Things Allowed In AEW That Are Banned In WWE

Since its inception in 2019, Tony Khan's All Elite Wrestling has been heavily compared to, in Khan's own words, the "evil juggernaut" and the "Harvey Weinstein" of professional wrestling, WWE. For the better part of seven decades, WWE was the only American wrestling promotion with mainstream attention, though many smaller companies, such as TNA, attempted to live up to what the McMahon family had built. Though previously called a "piss-ant company" and a "secondary promotion" by WWE's Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, AEW has proven its staying power, having already lasted longer than WWE's greatest competition, "WCW Monday Nitro."

With AEW's creation on January 1, 2019, a new era of wrestling within the United States began, and with it came countless comparisons between the two companies. The first big comparison of note between came in May 2019, when it was announced AEW would be airing a prime-time show live on TNT, the network that broadcast "Nitro" during the infamous "Monday Night War" that pit the company against the then-WWF. When "AEW Dynamite" hit airwaves on October 2 of that year, a new generation of now fan-led wars between the companies was born, and the "tribalism" arguments began.

Before AEW celebrates its official five-year anniversary with its Double or Nothing pay-per-view on May 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada, we're looking back at some of the most glaring differences between the newly established company and WWE. From a plethora of spots involving blood that range from demure to egregious, to what wrestlers are allowed to say on television, even to merchandise, there are quite a few things that set AEW apart from its historic competitor.

One huge difference between AEW and WWE many fans noticed immediately was the copious use of blood on "Dynamite" as well as AEW's pay-per-views, as compared to WWE's weekly shows and premium live events. A comment from former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon about AEW's matches featuring "blood and guts" even lead to the creation of the newer company's "Blood & Guts" matches, an even more hardcore take on the classic WarGames match, most recently seen on a July 2023 episode of "Dynamite." 

Blood is seen almost weekly on AEW television. Will Ospreay's face was busted open on the go-home episode of "Dynamite" before Double or Nothing at the hands of AEW International Champion Roderick Strong; the week prior, AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland's face was cut open, and his own blood wiped on a photograph of the champion and his family, at the hands of challenger Christian Cage. Strickland has been involved in spots involving blood often in recent months, including an extreme example that shocked fans and the rest of the wrestling world when his opponent at AEW Full Gear, "Hangman" Adam Page, drank his blood during a spot in a Texas Death Match. 

In WWE, the act of "blading," or a talent purposefully causing themselves to bleed with a concealed razorblade or sharp object, was banned from the company in 2008 following a spot where Shawn Michaels cut himself too deeply in a match against now-AEW talent Chris Jericho. Following the match, WWE made the switch to become a TV-PG rated program, and wrestlers were no longer allowed to bleed on purpose. That's not to say bleeding doesn't happen by accident on WWE programming, but wrestlers are quickly checked in on to avoid a match becoming too bloody. While WWE does appear to be softening somewhat on this stance during "the Paul Levesque Era" — as demontrated by the bloody beatdown of Cody Rhodes at the hand of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ahead of their tag team match at WrestleMania 40 — AEW still uses "the crimson mask" much more frequently than its competitor, and has showcased hardcore spots and weapons that WWE would never even consider.

If you've been confused by seeing some of your favorite wrestlers from the independent scene referred to by different names in WWE, you're not alone. The company is known for changing the name of a talent's character so the company is able to trademark the new name for WWE use only. Name changes are not as common in AEW, unless a person's character name is owned by WWE already. For example, House of Black leader Malakai Black was known as Aleister Black in WWE, and had to change the first name of his character when signing with the newer company. Adam Copeland, who went by "Edge" in WWE for most of his career, is now going by his real name in AEW, but can still use his nickname, "Rated R Superstar," as it wasn't previously trademarked. There have been issues previously with this, as Cody Rhodes had to fight for his last name when he wasn't part of the company, due to WWE owning the name "Rhodes."

While a talent can certainly undergo a name change in AEW, it's not as common as in WWE. Khan seems fine with keeping his stars' names as they were known on the indie scene when they sign with his company, particularly given how frequently his booking relies on previously established connections between a performer and their existing fan base. In recent years, AEW has filed for many trademarks, but they are mostly for factions within the company or names of pay-per-views or match types, rather than characters.