WWE is handling the possibility of competition all wrong

All Elite Wrestling has undoubtedly changed the landscape of the professional wrestling already, but for WWE it’s business as usual.

It has been five months since The Elite announced they were starting their own wrestling promotion on New Year’s Day. Now, the tangible possibility of another option for fans – as well as wrestlers looking for new opportunities – has revitalized the industry. It’s hard to predict what this will all mean for wrestling in the long term, but it’s an exciting time.

Just to put things into perspective, WWE is still the biggest wrestling company in the world and it will be for the foreseeable future. AEW can’t compete with them in terms of available assets and name recognition. That doesn’t even seem like their goal. They appear to be more focused on creating something of their own; something new and different.

With that said, talent from WWE would inevitably see the new promotion as a chance to strike out and do something new as well. After all, what Cody and The Young Bucks are doing is inspiring, so it’s understandable. Unfortunately, the men behind multi-million-dollar corporations – like Vince McMahon – don’t usually accept losing well. Case and point, he’s currently trying to revive the XFL, one of his most notorious failed business ventures.

However, AEW isn’t even in the same stratosphere as WWE. So, why would they treat them like direct competition? This isn’t the days of dozens of competing territories anymore. They’re the biggest fish in the pond. The company doesn’t need to rely on the same tactics that they used against the likes of WCW or ECW, but they’re still clearly trying to hoard talent.

If you think they don’t see AEW or any other promotion as competition, consider the way they still actively attempt to poach Superstars even though their roster is already overcrowded. Sure, plenty of those men and women came to WWE because they wanted to wrestle on the biggest stage in the world. But look at the way they’ve treated the wrestlers who want to leave.

Recently, Luke Harper publicly requested his release. In response, WWE refused to grant him his release and they added six more months to his contract for time missed due to injury. The 39-year-old Superstar’s contract was set to end in November, but the additional months extends his contract into 2020.

Harper isn’t the first wrestler they’ve handled this way either. Neville notably had to sit out for close to a year because they wouldn’t let him out of his contract. There’s the ongoing situation with the Revival and the rumors surrounding Sasha Banks. Even Dean Ambrose, who seemed to finish up his time with the company amicably, had to endure months of beat downs and humiliation.

What’s more confounding is they don’t seem to realize this kind of behavior is galvanizing some fans behind these stars. For example, Ambrose got such a massive reaction when he reemerged as Jon Moxley. The vignette, which marked his return to the character, garnered 2.6 million views in less than a week.

To get back to the point, this all begs the question: Why treat any other promotions like direct competition at this point? Even more, if they do see any other company as a threat, then why are they essentially helping them recruit talent? One would think they would attempt to address the issues that are causing some of their employees to leave. Instead, WWE is coming off just as petty and spiteful as their detractors have claimed they are.

The way they’re handling high-profile exits could do more harm than the emergence of AEW or New Japan’s presence in the states. The last thing they should be doing right now is mishandling these contract disputes. Of course, they’ve done it in the past as well, but their image is much more important now.

There is no shortage of wrestlers who want to compete for WWE. Focusing on the ones who are attempting to create a lane outside of the company seems shortsighted. This won’t inevitably be their undoing, but it will further drive some talent away.

That isn’t to say they should give in to every demand and attempt to please everyone, but they should at least be reasonable. WWE needs to properly assess what’s happening in the industry and focus on creating a great product. Treating the status quo like it’s just business, as usual, isn’t the answer.