7 Simple Tweaks to Create a Better WWE and AEW

Professional wrestling could be in a new boom period. WWE is selling out arenas consistently. All Elite Wrestling has already sold 65,000 tickets to Wembley Stadium, breaking every company record for total gate.

WWE once again delivered a fantastic WWE WrestleMania and has only built off that momentum. AEW looks poised deliver one of the single most anticipated shows in wrestling alongside New Japan Pro-Wrestling with Forbidden Door II.

The Bloodline is the hottest angle WWE has executed in years. Blackpool Combat Club continues to take the wrestling world by storm, feuding with The Elite and CHAOS currently.

While all of this is positive, both companies still need to grow. The products are good but can be great. The next steps are not big moves but small steady tweaks.

The following are the seven simple and easy tweaks that WWE and/or AEW can make right now to improve their product weekly and long term.

Both: Commit to More Time Weekly for Women's Division

It took a long time for WWE to commit to the women's division as the talent deserved, but the follow-up has not been a steady improvement. The roster of top stars has grown, but the spotlight has not increased with them.

AEW had a chance to jump ahead of WWE by fully committing to the women's division. Instead, the company has committed to only one women's match on each show per week, leaving the division an afterthought most of the time.

The ideal in professional wrestling should be a relative 50-50 split between the men and women. No one has truly approached this ideal on a major stage. The closest may be Impact Wrestling, though the company's management has not been able to sell that ideal to fans.

Neither WWE or AEW are likely to reach that goal any time soon, but it is possible with a steadier commitment to rationing out TV time.

For WWE, that means increasing the length of women's matches. Commit to at least one match over ten minutes on Raw and SmackDown and another in the solid eight-minute range. That can increase for the red brand with three hours to fill.

For AEW, the first goal is to put at least two women's matches a week on AEW Dynamite and the newly announced AEW Collision. This will require stories to build beyond the main two women's championships.

NXT and ROH serve as fascinating showcases of what WWE and AEW could be doing more regularly. Both have lower expectations on them and use that chance to highlight more of the women's division.

However, fans will not invest in the whole division until it is treated as a larger deal on the flagship shows. For each Becky Lynch or Jamie Hayter, there is a Piper Niven or Penelope Ford waiting in the wings for an opportunity to align with their talent.

WWE: Open TV More Often with Matches

WWE has a formula, and it does not lead to the most exciting episodes week to week. Someone must come out to start the show, soak in the crowd response and talk about their future before an interruption sets up a key match later in the night.

It may be easy to write but lacks the spark that makes wrestling special. WWE premium live events are special because of the action in the ring. It is what gets the crowd excited, warming them up for a big night.

AEW has almost always delivered on this formula, building a strong foundation for the rest of the two-hour night.

This is certainly not the only answer to a more compelling product, but it is an easy step in the right direction. Fans are not tuning to watch most of the roster on the microphone. The only real exception right now is Roman Reigns.

Monday Night Raw especially is finding its footing as a more in-ring-focused product. Seth "Freakin" Rollins, Gunther, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are all fighting champions that are delivering quality matches every week.

At least one of them can open the show in a match most weeks rather than spending that time talking up a storm to set up a predictable battle later.

AEW: Speed Up Storytelling Process to Capitalize on Fan Engagement

AEW has taken a slow-and-steady approach to some of its biggest stories, and it can deliver quality payoffs at times.

Hangman Adam Page's AEW World Championship victory, Orange Cassidy's rise from comedy act to workhorse and The Acclaimed's homegrown build to top stars are just a few of the payoffs.

However, just as often, AEW will set up a story that runs its course too slowly to satisfy fans.

Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee have been feuding for over six months without wrestling each other. Jade Cargill went from rising standout to hindrance to the TBS Championship's future.

Wardlow and Scorpio Sky both captured the TNT Championship too late to capitalize on their popularity. Veterans like Dustin Rhodes and Christopher Daniels never got their big moment while still in their late prime and now claw for relevance.

The AEW process is planning and booking months in advance. While this can lead to special moments, it can also lead to missed opportunities.

AEW must listen to the fans in moments, ready to let certain stories jump the line before the momentum dissipates.

Both: Slow Down on the Number of Camera Cuts

Wrestling can speak for itself. Unfortunately, the top TV producers in wrestling want to add action to the action by pushing a style of cutting that never rests.

Watch any match on WWE or AEW programming, and you will count more camera cuts in one minute than most other programs deliver in fifteen.

