In 2019, I was pretty much done with WWE as a fan. I was OVERJOYED when All Elite Wrestling became a thing. Sure, it wasn’t perfect or polished, but it was new and different and unique, and it was FUN! 2020 and WWE got a tad better, AEW stayed on course. 2021 and AEW went into a stratosphere, to the point where at the end of the All Out PPV that year, I was left wondering if AEW was the A company in professional wrestling now? 2022 and things began to… change… The year began in All Elite Wrestling with CM Punk and MJF having a quite incredible Dog Collar match, William Regal brought together Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley as a unit, and Adam Page was the hero World Champion. Meanwhile in WWE, Vince McMahon’s fixation with doing Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns number 263734849 at WrestleMania for ALL THE TITLES swallowed the company’s main event scene, there was the beginning of talk that would end up seeing STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN return to the ring, but with all that in mind, it wasn’t the key change that would begin to see the tide turn back in WWE’s favour…

Cody Rhodes, one of the founders of the company, left AEW along with his wife Brandi in February of 2022. And pretty much immediately, the talk emerged of him making a return to WWE. At WrestleMania a couple months later, he did just that. Not just returning, but returning to WWE, as a literal copy and paste of the Cody Rhodes he was in AEW. For the first time in the longest time, WWE had taken another company’s star, and not changed a thing about their character or gimmick, and placed them right into the WWE main event scene. Even fighting through a torn pec, Cody would go on to become WWE’s top babyface almost immediately. Contrast that with in his final few months in AEW, Cody couldn’t get cheered AT ALL… despite his best efforts. And as 2022 went on, two key events would change both company’s forever.

For different reasons, of which I am sure you all know enough by now, Vince McMahon was out of WWE. And shortly after, CM Punk was off AEW TV. WWE got better. AEW was left in a flux without it’s number 1 draw. And whilst Vince’s grubby fingers clawed their way back into WWE’s product a bit after, and Punk made his return… eventually… we find ourselves now two years on from when I wondered if AEW was number 1 (Vince GONE from WWE, Punk GONE from AEW… and into WWE), we are in such different places, it ‘s quite hard to comprehend where AEW and WWE have gone in the time since.

A lot of people have said the “demise” of AEW started at different points. Firstly, I want to caveat this entire blog by saying I do not believe AEW is done/finished/never going to recover. But I will say it’s second to WWE for a number of reasons, and I worry for AEW that that gap is only going to grow. AEW’s strength has always been the incredible in-ring product, in the last two years or so; Bryan Danielson and MJF went an hour plus in a classic, Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega had a match of the year contender, the amazing Swerve v Hangman rivalry of matches, I could go on… And sure, they ran WEMBLEY STADIUM two years in a row, and I know, I was at both, and enjoyed both. In fact the more recent AEW Wembley show was one of the better wrestling shows I have ever had the pleasure of watching. But, put it this way, if AEW ran Wembley or whatever venue in London next year, I would not be attending. And sadly, I don’t think my feeling is an atypical one.

So, instead of hammering the point home, I want to explain why things are as they are for AEW, and… in my humble opinion… how they can get better. I don’t think they should look to compete with WWE, they should go back to what they were originally designed to be, an edgy and COOL alternative option. I believe I have a few ideas on how they can do just that…

Make the challengers for Mox believable… and…

Let’s be frank, did ANY of us think Orange Cassidy was going to win the AEW World Championship from the newly-crowned Jon Moxley at the recent Full Gear PPV? Even with OC’s billing as a savior and fighter for all that AEW stood for. Sure Orange’s morale stance was admirable, and as a babyface I applauded the fighting spirit he showed, but if I already know the result of a match before it happens, it takes the majority of the enjoyment out of it for me. Especially a PPV main event for the World Championship.

It could be argued that WWE have this problem with Cody Rhodes, or Gunther maybe a better example as he is also a heel champion. But Gunther’s world title defenses against Randy Orton and Sami Zayn each had sound reason for happening, and the build was enthralling enough to sew that TINY thread of doubt, as has his most recent feud with Damian Priest, and (at the time of writing) his upcoming defense against Finn Balor. Each time I can tell you why Gunther MIGHT NOT win… he probably will, but THIS is why he MIGHT not. I can’t really say that about Jon Moxley vs Orange Cassidy. Looking ahead to a period where AEW have some huge events in a relatively short amount of time (3 PPV events between the end of December and middle of February), you’d presume Mox will defend the title maybe twice at least, so he’s going to need opponents. One’s we believe in. And fast.

