The 8 Biggest Trends of Pro Wrestling in WWE and AEW This Year

As 2023 comes to a close, WWE and All Elite Wrestling have both gone through plenty of evolution. The wrestling landscape is as diverse as it has ever been.

With that diversity has come a fundamental change in the wrestling industry. Triple H spent his first full year in charge of WWE creative. WWE merged with Zuffa into TKO Group Holding Company.

AEW hosted its first stadium pay-per-view and broke ticket records along the way. They signed big names like Jay White and Will Ospreay while committing to MJF as the top star in the company.

Both companies have learned from one another, establishing a new standard in professional wrestling through some key trends.

The following are the biggest trends in WWE and AEW that set a new standard in the business.

Commitment to the International Market

The international market has always been a distant focus for WWE and AEW until 2023. Both companies have made inroads into an untapped market with things like wider tours in Canada to big stadium shows in Europe.

AEW booked the biggest show outside of WWE in professional wrestling history with All In: London. The company sold a reported record 81,035 tickets with a turnstile attendance of 72,265 as reported by Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics.

WWE continued its own international premium live event journey with Money in the Bank 2023 from the O2 Arena in London.

Tony Khan would go on to announce a return to Wembley Stadium in 2024 with nearly 40,000 tickets already sold according to WrestleTix on X.

WWE countered by announcing both Backlash France from the LDLC Arena and Bash in Berlin from the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

WWE will also bring Elimination Chamber to Perth, West Australia, in 2024. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, it has been reported that WWE Elimination Chamber has already moved more than 45,000 tickets

Both companies are finding success tapping into markets that have lacked top-level professional wrestling events for too long.

The Open Free Market

A few years ago, WWE was the only game in town, and it led to many wrestlers struggling to get paid their worth. That has changed and is felt more than ever in 2023.

Pending the TKO merger, the company has missed out on a few big free-agent names, including Will Ospreay and Jay White.

A lifelong WWE veteran, Edge chose to jump ship to AEW as well, now going by Adam Copeland.

However, there is true competition brewing for the next group of free agents in wrestling. CM Punk is back in WWE following his firing with cause from AEW.

In the most recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted that WWE is making a play to sign Giulia from Stardom while also reporting on Wrestling Observer Radio that Kazuchika Okada's contract expires in early 2024.

WWE will also have to make good deals to their own talent whose contracts expire in 2024, including Seth "Freakin" Rollins, Becky Lynch, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre.

The company has already re-signed Charlotte Flair (according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select) and Bayley (according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider) in recent weeks.

AEW themselves also locked down The Elite to multiyear contracts in August and will need to consider the contracts of Bryan Danielson and possible MJF.

In the coming years, the competition will be fierce, and other companies like NJPW, TNA and MLW will hope to make their own market on the free-agent landscape.

New Names Growing Into Main Event Acts

As WWE and AEW continue to develop new rosters, fresh stars have stepped up to the challenge of carrying the wrestling industry.

While Roman Reigns may be the biggest name in the business, he has been off TV far more often than he has appeared. This has allowed unique names including Rhea Ripley, Gunther and LA Knight to take big steps forward.

AEW has fully committed to MJF but also elevated names like Swerve Strickland, Ricky Starks and Orange Cassidy to some of the top positions in the company.

Both companies have also built up young talent that are only continuing to gain prestige. For WWE, Carmelo Hayes and Bron Breakker main evented NXT Stand & Deliver while Trick Williams is on the verge of becoming a true Superstar.

AEW has paired up Nick Wayne and Billie Starks with veterans Christian Cage and Athena. Meanwhile, Julia Hart became the youngest AEW champion at 22 years old.

There is no doubt that the future is bright in professional wrestling, aided all the more by a commitment to new names rather than relying on veterans alone.

Veteran Freedom and Trust

Veterans are still important to every wrestling company, and WWE and AEW have shown a renewed commitment to the established names of the industry.

In particular, there is clear creative freedom given to these veterans, who get better with age.

Shinsuke Nakamura is finally delivering on the main roster, speaking for himself in Japanese. The Judgment Day has worked because everyone involved has been allowed to tell their story, allowing Finn Bálor to elevate Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley.

Promos in general with WWE come off more natural, avoiding the constraints of bad scripting that plagued the previous eras.

