The long-running debate over the competitive landscape between WWE and AEW has taken another turn following recent comments from wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer addressed the ongoing comparisons between the two companies. While he acknowledged that WWE still maintains a massive lead in the industry, he argued that the gap separating the two promotions is beginning to shrink.
His remarks added fresh fuel to the conversation about wrestling’s modern “war,” even as WWE continues to dominate the global market.
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During the discussion, Meltzer said that WWE remains “way, way, way ahead,” but believes AEW is slowly gaining momentum.
“The gap is closing,” Meltzer said. “All those people who were hounding me about [AEW] gonna die… they’re very quiet.”
He compared the situation to the late 1990s wrestling boom, specifically referencing Eric Bischoff’s confidence during WCW’s peak in 1997.
“It’s like what Eric had in 1997 — ‘they’re in the dust, they’re not even competition anymore, we won the war.’ Then all of a sudden you didn’t win the war.”
Meltzer suggested that momentum can shift quickly in wrestling, even when one company appears to have a commanding lead. According to him, AEW has recovered from a period of negative buzz and is beginning to rebuild its momentum.
He also pointed to streaming metrics as one area where AEW could be gaining ground. Meltzer claimed that when Max streaming numbers are factored in, AEW Dynamite has at times surpassed WWE RAW and occasionally approached SmackDown in certain measurement periods.
However, traditional television ratings still show a significant gap between the companies. Recent figures reported by Wrestlenomics place RAW at 2.8 million global views on Netflix, while SmackDown drew 1.379 million viewers and Dynamite recorded around 650,000 viewers on TBS.
Meltzer’s comments have sparked debate among fans and analysts. Some agree that AEW’s momentum is improving, while others argue that WWE’s position at the top of the wrestling industry remains firmly intact.
Either way, the scoreboard may still favor WWE — but Meltzer believes the other side is slowly climbing the turnbuckle.