I would offer suggestions, but looking at the Full Gear results, it’s hard to pick a strong babyface really. MAYBE you run it back with OC and give them a gimmick or ban interference? Maybe do the Darby match now, have Darby come up short and that adds fuel to the fire for later? Or maybe someone like Adam Copeland returns and BOOM there’s your big time main event title match? But even all 3 of those have their own issues. And Daniel Garcia just won the TNT Title, so it would be a slap in the face to that belt to have him immediately chase something ‘bigger’. Issues for Tony Khan to sort for sure, but I hope he figures it out and offers us a genuine challenger, for this PPV and many more after, to his World Champion.

MAKE DARBY ALLIN BELIEVABLE AS THE NEXT WORLD CHAMPION

For me, I already see how the Jon Moxley championship reign should end. Mox claims AEW isn’t the what it once was, he’s said ‘this isn’t your company anymore’. Well with that in mind, surely the man to save AEW from Moxley’s reign of terror should be someone who was with the company from the start, ‘the heart and soul’ of AEW, one of the original 4 pillars. After all this time, for me, it simply HAS to be time NOW.

And by ‘now’, I don’t mean I want Darby Allin’s triumph to come at World’s End, or anytime soon in fact. But later down the line, after Mox and his terror crew have torn AEW apart, that is when AEW’s saviour should take back the holy grail, and finally become the man. In that time, you have to get the conquering hero ready. WWE set Cody Rhodes up for pretty much two years, heck even AEW did similar with The Hangman. And my oh my how sweet it was when we finally got what we wanted. So now we get our hero ready, and even if it’s not Darby my point still remains, AEW should decide on their choice of the eventual conquering hero NOW, and spend this time over the next few months getting them ready.

My choice would be Darby. So with that in mind, I’d have him feel guilty for not doing more to protect AEW. I’d have a crisis of confidence, and I’d have him rush in to try and take on PAC, Claudio, Marina and Moxley all by himself. And he fails. Badly. From there he needs to be motivated, and reminded just who in the hell he is. Not by anybody. By the one man he would listen to. Sting. Sting gives his wrestling son some fatherly advice, and from there Darby goes on a winning streak, and beats everyone who doubts him. Dynamite, Rampage, Collision, PPVs. Over these months, get Darby in storylines where he’s risking it all, and sacrificing everything he can in order to reach the level where he’s in line for Moxley. Until one day, it’s time. And that’s when things get nasty.

I am sure MJF said pretty much everything someone can say to rile up Darby Allin. But just imagine the damage Jon Moxley and his Death Riders could do to Sting… Darby would beat PAC, beat Claudio, and… well he’d have to get a female companion to take care of Marina Shafir (albeit Darby Allin vs Marina Shafir sounds AWESOME), and just when we feel it’s time, Moxley hits Darby where it hurts, Sting. Eventual setting up a vengeful Allin coming back, laying it all on the line to get his shot with Mox for the world title. And we get the moment of glory for the true hero and saviour of All Elite Wrestling. They have time, lets hope they do the work before, and set up the glorious finale, of the end of the Death Riders rule of AEW, and the coronation of Darby Allin as the AEW World Champion.

Utilise the tag team and trios divisions effectively 

You can say a lot about All Elite Wrestling, but in my opinion, one thing they do better than any other promotion is tag team wrestling. Be it regular 2vs2 or 6-man (trios), the best matches of those types that I’ve ever seen have mainly been in AEW. Going back to the one of the very first undisputedly 5 star matches the company had, with Omega & Hangman vs The Bucks at Revolution 2020, going on later the to Bucks vs Lucha Bros cage match at All Out 2021, and the House of Black vs The Elite trios match, heck we got a best of 7 series between The Elite and Death Triangle. And for me, top of them all, Jay White & Juice against FTR in the incredible 2/3 falls hour plus all-time CLASSIC from the earlier days of Collision. 

That’s the very top of the divisions, great. But at times, their wonderful tag and trios divisions aren’t showcased nearly as they should be. Take right now for example, the trios titles are held hostage by the Death Riders, Private Party had their big moment to finally win the tag titles from The Bucks, and… now what? Max Caster has gradually nuked any fan interest in another Acclaimed run, HOB seemingly have a ceiling now (Malakai as WWE Champion being that ceiling I think), Bang Bang Gang have gone from an absurdly hilarious amount of belts to zilch, and their just isn’t that same buzz about a division which was once the envy of the business. 

So how do we fix this? Well firstly you simply have to book genuine tag teams in bigger spots and give them proper storylines, rather than just ‘here’s all the tag teams, here’s the contenders, here’s the PPV title match for the sake of it that nobody really cares abour’… Tag team wrestling (as AEW themselves have previously showed) can be just as interesting as regular singles matches and stories, you just need to give it the platform and time to do so. Build a PPV tag match over many weeks, as you would with your singles feuds, and not just crown contenders and have a title match for the sake of it… 

What’s notable is AEW have shown MANY times that they CAN do just this, it’s just not done nearly often enough as needed. 

