All-Elite Wrestling Needs to be Streaming on HBO Max

I just have to spit it out. There needs to be an AEW hub on HBO Max.

Ever since All Elite Wrestling debuted in 2019, it has made waves in the professional wrestling world with its incredible matches, ferocious spirit, and fascinating in-ring personalities. It is the first real threat to WWE’s ubiquitous domination in well over a decade. While you can stream the weekly show All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite on the TNT app, AEW basically lacks a robust streaming presence like its mammoth competitor. Not only that, but the WWE Network’s migration over to Peacock has been a huge win for NBC Universal’s fledgling streaming service. Giving AEW fans access to weekly shows, PPVs, and behind-the-scenes programming on HBO Max would be a win-win for both brands…so why hasn’t it happened yet?

All-Elite Wrestling (or AEW) was founded in early 2019 by Tony Khan and wrestlers Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks (with Kenny Omega soon joining as both another in-ring talent and co-EVP). The idea behind the new wrestling outfit was to give fans and talent an alternative to WWE. AEW would allow wrestlers the chance to have more input in their matches along with a much more healthy schedule. As it happens, All Elite Wrestling has injected a bracing bit of energy into the world of wrestling and put pressure on WWE. (Just look at how the WWE tried to make WWE NXT a viable rival to AEW Dynamite, expanding its run-time to two hours. The show will move to Tuesdays starting next week, out of AEW Dynamite‘s Wednesday night way.)

So two years in, AEW is a success. But is it successful enough to warrant its own tab on the HBO Max landing page? I think so.

Okay, so even before All Elite Wrestling officially made their TNT debut, I was asking folks, “So when will AEW be on HBO Max?” AEW’s launch was announced almost in tandem with WarnerMedia’s outline for HBO Max so it seemed obvious to me that both brands would benefit from an AEW presence on HBO Max. For All-Elite Wrestling, it would be exposure on a platform where they might pick up new fans. For HBO Max, it would be wrestling’s fervently loyal fanbase. After all, NBC Universal is so determined to get Peacock off the ground, they’ve folded WWE Network’s content onto their streaming site (at a cost benefit to wrestling fans who were paying more for the standalone streamer than they will be for Peacock Premium).

Look, I’m sure there’s some sort of legal document tying AEW down with TNT for the time being, but as TNT is a subsidiary of WarnerMedia, I’m not sure that I buy that the powers that be couldn’t pay out whatever that contract is. After all, The Snyder Cut happened. Wrestling fans deserve to be able to access All Elite Wrestling’s matches and PPVs beyond just linear cable and TNT. And HBO Max is the obvious home for the AEW on streaming.

Where to stream AEW: Dynamite