Booker T Warns AEW to Think Long-Term or Risk Losing It All

Booker T isn’t one to sugarcoat things, and when it comes to AEW’s long-term outlook, the WWE Hall of Famer has a strong message—think ahead, or risk losing it all.

In a recent interview with Forbes’ Alfred Konuwa, Booker T was asked about AEW’s reliance on veteran stars while WWE continues to expand its developmental system with multiple training programs like NXT, LFG, the NIL program, and Evolve. While WWE is investing in young talent to fuel the next generation, AEW seems to be banking on names from the past.

“It’s hard for me to say what they should do or anything like that,” Booker said. “But I could tell you back when I was in WCW and things were just running and everybody thought everything was good just because we were on television, like what we may see with those guys, you could wake up one day and they could be all over it.”

Booker, who saw WCW collapse from the inside, knows firsthand that just having a TV deal doesn’t guarantee long-term success. He emphasized that AEW needs to be thinking ahead. “So you better be thinking about what’s next. You better be thinking about the future,” he added.

He pointed to WWE’s commitment to building young stars, explaining how the company is ensuring its future remains strong. “Just like I think we’re thinking about right now with WWE, with so many programs, trying to think about the young talent out there that’s going to be fueling this next generation,” Booker said.

While AEW has some rising stars, the company’s reliance on established veterans like Edge, Christian Cage, Bobby Lashley, Samoa Joe, Shelton Benjamin, and Jeff Jarrett has led to concerns about how the company is preparing for the next wave of talent. Booker stressed that wrestling—like all sports—is a young person’s game.

“Sports is a young-person’s business,” he said. “I say that with Reality of Wrestling, because everybody that’s a champion, they’re young because it’s hard to aspire to be a champion when you’re 60. But you see a 20-year-old kid that’s the champion, at 14 years old, you say, ‘Man, I could be that. I want to be that.'”

For Booker, WWE’s commitment to younger talent is why the company is seeing such massive success. “Everything is so young. Everything is so bright. Everything has a great feel to it, and it’s making people gravitate like we haven’t seen in so many years,” he said.

His final words made it clear—success in wrestling isn’t just about setting up a show and expecting it to last forever. “A promoter told me a long time ago, you just can’t set up a tent and do wrestling,” he said.