Cut the deadwood

This isn’t a new issue in wrestling, in the past we’ve seen WCW, WWE and even at times TNA have too many people on the active roster, and they don’t know what to do with half of them, or they shove them onto TV and storylines for the sake of getting them on TV. At the start AEW had a base roster of top indie talents, centred around The Elite, with one or two names that would be known to a wider wrestling audience. Namely Chris Jericho (who they wisely made their inaugural World Champion). And debuting on their first PPV was the fka Dean Ambrose, now known as Jon Moxley. With Mox he was a recently departed WWE top main event talent, fresh off a run in New Japan which had made him the top independent talent around, and was someone people actively wanted to see on a different platform. 

In the years that have come since, as AEW grew and grew so did the level of talent they could attract. But it soon got to the point of absurdity, EVERY name let go by WWE was instantly linked with AEW. Which isn’t AEW’s fault sure, but it didn’t mean they had to sign them… take the large batch of WWE releases at the start of the pandemic for example… In the year 2020, 10 wrestlers left WWE that eventually found their way to AEW, 2021 it was 32, 2022 it was back down to 9… but you get the idea. Some would say there was a need to recycle and refresh the AEW roster, which is a fair point. But not when you don’t let anyone go, then you’re just left with too many people and not enough TV time for them. To me, it’s silly to keep people around for the sake of it. This is something WWE did in 2019, where with AEW on the way, they were dishing out 5 year deals to their talents, locking them down solely to keep them from leaving. With AEW, I get the feeling it’s the opposite, they often sign people just so they can have them and MAYBE do something with them. And it’s at a point now where it’s just too much. Later in the blog, I will show you my own idea for how they could split the AEW rosters to allow more people more TV time. But in doing that, and looking at their roster (as listed on their own website) I was FLOORED by the amount of people listed, who I haven’t seen on Dynamite or Collision in the longest time. Now of course, you need your undercard talent, but not more than your active roster in terms of numbers! 

Among them, were the following wrestlers… (I’ll also list some details of their recent matches… take from those what you will…): 

• Brian Cage – His last AEW TV SINGLES match was in AUGUST… Since then he’s been in a few multi man and tag matches and APPARENTLY he’s the ROH TV Champion… which was news to me.

• The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) – They have had SIX matches in AEW/ROH since the start of AUGUST.

• Rush – his last singles match was in AUGUST. Since then a few tag matches on RAMPAGE, and a few more on Collision.

• Miro – has not had a match in 2024. His last (ironically) was at World’s End against Andrade El Idolo (who has since left AEW), via a storyline involving Lana (who has since left AEW)…

• Jay Lethal – Has not had a match in AEW or ROH since August. Has wrestled 5 Indie matches in that time. (He’s now been booked for an ROH match… seek it out yourself cause… yeah whatever…)

• Wardlow – Although there has been talk of him being injured, there has also been talk of him simply ‘not being used’ … Regardless, he has not had a match in AEW since March…

• Hook – despite being on TV and in angles, Hook has not had an AEW match since SEPTEMBER! And for a young wrestler, surely he’s in need of reps and reps and reps…?

• Scorpio Sky – One half of the inaugural AEW Tag Team Champions and a former TNT Champion. A man who got a return vignette on the debut of Collision… has not had an AEW match since September 2023, no ROH matches until October 2023 either, he’s had 3 Indie matches in 2024…

• Deonna Purrazzo – After her excellent set of matches with Thunder Rosa in the summer, she has since had… THREE matches in AEW, and is apparently in a team called ‘The Vendetta’ with Taya Valkyrie (who herself has had just 5 matches since the start of August, and of those 3 were Rampage, 1 on ROH (she lost) and 1 on Collision (she lost). She has been announced for a match on the upcoming (as I write this) AEW Winter is Coming edition of… RAMPAGE…

• Thunder Rosa – speaking of the former AEW Women’s Champion, she has had her own follow up to her summer feud with Purrazzo… she was in a contenders match for the TBS title on Collision at the end of August (she didn’t win), she won the title in October… the Riot Cabaret Women’s Title… and she’s now in a… feud… with HARLEY CAMERON… whilst displaying her dismay at the current world champion for the women… via holding signs in the crowd… WHAT?!

