It really is striking how, amid so many other media companies and business leaders bending the knee and kissing the ring, WBD has repeatedly given AEW space for its talent and fans to express their values and not apologized for it. They're not a "good" company, but kudos for being less bad.
Well done by all those involved. Bryce for letting it breathe. Excalibur and Tony for not talking over it and letting it resonate. Brody and Max for recognizing the importance. TK for making it all possible. TBS for not stepping in. Everyone.
(And obviously the fans for making this happen.)
It really shouldn't be commendable that the capitalist enterprise recognizes its customers want left-oriented messaging and are simply not gatekeeping that, but the bar is in hell, so hats off on this point, WBD. You could be much, much worse.
We're in an age where, for some reason, businesses are challenged to simply do what their customers want. Target refuses to walk back its abandonment of DEI as it bleeds foot traffic. The Washington Post and CBS News double-down on conservatism as they lose subscribers and eyeballs.
In the future, if you're in an econ class and some professor is blathering about the invisible hand guiding the free market and it always resulting in rational business decisions, highlight this time and tell him he's full of shit.
Feb 5, 2026 16:17
