Backstage News On How AEW Approaches Talents Being Booked For WWE WrestleMania Week

WrestleMania week is the most important time of the year for the pro wrestling industry as a whole, not just for WWE, with various independent promotions and conventions piggy-backing off the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’.

For All Elite Wrestling, this presents somewhat of a problem. Whilst AEW President Tony Khan has vowed to never run an AEW event to coincide with Mania week, his talents are free to take indie bookings. A report from PWInsider states that any AEW talent who wishes to take outside bookings has to run them past management to avoid any clashes with AEW dates.

In the case of Mania week, whilst talents are free to work conventions for signings and photos, AEW won’t allow talent to wrestle for indie promotions unless they are AEW Partners, with AEW allies New Japan Pro-Wrestling, DDT Pro, and STARDOM such promotions that are running Mania week.

The elephant in the room is Ring of Honor, which has run Mania week shows for decades. Tony Khan has continued this tradition, and is set to promote Supercard of Honor on April 5, with the show occurring around WrestleMania time since 2004.

Whilst exceptions can always be made, it is believed that AEW ‘does not want’ their talents to be wrestling at Mania week events.