I could go on and on with these… and yes other companies have their own cases like this, but in AEW there is never a guarantee that an act heavily featured on tv, will be doing much of anything within a couple months, and that lack of continuity is not only a waste of their roster, but a waste of my time investing in these people, only for them to be shelved after. Makes me wonder why I ever bother at times…

Give me a why (is this match happening) and… 

Monday Night Raw this week, as I write this, had the following matches: Wyatt Sicks vs Final Testament, Liv Morgan vs Dakota Kai, Lyra Valkyria vs Ivy Nile vs Zelina Vega, and Rhea Ripley vs Raquel Rodriquez. Wyatt Sicks and Final Testament have been feuding for weeks and this was their first team Vs team match of a feud that will likely continue, Liv Morgan is defending her title on SNME against Dakota Kai’s stablemate, the women’s triple threat was part of a tournament to crown the first Women’s IC champion, and Rhea and Raquel comes from Rhea’s feud with Raquel’s friend Liv Morgan, and Ripley and Rodriguez having their own feud coming from that. 4 matches each with very valid reasons for happening. Now compare that with the Collision card I’ve pictured above… as someone who follows the AEW product, I couldn’t tell you why any of those matches are happening. 

The main positive for me about the Continental Classic tournament is it gives matches in AEW reasons for happening. Let’s look at the final Dynamite episode before the 2024 CC began… we had a line up of: Don Callis Family vs Mark Davis, Hobbs, Ricochet & Ospreay (for… what… cause 4/8 people in the match are feuding, Davis and Fletcher used to be tag partners…)… , Statlander vs Shida (a tune up match for Stat… ok… Stat gets a win before a title match, I could’ve told you that before it happened, no jeopardy on the result, a match I could easily skip because the result is obvious, and that’s a problem), Bobby Lashley winning a 2vs1 handicap match to tune him up to face Swerve (Bobby Lashley is strong and powerful, thanks for nothing I didn’t already know, thanks for wasting 2 minutes of my time), Claudio vs Darby (remember what I said about getting Darby ready for the world title? Well he just lost to Mox’s heavy here…), and finally OC vs Yuta (ok I guess, former friends and Yuta is another of Moxley’s crew, so ahead of the upcoming title match, this was fine… but why not have him face PAC? Or someone that actually had some chance of doing damage to the challenger ahead of the big title match?)… Maybe I’m clutching at straws, but when a product gets me to this point, I will be more hyper-critical. When a product pleases me, I’ll look for reasons to tune in and go out of my way to invest. 

I’m not saying it isn’t cool that AEW do these seemingly random dream matches, but I can see great wrestling anytime, give me a reason to invest my time in to watching those matches. Give me a reason for those matches happening, else you run the risk of people taking losses for reasons that don’t matter. And that sees great wrestlers become just another guy or girl FAST, and that’s when people lose interest in the talent. And if I’ve lost interest in your talent, I’m not going to watch your TV show. 

Make it make sense!

In more recent times, the increase in disdain from fans towards AEW’s on-screen product can be traced towards one storyline which, if you did a straw poll, most fans will probably say it started as one of their favourite storylines in AEW history, and ended up as one of their LEAST. That’s certainly the case for me, which is rather sad, given I watched these two men open and then main event Wembley Stadium together. I am of course talking about the one time AEW and Tony Khan tried something… different, and so they created ‘The Devil’.

I will spare you all the explanation, as if you’re reading his you more than likely know all about it anyway. But one thing that is for definite is that this storyline weas very… un-AEW like in that it featured lots of different tropes, a multi week and month long storyline which backed onto AEW’s then top storyline with Adam Cole and the then World Champion MJF. But as the weeks and the storyline went on, people were beginning to grow tired of it. Not me by the way, not at the time anyway, I was more than ready for the big reveal, and actually loved it when Adam Cole and his gang of MJF-hating followers revealed themselves, and the follow up promo segment was excellent. But then… it just…. drifted away… Wardlow vanished, The Kingdom and Roddy went back to being a side piece act, and ‘The Devil’ Adam Cole went back to being injured… Eventually MJF returns and beats up Adam Cole. Sounds logical right? Well then Cole went home again for more recovery, and MJF… TURNED HEEL?! Again?! And eventually Adam Cole returned, as a BABYFACE (?!) and now he’s been fighting with his friends to get his match with MJF… You’re telling me we spent MONTHS AND MONTHS waiting for MJF, the villain we grew to love, to whip that backstabbing prick Adam Cole’s puny ASS, only for us to get ONE moment to cheer our returning hero, and then you turned him against us??? And now we have to cheer someone you revealed to us as the true identity of a character literally called ‘THE DEVIL’ against a dude he tricked into liking him, made him believe you were the only true friend he had ever had, and someone who you chose to finally stick the knife in when he was at his very lowest. You could’ve had Max go heel again, sure, he was a villain who let his guard down, got screwed, and now he says ‘fuck the world and fuck all of you’… that bit I get, but it’s the fact Adam Cole is for some reason a babyface again that is BAFFLING to me.

