Ya'll still thinking these wrestlers treat this shyt like wrestling fan boys.
Money is literally the #1 motivation for all of these wrestlers, as it should. And not just base salary but just the general exposure of WWE eclipses anything from AEW. WWE is the mountain. Ya'll can debate online how much you like about booking and workrate but WWE is the highest level to get to in the wrestling business and any ambitious person in the industry who believes in themselves should have that as a goal to achieve.
And will they be booked badly? Probably. But guess what AEW signing up every bum ass ex-WWE guy who ever worked a WWE Main Event jobber match, so why not try your hand at the big leagues to see if you can get a big push, and if it doesn't work out, Tony's mark ass gonna be there the moment your contract is up with a big ole offer.
I think AEW is a good place to start your career, build up a rep, get experience through indies and international promotions, but WWE should be a goal for any wrestler who believes in their talent.