WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman knows all about running an alternative brand thanks to his years as the head honcho in ECW. Extreme Championship Wrestling existed in a time where competition between ECW, WWE, and WCW helped launch the wrestling business into a boom period that hasn't been seen since, but 25 years on from ECW and WCW going out of business, there is a new alternative in town in the form of AEW.All Elite Wrestling and its President Tony Khan has changed the business in ways some people might not have expected, but during a recent appearance on the "Insight"podcast, Heyman was asked about AEW and Khan on how he thinks they have changed the wrestling industry."It sure changed the compensation packages for a lot of talent, because there was a wolf across the river named Tony Khan that had a billion dollar checkbook that he could afford to pay a lot more money for talent than talent was making back in 2017, 2018, 2019. So it certainly changed the compensation for talent, and they're on a viable network. They have a style that's different than WWE, they present an alternative, if not a competitive brand."While he's admitted previously that he isn't AEW's target audience, Heyman hopes that AEW existing has helped the business in the long-term as much as it has in the short-term, and despite being a staple of WWE for nearly a quarter of a century, he is glad AEW exists."Am I glad that they're there? Absolutely. Love the fact that there is an alternative for an audience. Love the fact that there's something else out there. Love the fact that there's something that captures the imagination of the pro-wrestling/sports entertainment, if we still use that phrase today, audience. I'm glad, and I wish there were more promotions out there right now. It's just going to make us work harder to be better than all of them, and we certainly have the advantage in terms of distribution and in terms of lineage."
AEW President Tony Khan has mentioned many times that he was a huge ECW fan growing up, so much so that he actually attended events in the ECW Arena during the company's heyday.Some of that fandom had bled into the AEW product over the years, to the point that Paul Heyman believes one of ECW's most iconic feuds is the foundation for what has become AEW's in-house style."I look at AEW and I realize the influence that ECW had on that project, on that product,"Heyman said. "For example, [Jon] Moxley is a total ECW Sandman/New Jack style performer. But if you look at the AEW style, it's Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn from 1999. AEW is RVD, and if you were a fan of what RVD and Jerry Lynn in 1999, a lot of what AEW presents today is derived and is influenced by what RVD and Jerry Lynn were doing back then." RVD and Jerry Lynn even reunited on AEW TV in the summer of 2023, with RVD even being given his old ECW entrance music of "Walk"by Pantera.The ECW influence on AEW can be seen throughout the company's short history. The music being played throughout the Anarchy in the Arena matches was something Chris Jericho wanted to do as a tribute to New Jack. Khan licensed Guns 'N' Roses' "November Rain track to produce a video package for AEW Full Gear 2024 that emulated the video packages Heyman produced for the ECW November to Remember events, and Khan's fandom came full circle in September 2025 when AEW held a residency at the ECW Arena (now the 2300 Arena) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Khan even went the extra mile with the first AEW after the 2300 Arena residency by titling the go-home episode of "AEW Dynamite" before AEW All Out 2025 "September to Remember."Please credit "Insight" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