I’ve ranted there, but with good reason. It’s an example of AEW’s big problem right now. They have GREAT ideas, and they overthink and overplay them, and they die. Usually this is with pushes of individuals, but often they’ll have a story that has a logical beginning – middle – end, and then it’s still going weeks later… for WHAT?! Think about the booking of ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, arguably one of the best booked (in terms of logical creative) characters in AEW down the years. He was our hero, then Swerve invaded his home, we started to like Swerve, so Hangman said ‘FUCK YOU’ and turned heel. LOGICAL, IT MAKES SENSE!

And another thing that AEW don’t do nearly enough, is explain stuff. On a TV show, you need to have reasons behind things happening, and those reasons need to be logical and justifiable, else I’ll just think it was stupid and stop watching. The single worst film I saw all year, was Joker 2. Not because of the acting, the casting or even the singing… well, sort of the singing. But the film could’ve been totally FINE, if you removed 90% of the middle bulk. I will try and avoid spoiling for anyone fortunate enough to have not seen it yet, but essentially lots of stuff happens for NO FUCKING REASON that’s totally out of the blue, to the point I told a friend after it was like Vince Russo booked this film. AND THEN… to top it all off… the film ends with a total twist and basically a retcon of the whole first two movies, and I was left thinking I had wasted so much of my time watching. I feel like that now looking back on ‘The Devil’ storyline, and I for one cannot wait for Adam Cole vs MJF, not for the reasons Tony Khan would want, but because I am so ready for this feud to end. And that, is just sad. I said in a group chat that I was worried that TK had been snakebit by ‘The Devil’ and would shy away from booking storylines like that again, which I do not want, I DO WANT creative writing and stuff that isn’t regularly seen, but I also want it to MAKE SENSE in the end. Not too much to ask, is it?

Figure out wtf you’re doing with ROH 

Look… I get it… If you were say, a car fanatic, and you saw a world famous car garage, or even an old classic car, that was being scrapped if it didn’t get sold, you’d feel an emotional attachment to want to save it, right? And you’d wonder about what to do with it later. So I do not blame Tony Khan for purchasing Ring Of Honor, in fact I applaud him for it, and thank him. Without Ring Of Honor, I may never have discovered the Young Bucks, or Adam Cole, I most certainly wouldn’t have discovered The Briscoes. And I know ROH means a lot to people who know way more about wrestling than me. But to me, I do not think it’s been used to its full potential AT ALL. I don’t really think it comes across like the old ROH did, sure they’ve got some of the old names, but it’s just not the same, and I simply don’t think they’re trying. Is it developmental for AEW? Is it a separate company? Why are they giving ROH belts to AEW talent, and then not having them on ROH TV at all? Why should I take ROH seriously when it’s just as if they send people not used by AEW to ROH? WWE’s NXT have had a great way of getting people in from main roster, and making them come across like a huge deal. The Dark Order for example go to ROH, and we are all like… oh… ok… and really does anyone take note? Not really… It just makes ROH come across as SO CLEARLY the B show… so why would I fork out a subscription fee for a company that’s clearly seen as second rate compared to AEW?

And the cherry on top of the shit cake at the moment with Ring Of Honor, the fact that the ROH WORLD CHAMPION, a belt that is a staple of wrestling in America, held by the likes of great technical talents like Samoa Joe, Nigel McGuinness, Bryan Danielson. Great brawlers and fighters like Kevin Steen, Jay Briscoe. Jay Lethal held it for over 400 days. And the CURRENT Ring of Honor World Champion… is Chris FUCKING Jericho? Quite possibly the most UN-ROH wrestler you could get. And maybe that’s the point, but why THE FUCK does Chris Jericho need to be ROH Champion in 2024, heading in to 2025? Does it help ROH? No. Not for me. This isn’t 2019 AEW that needs a big name to get the company traction as it’s belt holder. Chris Jericho is WELL off his prime, is not held well in the eye of public opinion in AEW now generally, and is approaching go-away heat, if not well in it already. And as we approach Final Battle, the annual year-ending ROH PPV, the ROH World title match… is it a match that sees Jericho defending against an ROH original talent, to restore the HONOR to ROH? Or an up and comer who can have their big moment against a big name? No… none of those…

I am a big fan of Matt Cardona. But not in this spot. Not at all. It’s a slap in the face of ROH history that ZACK RYDER is facing Y2J for the championship at one of their biggest shows. DO BETTER! They are approaching WWECW levels, and I don’t know if there’s a bigger possible putdown than that. So for me they need to decide what ROH is, for me I would turn it into the NXT of AEW. New talents, that focuses on the WRESTLING, with a few big names and ROH legends splattered in here and there. Make it new and different, and turn ROH back into what it once was, the home of the next biggest names in the industry. And as early and current NXT both do, have a few in-ring generals in there to help the younger talents along. It could be so wonderful. NXT has been a delight (for MOST of its existence), but I truly do believe that if ROH was better, and was a ‘proving ground’ to make your way into All Elite Wrestling, then AEW would get a lot more of the talents that seemingly are flocking to WWE NXT at the moment. And Tony may have already missed this boat, with the new WWE Talent ID initiative as a method of them signing the best indie talents to deals, whilst letting them continue their indie work. But it’s surely worth a try right?

