Since the start of 2026, All Elite Wrestling has tweaked its product in some subtle ways and is finally turning the page after a rough couple of years

By Ryan K Boman | March 12, 2026

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As All Elite Wrestling aired once again on Wednesday night, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to deny that the promotion’s product has vastly improved. Since the beginning of 2026, owner Tony Khan has made some small improvements to AEW, but those tweaks have made a bigger impact than many fans may have noticed.

For context here, this is not to say that AEW is the top company or even the best product right now. However, they can certainly argue that they’ve been booking better matches and more on-screen entertainment recently than the Worldwide Leader in Sports Entertainment.

Khan and Co. have gone back to basics, and they’ve featured more of their homegrown stars as they look to regain the edge they had in the early days of the promotion.

From 2022 to 2025, AEW saw its quality and viewership drop dramatically, while WWE was thriving with The Bloodline angle. All Elite defector Cody Rhodes was skyrocketing to the top of the industry, and CM Punk redefined the term ‘never’ by returning to WWE for the first time in almost 10 years. And while Triple H has been criticized in recent months for his decision-making, World Wrestling Entertainment has been showing astronomical profits.

Still, the second-largest pro wrestling company is rallying back as we head toward Spring, and the way they’ve done it has been subtle… but effective.

AEW is making the right people a priority

You have to have the right people in the right place to succeed. In AEW’s case, that means positioning the promotion’s superstar, MJF, as its top champion. The weekly exposure of Maxwell Jacob Friedman, as well as a handful of other names, has led to the federation’s resurgence.

Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega were also early cornerstones of the company who have been bogged down or injured, only to return to form in the last several weeks. When you inject Swerve Strickland into the mix, the heavyweight division has three talented stars it can be focused around. And the women’s division remains strong, with talent that Khan has developed over time: Toni Storm, Willow Nightengale, and Kris Stadtlander.

Mix in rising stars like Kyle Fletcher, Megan Bayne, and Brody King, and the company is finding that right chemistry between veteran talent and fresh faces. That adds to the variety of matches and storylines, which All Elite Wrestling is finally taking advantage of. They may have a massive roster, but they are dedicating a majority of television time to the names that currently matter most. (Heck, even the Death Riders are getting a positive response right now.)

All Elite Ambiance

A February episode of AEW Dynamite drew about 654,000 viewers, its best audience in months. They hit 650,000 again earlier this month. While that’s not approaching their old numbers of around a million, it’s a marked improvement.

The subtle changes in the style of Dynamite and Collision have added to the allure of the viewing experience. Finally ditching huge arenas for smaller venues, the setting seems a lot more intimate and personal now.

And while WWE uses enough electricity to power the entire state of Idaho for one episode of RAW, the second-biggest company in wrestling is dimming the lights just a bit, which also adds to that almost ‘private’ ambiance. They have even simplified the color scheme and the ring, going with no ads on the canvas and just a plain, black ‘AEW’ Logo in the center. It gives the product a visual that seems more serious and less cartoonish.

It appears to be working. The uptick in ratings isn’t a fluke; it’s the hardly visible differences in the programming recently.

While the audience can’t point out one big thing about the company’s recent resurgence, there are a lot of little, somewhat unnoticeable improvements that All Elite Wrestling has made since the start of the calendar year. It may not even be as calculated as that; they may not even realize the ripple effect of their actions. At least, not yet.

You can’t quite put your finger on it, but right now…
There’s just something about AEW.

Once forgotten about for a few years, the fans are finally reuniting with the revolutionary company. And given the current state of WWE, that presents an opportunity to return to relevance for Khan and his entire Elite movement.

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Ryan K Boman is the Publisher for the Savannah Bananas at Sports Illustrated and the author of the 2023 book, Pop Music & Peanut Butter: A Collection of Essays Looking at Life with Laughter & Love.

Boman is a longtime sports writer & editor whose previous work has appeared at The Sporting News, MSN, Yahoo! Sports, the Miami Herald, and Yardbarker.
Follow him on X @RyanKBoman