AEW embraces the youth movement on the roster

AEW Double or Nothing felt like a celebration of sorts for All Elite Wrestling fans and the roster. At the end of the night, the momentum was pulsing with excitement to see what is next for the promotion and everyone involved. What was interesting to see is that the company has a wealth of young talent to build around. With so many names in the promotion under 30-years of age and in prominent positions, the youth movement is alive and well in AEW.

Adam Page, MJF, Jungle Boy, and Darby Allin are some of the names that jump off the page in the women’s division that are younger than thirty. The women’s division is in the same place with Red Velvett, Tay Conti, Anna Jay, Jade Cargill are all still in their 20s. And it is not like being 30 years old is a death sentence or a call for early retirement. Max Castor, Britt Baker, and Rey Fenix are examples of three individuals who are just at thirty or thirty-one and ready to go on the runs that will set their career on the path to stardom.

This is the type of roster that is to be built around for longevity. This is seen across sports, where each year teams look to build toward the future via the draft to pick up talented prospects that can potentially form a dynasty. AEW has all the building blocks with the names mentioned above, and many others that were not included, like Sammy Guevara. In ten years, expect to see some of these names amongst the best in the industry.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the WWE. The promotion tends to lean heavily on its talent who are at the later stages of their career, such as Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, and others. At the same time, those older names are not used to help build up the younger talent on the roster. The same could be said about the women’s division where the likes of Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, Tamina, and Natalya are featured heavily while fans want to see more of younger competitors like Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott. That talent is there, but WWE does not seem to have the faith in allowing them to shine, falling back on their more experienced names.

In an industry like professional wrestling, youth is an important attribute. While it is not the end-all, be-all; it is important for companies to give newer faces the opportunity to get over with fans to help not only their long-term growth but that of the promotion as well. AEW is embracing its youth movement and the investments are showing today, as they will long into the future.