Pro Wrestling is Booming – So are the Betting Opportunities!

Alright…I’m officially coming out of the closet as a wrestling fan again.

They lost me for a couple of decades, but the wrasslin’ industry is in the midst of a renaissance, and I can’t get enough. According to the ratings, I’m far from the only one to notice and feel that way.

At the center of all this excitement are the two pro wrestling juggernauts:

• World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) – Vince McMahon’s legacy promotion, now a publicly traded corporate giant, has long enjoyed a near-monopoly on high-level professional wrestling in the US.
• All Elite Wrestling (AEW) – founded by billionaire Tony Khan and a group of indie darlings, overseas stars, and WWE defectors: Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, the Young Bucks, Jon Moxley, and Chris Jericho, to name a few. Almost immediately, AEW signed a major broadcasting rights deal with Turner for a weekly show on TNT, making the promotion the serious alternative to the WWE since McMahon acquired WCW in 2001.

You’d probably have to go back more than two decades for a time that two wrestling shows would have been top four in the week rankings. Anyway, for those who claim modern style is running off fans and cite TV numbers, it tells you they have no clue when it comes to either.

— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) August 11, 2021

Both benefit hugely from the increased interest in professional wrestling; however, they appear to be trending in different directions. At least, they’re generating very different kinds of headlines (but more on that later).
The Best Pro Wrestling Betting Sites!

AEW Injects New Life into Wrestling

I won’t give AEW all the credit for the latest pro wrestling boom, but Tony Khan’s company acted as an enormous force multiplier for what was already growing.

Promotions like Ring of Honor (ROH), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), Lucha Underground, Impact (kind of), and a smattering of indie feds have cultivated impressive, but still niche, audiences over the past decade. However, All Elite Wrestling is the first alternative to WWE that feels like a competitor.

In addition to Khan’s bottomless pockets, AEW’s legitimacy has been bolstered by high-profile signings like Jericho, Jon Moxley (Dean Ambrose), Sting, Tazz, and Goold Ol’ JR – all established names, living legends, or both. AEW’s genius lies in how they integrate aged former superstars with young up-and-coming mega-stars like Adam Page, ‘Jungle Boy’ Jack Perry, and Darby Allen (more on him soon).

On Friday, AEW premiered its second weekly show: Rampage. The new one-hour show will cap off the wrestling week on TNT, while the Dynamite – the two-hour flagship program – will move to TBS.

What does this mean for handicappers?

Speaking of pro wrestling betting and AEW signing massive superstars, BetOnline is currently offering odds on a story lying at the perfect intersection of those two topics.

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The odds discussed on this page were found at BetOnline.ag. However, you can find more at the these top-tier professional wrestling betting sites:

• MyBookie
• BetNow
• Bovada
• SportsBetting.ag

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CM Punk’s First AEW Singles Match

When we talk about “challenging” the WWE for wrestling supremacy, it doesn’t get any bigger than AEW allegedly luring CM Punk out of retirement.

We still don’t have confirmation that the “best in the world” has signed a contract, but the company has leaned way into the rumors – at this point, if Punk doesn’t show up next Friday, there may be riots at the United Center.

1st Official Single’s Opponent	Betting Odds
Darby Allin	+100
Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson	+200
Christian Cage	+300
Orange Cassidy	+500
Cody Rhodes	+700
Chris Jericho	+700
Matt Hardy	+700
Jungle Boy	+900
Sting	+1000

Next week, the second episode of Rampage films live in Chicago. It has been billed as a special event titled “The First Dance.”

All signs point to it being CM Punk’s hometown debut. Now, everyone is asking how he’ll be used – and more specifically, who he’ll face.

Oddsmakers are so confident that CM Punk is signed to AEW that they’re already taking odds on his first official opponent.

Based on the available betting options, things in the world of pro wrestling are about to get extremely interesting.

Bryan Danielson (+200)

Darby Allin might be the front-runner, but we can’t discuss Punk’s first AEW opponent without acknowledging the rumors about Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson. By all accounts, Punk isn’t the only monumental free agent Tony Khan has signed.

The dirt-sheets and wrestling insiders unanimously agree: Daniel Bryan has signed and is waiting to debut in AEW. Other than Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk are the two most impactful signings Tony Khan could have possibly made.

• Both will be the talk of the wrestling world very soon – is it possible that they’d debut together?
• Is there any way they’d fight each other right off the bat?

I suspect Bryan will begin his AEW career by feuding with a top heel, either Miro (formerly Rusev in WWE) or Kenny Omega.

I’m leaning towards the latter since that’s the dream matchup for the fans. We’ve seen Daniel and Rusev wrestle fairly recently in WWE – it’s been over a decade since the American Dragon Brian Danielson squared off with Kenny Omega in Ring of Honor.

To date, Khan and company have proven competent bookers – they write logical long-term storylines that have endings, a rarity in the WWE-ified professional wrestling landscape these days.

AEW must capitalize on these fortuitous moments, while everything is falling into place perfectly.

Why get one story out of their joint arrival when you can have several and get more talent over in the process?

Darby Allin (EVEN)

Perhaps the most head-scratching detail about our betting options is that the vast majority of them are babyfaces. Are we meant to believe that the most highly anticipated return in decades will see CM Punk playing the heel?

Yet, the odds-on favorite to take on CM Punk in his first official singles match is the 170-pound skateboarder who’s rapidly risen to be one of AEW’s biggest draws. His TV segments consistently see the highest quarter-hour ratings. The 28-year-old’s pairing with WCW legend Sting has been the icing on the cake of his ascent.

Allin is also responsible for one of the most obvious nods to Punk appearing at “The First Dance.” Immediately following the announcement that AEW would be promoting a special edition of Dynamite at Chicago’s United Center, the broadcast cut to a backstage interview with Darby.

