Urban Meyer, Charlie Strong Assist Chris Jericho During AEW's Latest PPV

NFL fans watching All Elite Wrestling’s “Double or Nothing” pay-per-view Sunday night were treated to two surprising cameos during the main event match at TIAA Bank Field.

What Happened? During the main event AEW match between The Inner Circle and The Pinnacle, Jacksonville Jaguars coaches Urban Meyer and Charlie Strong both assisted in the performance.

Why It’s Important: TIAA Bank Field is home to the Jaguars, and Jaguars owner Shad Khan is the father of AEW owner Tony Khan.

During the main event match, AEW performers Chris Jericho and Maxwell Jacob Friedman stumbled into a coach's office at the stadium in which Meyer and Strong were meeting. Strong gave Jericho footballs to hurl at Friedman, then Jericho smashed Meyer’s laptop over Friedman’s back.

Jericho told the coaches to “have a good season” before exiting the office. Meyer punctuated the performance by exclaiming “holy s--t” as the two wrestlers left the room.

The more you can do 🤷🤷 — I think that is the saying us coaches use. We had a good laugh watching this scene play back. #StadiumStampede pic.twitter.com/1wu9v9e2X7

— Urban Meyer (@CoachUrbanMeyer) May 31, 2021

While the event was certainly entertaining for AEW and NFL fans, it could also mark an important potential crossover marketing opportunity for both leagues.

In March, the NFL completed a brand new long-term media deal with its partners, including Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC) and Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS). The NFL deal is reportedly worth $113 billion through 2033.

In January 2020, AEW announced its own media deal with WarnerMedia, which was reportedly worth $175 million over four years. Last month, AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) sold WarnerMedia to Discovery Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) in a $43 billion deal.

Benzinga’s Take: AEW is generally considered a distant second in the U.S. pro wrestling market behind leader World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE).

AEW still appears to have a long way to go to pose a true threat to WWE, but partnerships with celebrities, pro athletes and top-tier sports leagues like the NFL could potentially help  AEW to continue to build and legitimize its brand over time.