Oh, and on a positive note to end, I will applaud Tony Khan for creating the ROH Hall of Fame. A wonderful and love overdue idea. And a great array of inductees so far; Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, CM Punk, The Briscoes… but then, it was seemingly one and done. 2022 was the first, and last. Maybe because they’d rather now not mention CM Punk? Maybe out of tribute to Jay Briscoe? Who knows. But it would be a way to legitimise the brand, so maybe worth bringing it back? Maybe?

BOOK THE WOMEN 

The women’s division has seemingly always been a sore point for AEW ever since its inception. At the start it was, flat. Lots of new names, most with talent, but it just… wasn’t great. And gradually, it got better, in terms of the standard of wrestlers in the division that is. The booking was usually the same, the title scene would have a strong feud, but outside of championships, the AEW Women were never seemingly up to much that wasn’t a dumb or stupid or comedy angle, or one centred around the issues a young teenage girl may encounter at High School or college. In 2024, it’s undeniable that the standard in the strongest it has ever been for AEW Women’s roster; Mercedes Mone, Toni Storm, Deonna Purrazzo, Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, Hikaru Shida, Julia Hart, Kris Statlander, Riho, Thunder Rosa, Willow Nightingale… I mean, its not too bad right? And on top we have our Women’s World Champion, who had probably had the best character arc of any woman in AEW since her arrival, from Timeless Superfan, to the very women who stabbed her in the back, and then the one who took the holy grail from her hero. And I for one can tell you, it was glorious.

But something The Glamour herself said was a sad irony to me. And it came about during a very in-character interview with the remarkable Renee Paquette, but it did make me think about the reality of the statement…

“This entire women’s division is utter shit. Thunder Rosa held up a sign last week that said ‘women’s wrestling is alive and well’, women’s wrestling is dead and buried because I’m the one holding the shovel…’

And yet, with such a strong World Champion, and a MEGAstar holding the TBS title, the AEW Women still feel secondary somehow. We still barely see them booked on Dynamite, in fact it was such a rarity this past week (December 11th) that we had a women’s segment building to Anna Jay vs Mercedes Mone’s match the following week, followed by the main event of Mina Shirakawa vs her former buddy Mariah May. And after the champion retained we had the return of the no longer TIMELESS Toni Storm. So the women were the stars of the show, for once. And now I am sure AEW defenders will go, well, there you go… But will it keep up next week? Probably not. The signs are already there in fact.

Firstly, taking away the TIMELESS gimmick, one of the most universally loved in wrestling of any performer man or woman, was… a choice. I scanned the YouTube comments of the return video from AEW and found:

“The only reason I see her going back to her rocker roots is that she has done everything she could in The Timeless character. However that was the character that propelled her into stardom best thing to have happened to her in her entire career.”

“The Timeless gimmick literally made Toni into a star was the best thing to happen to her career I guess she realise there nothing more she could do with it & she back to being her regular self but it good to have her back though.”

I cannot argue with either. AEW have taken away the most popular gimmick in a division that already has always had its issues anyway… and also, the big return match of the former world champion… is on RAMPAGE?! Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME??? And apparently I wasn’t the only one… this quote comes from Bryan Alvarez on the Wrestling Observer Live radio show:

“Do you know how many people I talked to in AEW yesterday, and every last single one of them… ‘aghast’ may not even be the right word… ‘appalled’ that Toni Storm’s return is on Rampage.

“I swear to god this is true – you could have had 200 people lined up outside Tony Khan’s door last night, one by one, all 200 of them could have gone in there and said, ‘This idea is stupid’, and do you wanna know what’d happen at the end of the night? He’d have still done it, because that’s what happens.

“People argue things with him every single week, and at the end of the day, he does whatever he wants.”

I hope they can prove me wrong, But I have hoped they’d keep it up for a while and it never lasts. The ONLY way it’ll change is if you give the Women TIME, else why would anyone invest their time in them if they only get subsidiary roles on the main TV show. I mentioned ROH before, and they seem to be ahead of AEW when it comes to booking the women. Athena as the dominate champion has main evented PPVs twice, and could again for a third time against Billie Starkz come Final Battle, but they already catfished us with that storyline and match before, and I wouldn’t put it past them to put on Jericho and Cardona as the main event over Athena and Billie… but lets see… Lets see what they do with Toni Storm now she is back to her old self. And lets see if the outstanding Mariah May and Mercedes Mone as champions can give the AEW Women’s division the LONG overdue lift it needs… but will only get if the booking allows for it to, of which sadly, I am doubtful of.

