From there, WWE could have made the WHC an exclusive title to whatever brand Cody didn’t end up on and used it to give some shine to someone like a Seth Rollins who, love him or hate him, really deserves the mantle after the 2022 he had.

The problem with the WHC has nothing to do with its mere presence or the aesthetic look of the belt. My problem with the WHC is that the WWE has done an abysmal job with describing exactly how it will figure into TV. Will it be a title equal to that of Reigns’ undisputed championship, or will it be less than? What brand will it be assigned to? Why are there competitors from both brands competing for the belt, and if a Smackdown wrestler on the same brand as Reigns wins it, what happens then? Wouldn’t Reigns just inevitably try and add the title to his infinity gauntlet of world championships? And if so, why even introduce the title in the first place? With Cody’s involvement, how would he see himself winning the title? Would it he put that moment on the same level as winning Roman’s titles?

These are just a few of the questions surrounding the angle we are yet to have clarity on. Perhaps tonight’s episode of Raw will answer some of them, but thus far the angle has been a jumbled mess and I think that is damaging what could arguably be one of the biggest storylines of the summer. Since there is no clarity, it’s going to be tough for people to separate the look of the title from the way it makes them feel… which is confused. WWE HAS to get their ducks in a row on this and fast, because the window is getting smaller and smaller on salvaging the angle. To reiterate, I have no problem with bringing back a modernized WHC, just make it make sense. It’s a cardinal rule in wrestling that everyone – from wrestlers, to talent to management – need to follow.

Triple H – Get your shit together!

Q: It looks like AEW is on their way to selling out All In at Wembley Stadium, or at least doing a huge number. What do you think of this? Are you surprised how fast tickets have sold? — Jeff H., The Bay Area

JG: I’m happy for AEW. Anytime someone goes out on a limb, takes a risk, and ultimately has it validated, you can’t help but be happy for them. I’ve been candid about some of my unavoidable personal biases towards the WWE style and I take massive issue with the way Tony Khan handles the media, among other things. But to feel anything but happiness for everyone in AEW would be silly.

I always knew the UK fans had an insatiable thirst for pro wrestling and combat sports in general. Even though WWE ran Cardiff, Wales last fall, I have long thought the UK market continues to be one of the most untapped in wrestling. I figured AEW would be thinking big when the time came to make its debut across the pond. Khan owns Fulham FC, after all. For that reason, I would have guessed he’d be targeting Craven Cottage, the home stadium for Fulham which would seat around 25,000 people for a pro wrestling show. Instead, he sought for the the big fish in Wembley Stadium, and ticket sales have already exceeded 60,000 with more being made available.

The desire for people to compare this show with WWE Clash at the Castle will always be there. I have to laugh when people openly ask why people feel a need to take a side in pro wrestling. It’s just natural instinct – and everyone is going to have a preference anyway. How many people are indifferent on the Coke-Pepsi debate?

Ehh… maybe that’s not the best example.

Regardless, the differences between the two should be acknowledged. Clash at the Castle ticket prices reportedly started around $250, and still managed to stuff Principality Stadium, the home of the Wales national rugby union team, with 62,500 people. AEW All In tickets are starting at around $60, so it’s two different business models both panning out in the way both companies needed them to. Nothing to see here.

It will still be in AEW’s best interest to deliver the biggest show possible so they can do more shows likes it in the future. It’s also key to remember the show will be taking place one week prior to All Out in Chicago. So now the fun part can begin. What might each of these shows look like? What are some of the biggest matches AEW can put on? And what kind of names will they be looking to add that can make the show an even bigger deal? These are all things I’m sure I’ll be discussing ad nauseum leading up to the show, so stay tuned!

Q: Did you happen to catch Sami Zayn on Andrew Santino’s Whisky Ginger podcast a week or two ago? — Frank F., Media, PA

JG: That I did! I’ll have more on some things I learned from the chat later in the week, but for now, I can definitely say it’s a must-watch for WWE fans, fans of Sami’s and anybody just looking to hear a fun conversation.

Q: How much wrestling do you watch weekly and do you ever find it hard to keep up with everything going on around the world? — Roy T., Manhattan

That depends, Roy. I will admit, I do not frequent every episode of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown, due in large part to the fact that I don’t have cable. The same goes for AEW Dynamite and WWE NXT. I make up the difference by watching clips on both companies’ YouTube channels. It makes too much sense, and time is money. I am also an editor over at MMASucka.com and try to balance my two passions with a Monday-Friday job, relationship and other hobbies like reading, discovering new films, fantasy sports and the occasional video game. As a result, it behooves me to save time whenever I can, and cutting out the commercials of a two or three-hour wrestling show saves me enough time to make it worthwhile.

Reddit is also a great means for me to ingest quick bursts of wrestling content. Since the best content is usually upvoted to the top of the page, few things with any sort of buzz get past me. I always make it a point to watch big shows in full and live if I can. Lately, I’ve been getting together with friends for pay-per-views and PLE’s. Occasionally, I will seek out some Japanese wrestling and watch the bigger NJPW shows, such as Wrestle Kingdom and Dominion. I don’t really watch any Impact these days, in large part due to the fact that nobody actually does. I haven’t yet found time to check out what’s going on in Tony’s ROH, and NWA Powerrr lost my interest a long time ago.

To answer your question, I think part of it is cherry-picking and prioritizing the content you need to see and the content you want to see, then letting everything else fall in line. But that’s just when it comes to the week-to-week episodic shows. I’m still huge on wrestling history and will listen to shoot interviews, TV specials, podcasts, and audiobooks while I do busy work. Some weeks I think I may log more hours with this type of content than I do with actual wrestling shows. I am a sucker for a well-told story.

Which reminds me, I started watching an old RFVideo shoot interview featuring Kevin Sullivan, Raven and Jake Roberts-pre sobriety: three of wrestling’s most cerebral minds. About five minutes into the video I notice that Kevin is talking extremely slowly – slower than usual even. Then when I looked back at the screen I could see the lights were on and nobody was home. About 15 minutes into the shoot, I realized Kevin had fallen asleep and went on to spend more than half the interview with his eyes closed. Eventually, the producers tried to revive him with some coffee, but it wouldn’t kick in until later in the second hour. While it is tough to deny the hilarity in this moment, one would have to assume the combination of beer and muscle relaxers did “The Taskmaster” in, which is somewhat sad. However, it is cool to see how sharp Kevin continues to be for a 73-year-old man.

You can follow The Wrestling Estate on Twitter @thewrestlingest and Jack Goodwillie @jackgoodwillie.