Paul Wight believes comparisons between AEW and WWE often fail to account for the enormous difference in how long the two companies have been operating.
Paul Wight spent more than two decades with WWE before joining AEW in 2021. Speaking on TMZ’s Inside The Ring, the former Big Show said he sees similar long-term potential in AEW despite the promotion still being relatively young.
“I helped build the company for 20-plus years,” Wight said of WWE. “I’ve been through that with the other places and seen where the other places have grown. I also see that same potential at AEW.”
Wight believes time remains one of the biggest differences between the companies.
“Our company’s only been around, what, seven years? We’re still building. We’re still building a global impact.”
He pointed towards AEW’s return to Wembley Stadium for All In on August 30 as an example of the promotion continuing to expand its presence internationally.
“We’re going back to Wembley. That’s a huge stadium for us to fill, to put asses in seats, and we’re building that relationship in London and the UK, and that’s going to grow.”
Paul Wight Says AEW Needs Time To Continue Growing
Paul Wight also claimed AEW has faced logistical obstacles because of WWE’s long-established position within the industry.
“You can’t really compare logistically with a company that’s had 40 years of dominance, because they didn’t have any competition, and where competition was so thoroughly snuffed out.”
According to Wight, AEW has previously been unable to book certain arenas because of exclusivity agreements involving WWE events.
“There were buildings that we couldn’t wrestle in in AEW that we could fill, because there were contract agreements between them and WWE,” he said. “No wrestling 90 days before, no wrestling 90 days after.”
Wight argued that being unable to access larger venues in certain markets can affect how AEW is perceived, particularly when its attendance figures are subsequently compared with WWE. However, he believes those obstacles can be overcome as AEW continues to establish itself.
“All we can do is just keep our heads going, keep pushing forward, onward and upward, and we’ll grow,” Wight said. “The talent’s going to be there. There’s new talent that comes along all the time.”
The former WWE Champion also stressed that competition between wrestling promotions can benefit performers across the industry.
“Speaking from a talent’s perspective, you want more companies to do well. You want people talking about wrestling and excited about wrestling, whether it’s your brand or someone else’s brand.”
Having experienced several different periods of professional wrestling throughout his career, Wight believes the industry’s fortunes will inevitably continue to change as new performers emerge.
“The main thing is you just have to go out there and keep giving the people the best product you can.”
Paul Wight joined AEW in February 2021 and has since worked for the promotion as a commentator and coach.
