Ever since its inception, AEW has been looked at as a safe haven for dissatisfied WWE talent to jump to in search of better working conditions and greater creative freedom. It's fair to say AEW owes its existence to its founders' desire to find a better alternative to WWE's way of running things. While much of the online attention swirling around AEW tends to be of the "Which WWE Stars Will go to AEW Next?" variety, AEW has quietly been stockpiling a different kind of former WWE talent over the past few months: Hall of Famers.

While there's been plenty of attention paid to the many performers on AEW's active roster who've wrestled for WWE in the past, not nearly as much attention has been paid to the number of retired legends who've begun appearing in AEW storylines as coaches, managers, or advocates for the current generation of talent. Diamond Dallas Page, Arn Anderson, The Rock n' Roll Express and Billy Gunn - all WWE Hall of Famers - have made appearances in AEW in the last year, with Page and Anderson in particular playing more consistent roles in support of Cody Rhodes.

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But recently, no legend has made a bigger impact in AEW than WWE Hall of Famer Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Roberts began making appearances in recent weeks as a mouthpiece for Lance Archer, and has quickly proved his promo skills - always one of his strongest assets - haven't lost a step. After debuting with a blistering promo which ended with Roberts scornfully telling Cody Rhodes "Never turn your back on someone you respect or you are afraid of," turning his back, and swaggering away, Roberts has returned week after week to take further shots at Cody. The segments, which feature Roberts assuming the persona of an ornery, grizzled mentor for Archer ("tougher than a two dollar steak," as Jim Ross might say), have quickly become a weekly highlight. Roberts' most recent promo, venomously delivered from a  lonely campfire somewhere in the woods, somehow managed to top the equally atmospheric segment depicting Archer's brutal backyard 'training' sessions from the week before -- which is no mean feat.

In what's become a recurring theme when comparing the two promotions, it's clear WWE could stand to learn a thing or two from its upstart rival. While AEW has shrewdly capitalized on the Rhodes family's wrestling connections to bring in big name wrestling legends, then empower them creatively to help build up its current stars, WWE still struggles at a systemic level to benefit from its stable of legends without doing so at the expense of its current roster. It happens like clockwork several times a year, especially during WrestleMania season or a PPV set to take place in Saudi Arabia: WWE books a few bouts pitting legends against present stars where the aging legend goes over and the current wrestler has to act happy to sell the loss. Or, two legends fight each other in a five minute match where both are lucky if they can finish without major injury, and large swaths of the active roster are forced to sit out the PPV and wait to get their chance some other time. If they were being booked in AEW, Goldberg wouldn't be taking the Fiend's title away with a botched jackhammer - he'd be building him up outside the ring.

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If WWE was wise, it would look at how AEW has been using its own Hall of Famers to put over the active roster through creative promos instead of selling out its own stars to prop up older wrestlers with declining skills in the ring. Imagine having The Undertaker take a page out of Jake Roberts' book and become a dark, grizzled mentor figure to someone like Aleister Black rather than returning for match after underwhelming match. At this point in his career, Taker's talents are much better suited to building up the next generation on the mic instead of taking away their opportunities in the ring. Jake Roberts' recent run in AEW could provide the perfect blueprint for The Phenom to gracefully evolve into the next stage of his career - if only WWE can recognize it.

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