Britt Baker Says WWE Expressed Interest; Austin Theory; McMahon Worried About AEW?

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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Baker Says WWE Expressed Interest in Signing Her

Britt Baker is the biggest female star in All Elite Wrestling and the reigning AEW Women’s World champion, but she divulged this week that AEW isn’t the only wrestling company that values her.

Appearing on Throwing Down with Renee & Miesha (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Baker said WWE recently made it clear it had interest in signing her if she was available.

Baker’s boyfriend, Adam Cole, was in WWE at the time, but he has since signed with AEW, making his debut at All Out last month.

Regarding the overtures, Baker said:

“It’s no secret, [Adam] has already said it, that cat is out of the bag and I’m not going to get in trouble. WWE was definitely poking the bear a little bit through him recently, when I was still with AEW. ‘Hey, we’re interested in her,’ without teetering the line of contract tampering, they definitely let me know that they had interest in me, but it wasn’t a mutual thing. I’m very happy with AEW and thankful for the opportunities and this is where I want to stay.”

While WWE remains the biggest pro wrestling company in the world by a significant margin, AEW has made a ton of headway over the past two years and is a more than viable alternative capable of giving wrestlers large contracts and a platform to shine.

There is no shortage of wrestling fans who prefer the AEW product to WWE, although it is fair to say the women’s division is one area in which AEW still clearly lags behind.

Baker is the one woman in AEW who has consistently been booked well and given regular television time, however, which is why it is understandable that she wants to stay put.

Many of the best women’s wrestlers in the world reside in WWE, including Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Asuka and Bianca Belair, so it is possible Baker could have gotten lost in the mix in WWE.

As things stand, Baker is likely in the right spot, although she can rest easy knowing she has another good option available.

Former WWE Ref Thinks Vince is Concerned About AEW

Longtime former WWE referee Mike Chioda believes WWE Chairman Vince McMahon may be worried about AEW’s ascent in the pro wrestling world.

Answering a question on the Monday Mailbag podcast for AdFreeShows (h/t Upton), Chioda gave his take on what he thinks McMahon is feeling regarding AEW:

“Yes, I think he is [concerned]. He always wants to be on top. I have seen him demolish and step on a lot of territories around the country and around the world. He wants to be No. 1. Everybody wants to be No. 1 whether it’s in their sport, in their career, or owning a company. I definitely think he’s very concerned right now because they’re picking up some good talent. I know Vince. Vince is concerned.

“AEW’s ratings are going up. People are interested. I’m interested in watching AEW. They’re selling out arenas. The energy in the crowd is just phenomenal now. They went from one show to two shows now. Everybody is talking AEW.”

Chioda broke into WWE in 1989 and worked there for over 30 years before getting released by the company last year. Given how long he worked for McMahon, there may be some validity to his comments.

The veteran official also worked a couple of dates for AEW last year following his WWE release, giving him firsthand knowledge and experience with both promotions.

McMahon is undoubtedly well aware of AEW given that NXT went head to head with Dynamite on Wednesday nights for over a year until NXT moved to Tuesday nights.

For now, Raw and SmackDown are still bringing in significantly higher viewership than Dynamite and Rampage, although Dynamite has been near and even above Raw’s rating in the 18-49-year-old demographic recently.

McMahon would likely prefer not having any competition in the pro wrestling space, but there is plenty of room for multiple companies to thrive, and given WWE’s massive footprint and multiple billion-dollar television deals, it is in no imminent danger of falling from its perch.

Big Push Planned for Theory on Raw

Austin Theory made a big splash on Monday night’s episode of Raw, and that reportedly may continue to be the case moving forward.

According to H Jenkins of Ringside News, a tenured member of the WWE creative team said there are “big plans” to heavily feature and push the up-and-coming Superstar moving forward.

Theory had a cup of coffee on the main roster before around the time of WrestleMania 36 in 2020, but he eventually got sent back down to NXT.

It was during his second NXT stint that Theory truly came into his own. Theory joined The Way stable with Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell, and he became one of the most entertaining people on the roster during that time.

Theory was given a ditzy personality, and he played the character to near perfection while also showing off his ability and high ceiling in the ring.

At just 24 years of age, the sky is the limit for Theory, and WWE seemed to give him a ringing endorsement this week.

After getting moved to Raw as part of the WWE Draft, Theory interrupted a Jeff Hardy promo and asked for a selfie with him. After taking it, Theory knocked Hardy out and then took a selfie next to Hardy’s prone body.

Involving Theory with a legend and former WWE champion like Hardy seemingly says a lot about how WWE views him and intends to utilize him moving forward.

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