Stop Collision being Dynamite 2.0

As part of my research for this blog, I went back and watched the debut episode of Collision. And regardless of what you think of CM Punk, you can’t deny Collision in its earliest days felt like SUCH a different show than Dynamite. And sure we know WHY Collision was a thing, and say what you want about those reasons, but surely it’s better for everyone if a company has two different shows? Why would I want to watch a shittier version of the main show? Why would I even bother. Truth be told, I watched every Collision without fail in full when Punk was around, I haven’t watched one episode for MONTHS and MONTHS… Last time I watched one, I think Big Bill and Ricky Starks won the tag titles, which was apparently in OCTOBER 2023!

Collision is heading the same way as Rampage. And it very much appears like there may not be an AEW Rampage much longer. Yet there is talk of ANOTHER show (Shockwave being the working title) debuting some time in 2025… for WHAT??? They barely have enough of anything with much substance on Collision and Rampage now, last thing AEW needs is another show without anything of significance happening on it. Another show for people not to bother watching. WWE has three brands, that are three definitive brands, each with their own quirks and stories on them. Nowadays, with me just watching Dynamites, and not even those some weeks, there have been tonnes of people on the AEW roster who I haven’t seen wrestle for many months, to me if they’re on Rampage why should I care, when AEW seemingly doesn’t care?

Collision being Dynamite 2.0 has been one of the negatives since Punk left. It used to feel like two very different shows, and really it just isn’t and hasn’t been. Collision is just an extension or second part of Dynamite. And eventually, if it isn’t there already, it’ll run the risk of becoming a version of WWE SmackDown from 2013/14/15ish, when it was really a show for stuff they didn’t have time for on Raw. Again, why would I bother wasting my time on a show that’s just the 2.0 (and I don’t mean Angelo or Daddy Magic) version of Dynamite? However they want to do it, as I will get on to later I do have my own ideas, but in order to regain interest in their Saturday night showcase event, I would highly recommend they make it its own thing once more. Before it is too late.

Stop being WWE-lite 

As mentioned, the reason that I and many others became fans of AEW was that it was different. It was an ALTERNATIVE in the wrestling sphere, and largely it was a different alternative to the then very-much samey, stupid WWE. What’s funny about AEW in 2024 is that it’s probably now more like WWE than WWE is. AEW has been trying to market itself in recent times as the place ‘where the best wrestle’ and right there is what they should focus on, the WRESTLING. Because fundamentally, that’s what AEW was great at, giving us good matches. But with that, you’ve got to have everything else on point. And WWE, is king of all the other stuff. Since HHH had taken the reigns (not just Roman) the in-ring WWE product has improved expeditiously, and the storylines in WWE are better, the arenas are packed out more, and I just care more right now for WWE than AEW.

Sure, there are things to take from WWE that everyone could learn from (production etc), however you also have to cater to your target audience AS WELL AS the mainstream wrestling fandom. Do what YOU are good at, and don’t just try and be like the other place, because you can’t be like them, so you run the risk of coming off as an imitation. And an inferior one at that. ENOUGH of the DQ and Bollocks finishes in AEW! I remember a time when AEW had little to none (my friend Phil tells me AEW had 3 DQ finishes in 4 YEARS, at a time when I bet you got more than 3 a fortnight in WWE).

It’s a simple message to AEW really, do what you guys do well, and wrestle. Don’t try and do stupid angles, or over complicate things. Make it fun and exciting to watch AEW TV again. Please.

Two man booths! 

This one is a minor bug-bare, and on the list of issues with AEW I have it is on the less urgent side of ones to fix. And it’s a more general point I have really across wrestling, but fuck man… BRING BACK HAVING TWO MEN COMMENTARY TEAMS! PLEASE!? Excalibur is great, Ian Riccaboni the same, two excellent lead commentators. I do not need Taz AND Tony Schiavone competing to be heard, I do not need Nigel AND JR, I mean FUCK, the debut Rampage when Christian won the TNA title from Kenny had FOUR guys on the call, and it was a fucking MESS. I’m sure everyone has seen that famous John Cena Royal Rumble return right? Well do you know there were SIX commentators for that match? And yes it was awful. Wrestling commentary can add a whole different layer to what I am seeing on my screen, Excalibur is excellent at leading, he just needs ONE guy to play off. And THAT’S ENOUGH! Please AEW, make this happen. WWE is so much better now it’s a thing there. Occasionally we can have a guest third, bringing in JR for PPV matches here and there, Tony Schiavone too, would be FINE. I do not need nor want 3 men on the call for Wrestling, in AEW or anywhere for that matter as the norm. It’s simply not needed.

