>>17327262AEW has cooled significantly, and stopped winning WWE free agents even with WWE's bloated roster, because AEW has shown they aren't willing to do what it takes to win over lapsed fans, shared fans, semi-fans or anyone else other than WON/Cagematch weirdos
Many of the "far bigger names" of today are already set for life. Their children will never know anything other than a lavish lifestyle, and that's true whether their next contract pays $3M/year or $6M/year or something in-between.
What's left is legacy, reputation, purpose, what to do when they're done wrestling. Do you hitch your wagon to the company that revolves around banger PPVs and fails at everything else? Or with the company that has so many other plates spinning at the same time that it drives smarks to insist (through tears) that they "don't even care about wrestling"?
AEW's dilemma is of their own creation. Wrestling for sickos, by sickos, is unsustainable without constant cash infusions, and even then, you aren't building a loyal fanbase, you're building an MC Hammer entourage. Once the money is gone, so are they. That's why we pray. We've got to pray just to make it today.
