WWE was apparently not happy about the All Elite Wrestling rally taking place so close to SmackDown Live in Jacksonville, Florida.
In a statement to Pro Wrestling Sheet, WWE denied that they were not allowing fans in if they had AEW shirts on but the video below seems to contradict that.
Furthermore, there was at least one fan that tried to get in with an “Elite” sign and they were told that they would have to toss it before being granted entry.
Security is now allowing in AEW shirts after tossing me out for wearing one. I even offered to buy a WWE shirt and they wouldn’t allow me to. I was able to get back in through another entrance after changing pic.twitter.com/TRhGoLlWDD
— Graham (@thagreenlizad) January 9, 2019
We should note that All Elite Wrestling did everything to accommodate fans at the rally in Jacksonville. The Khan family reserved the parking lot at TIAA Bank Field for the fans that attended the rally and fans were allowed to walk over to SmackDown Live at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. They also had employees in golf carts available to take fans to the show.
It’s clear that AEW is on WWE’s radar. We’re told that there were some WWE wrestlers watching the rally on their phones. Others watched it after they left the arena.
Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that there are some current WWE wrestlers looking at AEW as an option when their contracts expire later this year. One of the most exciting things for wrestlers is the prospect of health insurance. AEW co-founder Tony Khan spoke about health insurance and other plans for the company in the video below:
