Oct. 16 (UPI) -- All Elite Wrestling is disrupting the professional wrestling landscape that has been dominated by WWE for years. With it's weekly TNT show Dynamite, AEW is making waves and gaining fans by offering something fresh and unpredictable inside the squared circle.
The promotion, which is headlined by AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Cody, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and more, has become WWE's first real competition since 2001 when chairman and CEO Vince McMahon bought out rival WCW during the fabled Monday Night War. The new ratings battles now take place every Wednesday night as AEW's Dynamite goes head-to-head with WWE NXT on the USA Network.
"Listen, we're not at war with anybody," Jericho -- who has also competed in WWE and WCW during his illustrious career -- told reporters about competing with other pro wrestling properties at New York Comic Con.
"We didn't start a war. We didn't counter program. We just did our thing. And as a result the whole industry was completely shaken up just by us being in existence. It's a good feeling to know that there was a lot of people who felt the same way we did," the 48-year-old continued.
Jericho as the AEW World Champion, is a constant presence on Dynamite where he has formed a new group known as The Inner Circle, which includes Sammy Guevara, tag team Santana and Ortiz and Jake Hager. The stable, along with Moxley, Cody, Omega and The Young Bucks, have piqued the interest of wrestling fans who are flocking to Dynamite every week.
"It's different. There's a buzz about it. It's not the same old, same old," Jericho said.
"I also think there is a segment of wrestling fans that just stopped watching. If you go back to 2000, 12 million people were watching wrestling on a Monday night. Now there's 2 and a half million. Where'd those other people go? Did they just disappear? Was there a rapture that wrestling fans were taken away? No, they just went on to something else," he said.
AEW will live or die through their talent roster, which also includes Nyla Rose, Jungle Boy, AEW World Women's Champion Riho, Hangman Adam Page, Luchasaurus, Dr. Britt Baker, Private Party, Darby Allin, MJF and Shawn Spears.
Moxley, who was known as Dean Ambrose during his time in WWE, sees AEW as a new beginning where he has more creative freedom and doesn't need to portray a character like he did on WWE.
"I was in a bit of shellshock when I originally left. I had to almost work the rust off. It was like I've been asleep for [expletive] five years. But it feels really good," Moxley said.
"Over there, I tried really hard to do it their way, because this is what you are supposed to do and whatever. I just went brain dead, like, literally. It's crazy. It's almost like there was another person that just ceased to exist," the 33-year-old continued.
AEW is setting itself apart by going back to professional wrestling basics and focusing on the stars and in-ring action first -- aspects that Moxley seems to enjoy.
"It's so simple. You've got some of the -- no pun intended -- most elite wrestlers in the world, all guys who are veterans in their prime with huge fanbases, who understand their fanbases. We know what's good and what's not," Moxley said.
"If we wanted to be in the WWE right now, we could be and making huge money. We're all actively choosing to do this instead because it's like we agree with all these lapsed fans. I was kind of a lapsed fan myself. I didn't even like wrestling any more and I was doing it. It's like the wrestlers taking control, but luckily it's a bunch of goddamn good wrestlers."
AEW airs Dynamite every Wednesday on TNT at 8 p.m. EDT. A pay-per-view event, titled Full Gear, will be taking place on Nov. 9 and will feature Jericho defending his title against Cody and Moxley taking on Omega.
