Booker T on AEW: ‘Right now, it seems like they’re pulling a revamp of WCW’

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T had some interesting comments on his “Hall of Fame” podcast recently on the danger of AEW becoming too much like WCW:

“Right now, it seems like they’re pulling a revamp of WCW, as far as signing veteran talent, guys well past their better years of their careers, guys that perhaps the young guys could take either one of two ways, that these guys are here to help us or these guys are here to take our spot.”

He then goes on to tell the story of how many wrestlers from the then World Wrestling Federation would come to WCW not in search of achievement but monetary gain. What’s more, he fell into the trap himself in TNA, of simply showing up for the money and what that does to a locker room.

These are valid concerns in the sense that, yeah, these are workers at the end of the day and there very well may be wrestlers simply out to take advantage of a situation to make the most money for themselves instead of doing what works best for the future of a promotion. Then again, there are legitimate reasons for a promotion like AEW to bring in veteran wrestlers with name value like a Sting or a Paul Wight who, as fellow host Brad Gilmore points out when quoting Eric Bischoff, have equity that can help those young wrestlers coming up.

The older stars help bring eyes to the younger stars. There’s a balance to be had there. Plus, AEW hasn’t exactly jumped all over every single possible former WWE star for the sake of it.

Again though, Booker’s concerns are valid and it’s worth keeping an eye out to see how AEW progresses in the next couple years.