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AEW is the talk of the town right now, however, to say that this particular organization has changed professional wrestling for the better of it; would most definitely be an overstatement. All Elite Wrestling is not going to be the next WCW...granted that there are certain sections of the pro wrestling community that love to hate WWE; regardless, this war that AEW has waged against the mighty WWE, is nothing more than a search for fool's gold.
First off, let's get one thing crystal clear: By no means am I an AEW hater, or anything of the sort. In fact, I've always been welcoming toward every pro wrestling promotion in the business. Nevertheless, I've now compiled a few reasons as to why I don't agree with AEW, its strategy, and what this new company stands for.
Sportskeeda has some of the best readers in the world, and it wouldn't be hyperbole to state that we're akin to a family—a large, diverse family; where members more often than not, disagree with one another's ideas.
That said, today's discussion is going to get a tad heated. Well, who am I kidding? It's going to be as heated as a debate could possibly be. So, without further ado, here are a few notable nuances of this discussion, that I've divided into 5 separate talking points; whereby we examine a few glaring mistakes AEW must correct immediately, or else it's destined to fail...
#5 AEW founders claimed to be against corporate culture, but ultimately signed up for a corporate gig after being offered big money by the Khans
Long before AEW came into existence, The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), ex-WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and a few other indie stars, kept their name in the news by constantly badmouthing the WWE. Furthermore, the indie performers incessantly reiterated that they were against the big-money corporate culture in WWE.
Well, that was back when The Young Bucks, Cody and co., hadn't met Tony Khan and the latter's father, Pakistani-American billionaire Shad Khan. Needless to say, once Shad aka Shahid Khan agreed to fund a new pro wrestling company known as AEW with his son Tony as its President; the aforementioned indie stars had no problem whatsoever signing up to be a part of the corporate culture.
#4 Cody and Brandi Rhodes must stop trying to be Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
Cody and Brandi Rhodes did a great job carving a unique niche for themselves once they parted ways with the WWE. While both former WWE personalities notched up a respectable resume during their time with the company; it was in their run after leaving the organization that they truly shined.
Nevertheless, Cody and Brandi Rhodes' entrance at AEW's first event Double or Nothing, was nothing short of a petty shot at Triple H, the sledgehammer and throne of WWE's "King of Kings". While healthy competition is good, Cody and Brandi's seemingly never-ending attempts to try and be Triple H and Stephanie McMahon 2.0, is only going to hurt AEW.
Moreover, we, as fans, would love to see Cody and Brandi bring their own uniqueness and inner personality to the forefront; rather than have them try to imitate another couple.
#3 AEW is built on the foundation of negativity and anti-WWE sentiment
AEW's founding members have built their reputation on negativity, by being anti-WWE and anti-big corporations; but ultimately sold out to a big corporation i.e., AEW!
Truth be told, as much as I'd love to see every professional wrestling promotion flourish; the fact remains that the very foundation of AEW is built on negativity. As we'd discussed earlier, AEW founding members The Young Bucks, Cody, etc., consistently badmouthed the WWE in order to get that 'cheap pop' from the anti-WWE sections of the hardcore pro wrestling fans.
Nevertheless, I'd like to hark back to a Bruce Lee quote, which just so happens to be incredibly relevant in this context -- “Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.”
The Young Bucks, Cody & Brandi Rhodes, Kenny Omega, etc., are now showing off their newfound mainstream glory courtesy AEW—what with the company being backed by a well-known billionaire. However, since they chose to build their promotion on the back of never-ending negativity against the WWE; this "show off" phase will most likely be short-lived.
#2 Too many spot-fests and negligible storytelling
As expected, The Young Bucks pulled off yet another spot-fest in their performance at the AEW Double or Nothing event. Don't get me wrong; I most definitely respect and appreciate the athleticism as well as technical skills, which go into making it possible for a professional wrestling performer to pull off the moves that Matt & Nick Jackson do.
Regardless, not even a thousand flips can make up for a paper-thin storyline presence in a professional wrestling organization. Furthermore, there's a thin line that differentiates between excessive comedy on the one hand, and a good balance of the comic element alongside actual pro wrestling on the other. AEW and The Young Bucks, unfortunately, do not seem to comprehend that.
Repeatedly putting forth a few comically lumbering spot-fests, where multiple performers linger around in order to help execute a flip-flop maneuver; isn't what constitutes professional wrestling. Perhaps the only saving grace of the event, was two former WWE Superstars Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose now-known as Jon Moxley -- facing off inside the AEW ring, with the fans applauding the two well-known stars. Speaking of which...
#1 Over-reliance on ex-WWE Superstars and the lack of interesting characters in AEW
Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley are all former WWE Superstars; who rose to prominence in the world of sports and entertainment courtesy their time in the WWE. In other words, if it weren't for the WWE, they'd have probably wasted several years of their pro wrestling careers, jumping from one company to another on the indies.
Here's the thing: AEW has shown zero interest thus far, in creating stars of its own. The company's President Tony Khan, spent several months hyping up his promotion; but seems to be evading any and every question when it comes to creating AEW Originals, rather than having a bunch of ex-WWE Superstars run the show.
Furthermore, apart from Jericho and Moxley, there are no interesting characters on the entire AEW roster. That, in turn, is something that the company ought to pay heed to, and rectify at the earliest.
What changes do you think AEW ought to make in order to rectify its mistakes? Sound off in the comments!