AEW has allowed Christian Cage to tell the best story of his career, bringing in Adam Copeland to complete their wrestling legacy together.

The company has allowed a variety of talent from MJF and Jay White to Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page to tell their own stories with their own feel.

For better or worse, the product has never felt more diverse, moving from "Timeless" Toni Storm silliness or Roderick Strong neck awareness to Bryan Danielson gritty violence or FTR team brawling in the span of minutes.

It is good to see the business opening up the doors to the talent that care about this more than anything. It has led to unique stories and moments throughout the year.

Growing In-Ring Focus

While AEW has always been a wrestling-focused show, WWE has leaned that way more in 2023 than any year since the The New Generation Era.

Triple H taking over creative has had a dramatic effect on how the company handles week-to-week shows.

Monday Night Raw has often focused on longer matches, particularly from stars like Gunther, Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes.

Friday Night SmackDown is tighter for wrestling time but still has featured matches like Iyo Sky vs. Asuka, Edge vs. Sheamus and Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar.

The premium live events have had tighter cards, giving time to each performance. This contrasts AEW's sometimes bloated PPV cards.

That has not stopped AEW from delivering time and again in the ring. From early phenomenal matches like MJF vs. Bryan Danielson and Anarchy in the Arena to consistently excellent Continental Classic, there has not been a month in AEW without great matches.

Both companies have highlighted the importance of the in-ring drama, telling stories through the athleticism of the competitors over pure mic work.

Longer Reigns for World Champions

Records are falling left and right in professional wrestling with the new focus on in-ring performance.

WWE has especially committed to breaking records. Roman Reigns is by far the longest reigning world champion of the modern era and is now looking at toppling Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino at the top.

Gunther has already set a new standard for the Intercontinental Championship. Bianca Belair made her mark as the longest reigning women's champion earlier in the year.

MJF is the longest reigning AEW world champion in company history and hardly looks ready to slow down.

Orange Cassidy had an epic run as International champion with the most title defenses of any champion in AEW history. While he lost and regained the gold, his 2023 fully established that fresh title for the company.

It was a year of history-breaking runs, helped by performers at the helm that continue to perform at the highest level. These record-setting reigns will establish new standards to reach for.

Athleticism over Size

The look of a professional wrestling has drastically changed over the past few years, and WWE is committed to this new standard as it accepts the status quo set by the independent wrestling scene years before.

The truth is that wrestlers come in all forms, and the greats do not need to be giants to be successful.

In fact, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have had significantly more success this year than Omos and Bobby Lashley. Carmelo Hayes has arguably out-shown Bron Breakker despite their difference in size.

Finn Bálor may no longer be the leader of The Judgment Day, but he has become an integral part of WWE television at 5'11". Rey Mysterio has become the centerpiece of bringing in fresh cruiserweights like Santos Escobar and Dragon Lee.

AEW has already committed to this standard, though it arguably has gotten more diverse with time. Signings like Big Bill and Brian Cage have played big roles in 2023, though Orange Cassidy and Adam Cole remain key figures at the top of the company.

The business continues to evolve, and presence is certainly a factor in establishing stars. However, there is no longer a requirement to be a certain height or in a certain physical condition.

It just matters that a performer can compete night in and night out and establish their character.

Training Regimes That Improve Physique

Presentation is still key to characters, which has led to a noticeable push for top stars to get in incredible shape.

Randy Orton and AJ Styles recently returned and looked to be in the best shapes of their careers. WWE's Performance Center continues to push talent to hone their bodies through steady work.

Getting in incredible shape may not make a star alone, but it is clear that WWE has found a steady plan to help wrestlers get in the best shape of their careers.

AEW is not far behind, even without a formal training facility for all talent. MJF has honed himself to his physical limit. Swerve Strickland bulked up until he could look like a threat to anyone.

Stars like Christian Cage and Adam Copeland have never looked better despite their decades of experience across the wrestling industry.

The business as a whole has learned the right way to train to hone a physique that stands out on television. Not everyone can be Bobby Lashley or Brock Lesnar, but they can strive to look like Finn Bálor or Kenny Omega.

This new standard for wrestling stars will continue to allow anyone to build themselves up as a potential star as long as they can back it up with character work and in-ring performance.