Several Within WWE Reportedly Believe AEW Is the Better Product

AEW vs. WWE debates are nothing new — but behind the scenes, it sounds like some people inside WWE might actually be siding with AEW.

During a Self Made Session on March 17, 2026, Self Made Pro revealed how WWE talent and staff really feel about AEW when the cameras are off. When asked how many people in WWE would admit AEW is the better product right now, the answer made it clear there’s a split internally. It was explained that while there are still decision-makers in WWE who downplay AEW and stick to the belief that their own product is superior, not everyone in the company sees it that way.

“A decent number of them. But there are also WWE people, especially in positions of decision-making, who would dismiss AEW’s product and act like it doesn’t have much merit. There’s still that mentality of, ‘What we do is better.’”

But the more eye-opening part is that, according to the same report, there are also plenty of people inside WWE who feel the opposite — and believe AEW is currently putting out the stronger product.

“But there are plenty of people in the company who think AEW is the better product. When Hunter came in and took over, one of the first things he did was acknowledge that AEW’s product was far superior in 2022.”

That kind of split opinion lines up with earlier reports that WWE doesn’t ignore AEW at all. In fact, the company reportedly has people whose job is to actively watch AEW programming and report back internally, while wrestlers across both companies continue to stay connected due to shared history.

So while the fanbase rivalry between AEW and WWE stays loud online, the reality backstage looks a lot more complicated — with some in WWE quietly giving credit to the competition.

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