As someone who was at the very first episode of Dynamite, as well as the first and second anniversary episodes, and the first episode of Rampage, I am disturbed by how negative my perception of my favorite wrestling company has been lately. A year and a half removed from an All Out show that seemed to cement them as a company to watch in 2022, the company is, as the kids say, "in the mud."
Backstage controversies, questionable booking decisions, fluctuating ratings, and declining attendance have something that seemed white hot only a few months ago treading water in the deep end.
It's not too late. AEW can bounce back. They can climb out of the Dixie-Carter-TNA-WCW-2000 hole that they currently find themselves in. And here's how.
Changes AEW Must Make in 2024
Less Tony Khan
Listen, I'll always be grateful for everything that Tony Khan has done for pro wrestling. Even when things are bad, AEW has at least one match a week that would be a MOTY candidate anywhere else. It is the only company that gives peak NJPW match quality with WWE-like frequency and accessibility The obvious love that Tony Khan has for pro wrestling has given us many special moments, like the return of CM Punk, the culmination of the Hangman/Omega storyline, and the meteoric rise of Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Tony Khan is like Paul Heyman for a new generation.
Unfortunately, that's not always a good thing. Because just like Paulie, Tony has his fair share of backstage drama. There have been numerous physical backstage altercations, his employees are constantly running the company on social media, and when there are controversies ala the new/old Chris Jericho allegations, Khan needs to know when to shut the hell up.
Being asked about sexual misconduct by a high-ranking employee while wearing comically large sunglasses and an afro wig is so hilariously inappropriate, I had to check not once, but twice, to make sure I remembered it properly. If Tony didn't insist on pretending wrestling was like football, and they didn't have press conferences, then maybe it would've been CM Punk dethroning MJF instead of Samoa Joe and the WWE wouldn't be setting attendance records.
Let Tony Schiavone make the big announcements. Maybe get rid of the post-show press conferences. Certainly don't have the only person speaking and making decisions for the company be such a fanboy that he'd rather create a whole new show for his workers instead of forcing them to resolve conflicts like they would have done at any other job in the whole world.
TK needs to take a step back, hire a professional to manage his employees, and focus on creative. Speaking of creative...
Meaningful Female Storylines
Tony Khan has had some insane storylines. We're coming off of the Devil storyline, which had highs and lows, but paired with the incredible MJF/Adam Cole storyline, is pretty awesome. The aforementioned Hangman Page/Kenny Omega storyline was an all-timer for a slow burn, and I think we're seeing something similar happen with Eddie Kingston. Christian Cage has reinvented himself wonderfully, and though he might be problematic now, Chris Jericho has flexed his creative ability to (mostly) keep his characters fresh. Orange Cassidy, a comedy wrestler, has been booked into a legitimate workhorse without compromising his character.
But do you notice what all those characters had in common? They were all men. AEW's women's division has been an afterthought, and the closest we've gotten to serious storylines are an undefeated streak that ended with the wrestler leaving for WWE and a Marilyn Monroe gimmick. AEW has treated women like an obligation, usually only having one segment per episode, and usually with the same four or five talents wrestling in a circle.
If the Mercedes Mone rumors are true, TK needs to take advantage and push her prominently. He lets the women wrestle like men, now he needs to book them like men too. Have Statlander or Nightingale turn heel and go on monsterous runs. Let Nyla Rose squash people again. Create a long-term storyline for Skye Blue and Julia Hart, two standouts who are still very young. Let Britt Baker talk. Let the women be creative and make them as integral a part of the show as the men.
Otherwise you're just trying to do what WWE is doing, and you're not even doing it as well.
Midcard Squashes
I watched World's End this weekend, and as awesome as I think Swerve Strickland's current run is? That match shouldn't have gone the way it did. I understand that Keith Lee couldn't make it, and they had to move some stuff around, but explain this to me.
How does Swerve, someone you're positioning as a top guy, nearly cripple a 54 year old man, and then go on to have a ten minute match where he ends up selling for Rhodes? He's old. He's crippled. You're supposed to be the elite guy. And I know, he's so over that the crowd basically forced them to switch roles, with Swerve selling and Rhodes picking up heat, but look at it practically.
Swerve is supposed to be someone that Samoa Joe takes seriously, and he can't even beat up a 54 year old on one leg. You could've run the same angle, with him busting Dustin's leg, Dustin insisting the match happens, and then had Swerve murder him. This makes Swerve look so dangerous, and it doesn't take anything away from Dustin, who is leaving for WWE anyway, look bad because Swerve jumped him.
This happens too much in AEW. By making every match between signed wrestlers be 50/50, nobody is special. If anyone can get a near-fall on anyone, it doesn't matter if Action Andretti gives Wardlow a tough match, because every match in AEW is either three minutes or thirty, and it doesn't matter either way.
Could you imagine Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes selling for Ivar from the Viking Whatevertheyarethesdays? No. Roman Reigns doesn't even wrestle unless it is a high profile match, let alone sell for someone who isn't on his level.
If you establish that there are tiers, and some guys are in higher tiers, and they prove it by absolutely crushing inferior talent, then you get guys over. Then you can have a 50/50 match where you say, "wow, I thought he was gonna get killed but he really put up a fight!"
And the worst part is, AEW knows this. That is exactly how they got Darby Allin over. He had a time-limit draw with Cody Rhodes and it made him legitimate, because we all thought there was no way he could hang. Match quality is nice. I like watching a great match, but sometimes it is okay to prioritize world building and getting wrestlers that credability over what Dave Meltzer says to his deteriorating fanbase.
Feel The Heat
Speaking of Swerve, uh... hello? Why wasn't he the guy to beat MJF? Why put him in a tournament where he shines, but gets a match with Dustin Rhodes at a pay per view? You microwave Samoa Joe, who people respect for the work he did twenty years ago, instead of taking a hot heel act and letting him end the company's longest reign.
So often, it feels like Tony Khan is a month or two late to what the audience wants. Longterm storytelling is great, but sometimes you've gotta listen to the audience and give them what they're asking for. Otherwise, how are you any different than the place you aimed to compete against?
Right now, AEW is a company where there are numerous backstage issues, the talent is unhappy, the business side is struggling, and for better or worse, it feels like we're just watching a rich kid play with lifesized action figures.
I don't want to watch WWE. It feels so sanitized. It feels like I'm watching propaganda. They forcefeed you storylines and all the promos feel rehearsed. Half of the matches are awful and there are so many characters that just don't feel authentic.
But I know, at least right now, on any given week, Raw and Smackdown are probably better than Dynamite or Collision. The C2 was great, and I hope Tony does more stuff like that, but the rest of the product has become can-miss for me. And if you think I'm just one bitter fan, then I ask you this.
How come the camera only shows 50% of the audience.
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