BRAND SPLIT

With all my previous thoughts in mind, I decided to try and have a go myself at dividing the AEW rosters, something I believe has WAYYYY more positives than negatives, and was something we see a glimpse of in the early days of Collision. I think doing this can solve many of the issues I have raised in the blog up to this point. So, here’s one I made earlier…

• Split the titles first of all, the AEW World Championship would be the only title I would have ‘float’. Dynamite gets the TBS, Tag and International titles. Collision gets the TNT, Womens and Trios titles. I would abolish the continental title, it’s just not needed. I would have it act like the Dynamite Diamond Ring in a way, I would keep the CC tournament each year, with the winner going straight to World’s End to challenge for the AEW World title. As for Okada , the current champion, I’d give him a World title shot straight away, and that squares that up for him. Oh and ABSOLUTELY NO ROH belts on MY AEW shows. We have enough belts already, let ROH and that roster have theirs too!

• the main event level guys, I’d just split them evenly as is seen fit. I’ve had a look through the other divisions and split it how I think is best. Dynamite gets: Cole, Hangman, Christian, Okada, MJF, Ospreay and Roddy. Collision gets Adam Copeland, Lashley, Swerve, Darby, Eddie Kingston, Swerve, Jay White, Hobbs, Wardlow (?) , Orange Cassidy and Samoa Joe.

• The women I have split to have more of the AEW originals on Dynamite, but chasing the TBS Champion (Mercedes Mone) to give the newer belt more prestige; Anna Jay, Britt Baker, Hayter, Shida, Kamille, Statlander, Leila Gray, Nyla Rose, Penelope Ford, Riho, Taya Valkyrie, and Ruby Soho. Collision gets Mariah May’s world title and possible challengers of: Toni Storm, Yuka Sakazaki, Harley Cameron, Abadon, Deonna, Willow, Serena Deeb, Thunder Rosa, Julia, Keira Hogan, Marina, Saraya and Skye Blue. I think that’s a decent split, but also presents new, exciting matches and feuds.

• The TNT title (Jack Perry) would see more American wrestlers and AEW guys heading to Collision; Jericho, Bryan Keith, Big Bill, Action Andretti, AR Fox, Preston Vance, Scorpio Sky, Lance Archer, Kyle O’Reilly, Hook, Mark Briscoe and Shelton Benjamin. Dynamite and the International title (Konosuke Takeshita) sees more of an… INTERNATIONAL flavour, which itself presents a fun mix of various styles; Ricochet, Hologram, The Beast Mortos, Shibata, Keith Lee (if he comes back, please big man come back), Kip Sabian, Komander, Kota Ibushi (I’m fantasy booking, give me a break), Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis, Miro (PLEASE). Now tell me you wouldn’t enjoy any combo of guys in that International division putting on BANGERS each week on Dynamite with storylines and grudges underpinning them all!

• The tag and trios divisions I have split in a way that gets each off the ground, but also naturally guys from other divisions can buddy up and drop in to compete for trios and tag titles when the storylines are appropriate for it. Dynamite’s Tag titles (Private Party) would have 2.0, The Acclaimed (although I’d split these up and give Anthony Bowens a run in the CC ASAP), FTR, Top Flight, The Bucks and The Kingdom. The trios titles (I’d actually have Death Riders defend them too) on Collision would see battles involving; Dark Order, Bang Bang Gang, House of Black and Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Satnam Singh.

• I would also CUT A LOT of the guff undercard guys. Or at least release them from permanent deals. You do not need all these people on the roster. Some I’d let go, some I’d keep around, some I’d send to ROH to get a shine and help that company grow. Whilst I think it’s unfair to name names I would get rid of, just go to the AEW roster on their website, and you can figure them out. Ones I would make note of are: Rush (former World Champion in ROH, so let him go and be THAT GUY there again), Brian Cage (makes his TV title run be dominant), Sammy G (ROH, he could be a huge star there, so let him do his thing there), and longer term, if you did want to bring in any new stars into AEW, then make room for them and send one of your AEW stars to ROH. IMAGINE how big it would be if someone like Ricochet, or Ospreay even, Swerve or Jay White FOR EXAMPLE, went to ROH? Would change the game for them, and pull in so many viewers. but the main point on everyone else on the roster who I have not named, USE THEM, or LET THEM GO! Don’t keep people around for the sake of it!

I will finish off by saying I do still love AEW. I DO want them to succeed. But I also love WWE. And WWE is on FIRE and has been for some time, whereas AEW had been on the downturn for a while also. And that just makes me sad. And be it via some of the suggestions I have made, or other ideas from Tony and his crew, I just want AEW to do SOMETHING to get me back into the fold. Because if you’ve not got me back in love with AEW by the time WWE gets into WrestleMania season, I don’t know if they’ll ever get me back to be honest. And I don’t think I’m the only one who is in this mindset right now, so come on AEW, make me ALL ELITE again! Please?

Josh.