Finding the Alternative: A Guide to Moving On From WWE

With the ongoing TKO interference, reliance on an aging main event, and the closeness of both TKO and WWE to the president, it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue to support the brand. For every great moment, like Sami Zayn finally winning a World Championship. There are many more instances of wrestlers losing their jobs, being asked to take pay cuts, or just being wasted. (Though the being wasted part is something that is an issue in both the WWE and AEW.)

Or more importantly, there are things like Paul Levesque having a position within the current government. Wrestlers showing up to the UFC 250 event on the White House lawn. And as this stuff continues to unfold, I can’t blame Mick Foley for wanting to cut all ties with the WWE. And I applaud him for sticking to his guns and morals. Putting his money where his mouth is, so to speak. I also applaud the wrestlers in the WWE for trying to be lights in the darkness. Wrestlers like CM Punk, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, and many others have long made their political leanings well known. And they definitely don’t follow the company line.

So, as a fan, I’m torn. The WWE and TKO are not companies I feel super comfortable about supporting. But some of my favorite wrestlers are there, and I want to support them as they try to fight from within. And for someone without cable, it is also the easiest company to follow on a weekly basis. Or is it?

AEW Rising

We are no longer in the early 2000s, where, unless you lived in Japan, the Northeast, or Southern California, you were hard-pressed for alternatives. Once TNA showed up on Spike TV, it got easier, but then Hogan and Bischoff (and Dixie) killed that. And we were left with little to no options for several years. Once streaming grew, we got things like NJPW and ROH World. But it wasn’t until AEW started that we really had a true alternative for the first time.

Now I will be the first to admit that AEW isn’t for everyone. And that’s okay, wrestling is art, and therefore subjective. Just because you like something, it doesn’t mean everyone does. And vice versa. AEW is like PWG on a bigger budget. Which is fitting with some of its founding members. If you like high-flying action, stiff strikes, and the more entertainment style of the WWE, you may like AEW.

But whether it’s for you or not, AEW gave fans their first major, non-WWE, weekly wrestling show since the end of TNA Impact on Spike TV. (Yes, I know TNA and ROH still had weekly shows, but they were hard to find and on much smaller channels.) And for the last six years, AEW Dynamite has entertained fans every week on TBS.

They also own ROH and run weekly episodes on the ROH website. And they are partnered with NJPW and CMLL, giving fans access to wrestlers they wouldn’t see otherwise.

More importantly, and the whole reason I had the idea for this article. MYAEW recently launched. MYAEW is what the WWE Network was before they merged with Peacock and eventually stopped being a thing. Not only does it have AEW and ROH content. But it also has several independent promotions, including Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Wrestling. Which is going to have a weekly show of its own. And it’s free to sign up for. If you want a plethora of wrestling and want it cheap, AEW World is a must-get.

You can also catch AEW on HBO Max. While the most recent episodes take a bit to upload, it’s got most of the shows and past PPVs.

Alternatives to the Alternative

So, what if you aren’t interested in AEW, ROH, or any of the independent companies on AEW World? Well, hold on to your butts.

TNA: TNA can be seen every week on AMC, and recent episodes air on AMC+, which you can get as an add-on to Amazon Prime.

NWA: NWA has a weekly show on Tubi and Comet TV

MLW: MLW has a weekly show on YouTube and beIN Sports.

GCW: GCW is still on TrillerTV+ and has select shows on YouTube

If you can’t find something you like with everything highlighted here, NJPW World is still active, and many independent promotions have stuff on YouTube. The point being, if you are a WWE fan looking to move on, now is better than ever. With so many options out there, you are bound to find something you enjoy.

A Personal Note

I honestly have been conflicted about being a WWE fan. As a queer and trans woman, the current regime is very much against me. As I said, I want to support the wrestlers who are like me or are allied to my causes. And that does mean watching them in the WWE, buying their merch, and whatever else I can do to help the WWE take notice of who their fans want pushed.

But it’s hard to do that knowing it is also supporting TKO and the WWE. If it was just bad creative, well, we’ve been through that before. A year ago, Brock Lesnar returned to WWE. And I had strong feelings about quitting the WWE at that point. So, I am giving myself until this year’s SummerSlam to decide if I can keep supporting the company or not.

Until then, I plan on shopping my fandom around and trying to see if anything else sucks me in. With all the content out there, I am hoping to find something that will capture my fandom.