Most Important WWE and AEW Booking Decisions for Rest of 2023
August 26, 2023
With record-breaking ticket sales across both WWE and All Elite Wrestling, it's clear the sport is back in a big way, but both companies must build on that momentum for the rest of 2023.
WWE Creative has several major decisions to make over the coming months, including when and where to take the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship off Roman Reigns.
And Tony Khan and his team must decide whether now is the right time to give Adam Cole the AEW World Championship and end the reign of MJF in front of a raucous crowd at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday.
For both companies, the rest of the year should also be spent focusing on the women's divisions, which lack elite storytelling and character development despite the huge amount of talent on both rosters.
Here are the most important booking decisions for WWE and AEW throughout the remainder of 2023.
Let Reigns Keep Winning
There is no doubt that the storyline involving The Bloodline and Reigns has been one of the best in recent wrestling history, but while the champion's run with the title is growing repetitive, WWE should not abandon ship on his reign just yet.
Instead, it should double down and invest more time and Superstars in the storyline, keeping it fresh enough to carry through the Royal Rumble. The company should let the winner of the men's Battle Royal challenge Seth Rollins, while The Tribal Chief stands unopposed until one man returns to dethrone him at WrestleMania 40.
And that man would be The Rock.
With The Great One returning to the ring to take back the throne and stake his claim to being the head of the table, the defending champion would slowly descend into madness after losing the belt that feeds off his inability to beat his cousin.
As for The Rock, allowing Cody Rhodes to eventually dethrone him for the world title will be a memorable moment that catapults The American Nightmare into the upper echelon of all-time performers.
Give Adam Cole the AEW World Title
While WWE should continue its run with their top champion, Maxwell Jacob Friedman should lose to Adam Cole at AEW All In at Wembley on Sunday night.
The storyline of Cole and MJF begrudgingly becoming friends after an unlikely bedfellows tournament has been genius, producing some of the best AEW content of the year and getting people to invest heavily into the storyline.
Instead of letting MJF turn on Cole as everyone has predicted since the start of the storyline, the challenger should see every heel tactic from the champion coming a mile away and be the ultimate deceiver in the relationship, reversing the dastardly tactics with his own.
With the former NXT star continuing through the rest of 2023 as world champion, MJF could remain a heel, frustrated that someone got the upper hand on him.
Cole desperately needs a marquee victory, and walking out with the belt would put his career back on track after injuries derailed his momentum.
With a crowd at a fever pitch, ready for something huge to enjoy, watching MJF try to screw over Cole, only to find out that his new friend had been playing him all along, would be the perfect ending to a historic night.
Care About Women's Wrestling
No matter what happens at All In, All Out, Payback or any of the remaining pay-per-views this year, Triple H and Tony Kahn must look inward and realize that women's wrestling matters more than they have shown.
There is far too much talent across both companies for the lack of storyline continuity and character development in the women's divisions each week.
In WWE, even the most important names such as Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey are left without marquee matches or programs that properly utilize their talents.
In AEW, the company has hired a plethora of talented in-ring performers and mic workers, but the week-to-week output of the division has been lackluster at best. Look no further than the up-and-down nature of The Outcasts and their angles as a prime example of the inconsistency in commitment from the creative side.
Through the rest of the year—then at all times moving forward—each company should invest more time and energy into its women's division and give these talented performers the stage they deserve.
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