Sometimes, a fast-cutting style can push the pace of the action, even when the wrestlers are taking it slow. However, it can just as easily take away from the match by missing a key moment.

WWE has been especially bad in multi-wrestler matches like the Royal Rumble. Production infamously missed the debut of AJ Styles and Edge's first Spear in nine years.

However, this is a widespread problem for companies with the highest production quality. In 2023, the average match has become increasingly more difficult to follow.

By slowing back down, the wrestlers will gain more control of their work again. It will make the matches easier to follow, which will make it much easier for casual viewers to engage.

WWE: Announce More Matches and Segments Ahead of the Show

Professional wrestling business is reliable. The same fans tune in week after week most of the time. However, not everyone is ready to commit weekly and will catch up on highlights if the show does not appeal for the moment.

In order to bring in that portion of the audience, WWE must make announcements that show Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown are worth watching, rather than catching YouTube highlights later.

WWE will often get a major TV ratings bump after premium live events, drawing fans in with the promise of the aftermath. This is why the Raw after WrestleMania is so much bigger than any other TV wrestling event.

However, those fans need bigger promises to keep tuning in a couple weeks later. WWE can deliver that by promises big matches and moments.

Finn Bálor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura is a solid match on its own, but promising it ahead of time can bring in an extra group of fans that want to see it. Fans of the women's division may need the promise of Becky Lynch or Bianca Belair to watch.

This also requires WWE to book certain moments ahead of time, avoiding the last-minute scramble that has caused Raw and SmackDown to feel completely disjointed on the wrong night.

AEW: Tracking Complete AEW Roster's Monthly Usage

On the official AEW roster page, AEW reports 121 men and 34 women under contract to the company. On the official WWE roster page, WWE has 118 men and 63 women between Raw, SmackDown and NXT under contract.

Both companies also work with those not officially rostered. AEW especially has been known to rely upon independent wrestlers and New Japan Pro-Wrestling talent. WWE has a bevvy of Performance Center Superstars that are training for the future.

However, at the end of the day, it is telling that the men's roster especially is so even between these companies. WWE has done a much better job of balancing its seven hours of programming to maximize this roster.

AEW has sat on at least half of its roster, using them on non-televised shows like AEW Dark or moving them more directly to a Ring of Honor roster.

Even those that are valued can be forgotten. The newly announce AEW Collision has been built on the promise of bringing back talent like Miro, Andrade El Idolo and Scorpio Sky, who were healthy but left unused for months.

Even with an extra two hours of TV programming, AEW needs to learn to balance the roster well enough that it is not so easy to point out who has been forgotten.

While the voices are not loud at the moment, there have been a growing number of disgruntled wrestlers, left in the background.

Kazarian and Alan Angels walked out on comfortable opportunities to go to Impact Wrestling. Santana and Ortiz had a falling out over their position in the company. Big Swole, Joey Janela and Lio Rush have not often spoken favorably of their AEW exits.

Tony Khan has the staff necessary to keep a steady record of the usage of the entire roster. From there, AEW can focus on finding opportunities to use the entire roster, making the most of those signed.

If there is no plan for certain stars, it may be worth addressing that with those wrestlers, especially while considering signing more big names like recent acquisitions Jay White and Taya Valkyrie.

Both: Light Rotational Schedule to Allow for Natural Recovery Time

Professional wrestling is the only sport that has no off-season. It is scheduled more like serialized soap opera, airing every single week no matter what.

The problem with this approach is the physical toll in-ring work can have on the performers. Even the safest wrestlers put their careers at risk on the simplest spots. This is only compounded for those that work faster.

WWE has set a standard for the business where an off-season is hardly an option. However, some wrestlers have transitioned to a lighter schedule, especially while growing older.

AEW is also known to give talent time off quietly as they need, retooling the shows to work around the absences.

Both can do more. In particular, the best step is a rotational schedule. Even the best workhorses like Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Jon Moxley can use some time to rest and reflect, including more chance to be with family.

Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar are proof that stars can remain consistently popular while working a slower schedule. AEW has a strong equivalent in MJF, though the company's protection of Sting may be even more obvious as an example.

Not everyone can be part-time, but a couple months off a year can make a massive difference. Instead, most wrestlers often slow down for periods with stories and work that lack the spark of their best efforts.

This would be easy for both companies to pull off without losing much steam. If fans know that certain stars are on hiatus, they will not question their disappearance. Moreover, more signed wrestlers will get chances to thrive while others are on hiatus.