*The @CMPunk chants intensify.* #AEWRampage pic.twitter.com/oHZBlWY61R

— WrestlingINC.com (@WrestlingInc) August 14, 2021

During the brief promo, Allin deliberately used the phrase “best in the world,” to describe who he wants to face next. Hearing Punk’s nickname inspired the live audience to erupt into “CM Punk” chants, which the producers were sure to show on camera.

“You know, I’ve been around a lot of men in this world that have laid claim to how they’re the greatest…There’s only one place to do that: right here in AEW — even if you think that you’re the best in the world.”

CM Punk responded with a subtle tease of his own Instagram last week, using the phrase tattooed on Darby’s chest — “Nothing’s over till you’re underground,” to close out the text on his post.

Darby’s chest tattoo says “Nothing’s over till you’re underground”.

And this is CM Punk’s latest IG story.

The teases continue! 👀👀👀#AEWRampage #AEWonTNT pic.twitter.com/yCxFgjTgzn

— 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐕𝐞𝐧 (@WrestlingCovers) August 14, 2021

That’s enough for me to be sold!

Wow, can you imagine the kinds of awful things CM Punk will have to say in upcoming weeks to successfully get himself over as a heel in front of fans downright rabid over his improbable return?!

Jungle Boy (+900)

If we assume that Punk is returning as a heel in his first program, Allin’s closest rival for the distinction as AEW’s purest babyface is Jungle Boy — son of the late “Beverly Hills 90210” star, Luke Perry.

He’s a long shot here, but I see a slim opening for this matchup to manifest. In recent weeks, Christian Cage-the veteran attached to Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy’s tag-team trio with Luchasaurus and Marko Stunt), has replaced Hangman Adam Page as the number-one contender for Kenny Omega’s AEW title at All Out.

What if, instead of fighting Darby Allin and Sting, they form a faction together? Both CM Punk and Allin are straight edge, after all.

Who Will be the WWE Universal Champion at the End of 2021?

Universal Champion at the End of 2021	Odds	Universal Champion at the End of 2021	Odds
Roman Reigns	-250	Jey Uso	+1600
Big E	+250	Cesaro	+1600
Seth Rollins	+500	Shinsuke Nakamura	+1600
John Cena	+500	Karrion Kross	+1600
Edge	+750	The Rock	+2000
Kevin Owens	+1400	Apollo Crews	+2000
Daniel Bryan	+1600	Sami Zayn	+4000

While AEW is hitting its stride, WWE has seemingly lost its mind – or, at least, Vince McMahon – the owner and living embodiment of World Wrestling Entertainment – has lost his. Considering Mr. McMahon’s iron grip on all things “WWE programming,” they’re one and the same.

Lately, the world’s most influential promotion has made more headlines for mass roster layoffs, repetitive – often nonsensical – storytelling, ratings decline, and lost talent than anything else.

Yet, with the rest of the company seemingly in disarray around him, the WWE’s top dog, Roman Reigns, is doing the most compelling work of his career – if not the entire wrestling industry.

The storyline’s natural conclusion would be a showdown between Roman and The Rock (our future President of the United States of America) at WrestleMania.

However, the next WrestleMania isn’t until next April!

John Cena (+500)

At this weekend’s SummerSlam, Roman defends his title against John Cena, the 16-time WWE champion who just returned after the release of two blockbuster films in which he co-stars: The Suicide Squad and F9 – the latest chapter in the Fast and Furious saga.

Will Cena still be around at the end of 2021? Right now, it’s impossible to know whether this is a short-time stint to promote his movies or something more substantial. Still, if anyone is well-respected enough among the WWE brass to potentially take the title off Roman for a little while, it’s John Cena.

Kevin Owens (+1400) / Cesaro (+1600) / Sami Zayn (+4000)

Supposing everything goes as planned, by December, AEW will have debuted CM Punk and Brian Danielson. Also, they will likely have promoted multiple crossover events featuring prominent stars from New Japan Pro Wrestling and Impact.

To date, he’s never viewed the AEW as competition. That will change if a series of big-name signings results in Dynamite routinely drawing higher ratings than Monday Night Raw, a possibility that is well within range.

In these times, the WWE suddenly manages to figure out how to give the fans what they want. Assuming pro wrestling trends continue along their current paths, by the end of the year, former indie darlings like Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Cesaro will be given the shine they deserve atop the card – those kinds of moves will appeal to AEW fans.

The Rock (+2000)

So, on New Year’s, we could be in the middle of an angle in which Roman loses his title temporarily. Maybe he drops the belt at Survivor Series, wins the Royal Rumble in January, and gets his rematch for the Universal Championship on the “Biggest Stage of them All.”

If the ultimate goal is to have Roman and The Rock duke it out for the spot at the “head of the table,” who’s to say it’ll be a one-off match?

Wrestling legends frequently show up, get an instant title shot, and win in the WWE. Goldberg does it once or twice a year now!

Maybe Rocky responds to an open challenge of some sort and upsets an unprepared Roman Reigns. Then he holds onto the championship while making occasional TV appearances along the “Road to WrestleMania.”

It’s the one thing Vince could do to ensure his baby overshadows whatever AEW does to close out their historic 2021, which is precisely what makes “The Rock at +2000” an incredibly enticing wager!

Professional Wrestling is Back!

However, these two bets eventually shake out, keep a close eye on professional wrestling going forward. We are nearing an explosion of popularity not seen by wrestling fans since the Attitude Era of the late 90s.

As the industry gains momentum and mainstream attention, the oddsmakers will continue cranking out all these excellent betting lines. If you understand how each company writes its stories, these odds will provide a surprising amount of value.