AEW Urged to Avoid Going Head-to-Head With WWE

John Bradshaw Layfield isn’t holding back when it comes to AEW running shows opposite WWE. With AEW Collision airing on Saturdays, the company sometimes finds itself competing against WWE’s premium live events or special broadcasts like Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Speaking on Something to Wrestle, JBL made it clear that if it were up to him, AEW would steer clear of WWE programming altogether. “I’d move it. This is not WCW. You don’t have Goldberg, you don’t have Hogan,” Layfield said. “No offense, [AEW has] some great stars. Kenny Omega, [Jon] Moxley, Cope/Edge/Adam Copeland, you got some great stars, but WWE is the machine. WWE is, by far, the 800-pound gorilla. It’s not equal competition, because WWE is so much bigger. I would move it, absolutely.”

Layfield also pointed out that WWE isn’t taking these head-to-head battles lightly. He suggested that the upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event on January 25 is being built like a WrestleMania-level event. While it won’t have the marathon runtime of modern WrestleManias, WWE is bringing in “Mr. WrestleMania” himself, Shawn Michaels, for the event in his hometown.

JBL isn’t sugarcoating it—he thinks AEW trying to go toe-to-toe with WWE is a losing battle. With WWE flexing its muscle and bringing in legends like Shawn Michaels, AEW might be in for a tough fight. Whether Tony Khan listens to the advice or keeps pushing forward remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure—WWE isn’t backing down.