Cheap Seats: Win Me Back AEW
I’m the new kid on the block here (well, old man likely). So before I get into my opinions, I want to do a brief introduction.
I’m a mid 40s wrestling fanatic. Outside of wrestling I’m an avid reader, and have my own collection of short stories I’ve written. I’m a sports nut, music loving (especially metal music), horror movie junkie.
Then there’s wrestling. I’ve been watching wrestling like it was a religion since 1988 or so. I’ve been through the ups and downs. I’ve done fantasy booking, I’ve done my far too long of a stint in the world of efeds (over twenty years, wow). I was the kid growing up that watched Hulk Hogan’s Rockin’ Wrestling, never missed syndicated WWF programming. I spent countless hours at Blockbuster video renting old Pay Per Views and watching them over and over and I forked over my money to watch No Holds Barred opening night at the theater.
I’ve seen memorable shows; my first being Bad Blood In Your House where the first Hell in a Cell match took place and the Kane character made his debut. I got to witness an emotional night live at Raw the night after Owen Hart died, when they did his tribute show. The image of the show closing with Steve Austin walking down to the ring and toasting a beer to Owen that he left in the middle of the ring will be the most memorable moment I’ve seen live, forever burned into my mind.
And I’ll give some props here to Mr. Tito. He’s the reason I finally decided to give this a try. I’ve read every column he’s ever put out. I was there on that other site when he posted that first column, and while I haven’t always agreed, I’ve never missed a single one.
Now on to my topic.
Take a deep breath. Don’t jump to conclusions. Don’t go on the defensive. Read with an open mind.
I’m not an AEW guy anymore.
What it is, what it’s become, it doesn’t appeal to me. I haven’t watched more than a few segments from time to time on YouTube since the second CM Punk blow up. Am I rooting for them to fail? No. Am I faulting anyone’s taste in wrestling or love for AEW? No. Like what you like, watch what you want to watch. That’s the beauty of wrestling right now. There are so many options out there. Between AEW, WWE, TNA, NWA, New Japan, MLW, there’s so much wrestling with so many different styles and offerings that there should be something out there for every walk of wrestling fan.
AEW had me at one point. When it was announced I was ready to go all in with it. New roster, bringing some much needed edginess, I wanted so badly to love AEW, and I did at first. It had that new car smell. MJF had the making of the type of heel I’ve always gravitated toward. I was excited to see a refreshed and unfiltered Moxley (who I always felt was used wrong after The Shield). I loved the idea of seeing tag team wrestling matter rather than being an afterthought. And Wardlow, in Wardlow I saw what I firmly believed was the making of an uber star. The look, natural charisma, and athleticism, I felt like Wardlow had the potential to be a game changer.
Then the new car smell wore off. Cody leaving was the first nail in the coffin for me. Then the Punk fiasco is when it started to come apart at seams. The falsehood of what was presented and was really going on became exposed, and no longer could I ignore what irritated me that had never been fixed. So that’s what this is.
I’m not going to criticize AEW fans or what they like. I’m not going to focus on long matches versus short matches, or whether AEW tells a story or not. Those things are pretty subjective and are a matter of taste and preference. Instead I’m going to go over things I feel are a little more clear cut. These are things I feel that could be fixed without changing the overall picture or demographic that AEW is geared toward while possibly winning back those like me that eventually bailed on the product.
Make a referee matter. No one gets disqualified, no one gets counted out. Even if the referee blatantly notices the outside interference, it doesn’t matter, it’s completely ignored. In the beginning it seemed like they at least tried, now, there is no try. The rules are enforced when it’s appropriate for the match and when it’s not, they are ignored. If the referee has no authority then why have them? Why not just officially say that all matches are no DQ, because in the end that’s what every match seems like.
My second problem is the commentary team. I understand that Excalibur knows his wrestling, is well versed in various styles around the world and knows virtually every name for every move since the inception of time, but I need less of calling out the long, what seems pretentious, drawn out name of every move. Instead, tell me the story during the match. Tell me WHY this guy coming over from New Japan is a big deal and why the huge reaction is warranted. Not everyone knows these things.
Instead of telling me that he hit a the moss covered, three handled family grudunzle, tell me he hit an elbow and move on build me a story of who he is so I care. All the athleticism in the world won’t matter to me if I don’t have a reason to invest in the match. It’s hard to invest in a match if I don’t care. So make me care.
Less is more. This one is my major issue. I’m not knocking the style of the match itself, but it’s sensory overload. Fast pace, high octane, flippy wrestling, have it, there’s nothing wrong with it. But scale back a bit. When two people bleed every night, it becomes expected and it no longer matters. It loses the effect in storytelling and becomes the norm. Hit the massive high spot that has the crowd chanting “Holy Shit”, but if I see that type of spot three times in every match, it becomes exhausting and it loses its effect. I should be wowed by it but I’ve seen it so much I’ve become desensitized to it and it’s just another move.
I understand that people love the hardcore death matches, but when matches on a regular basis have barbed wire, glass bulbs, thumbtacks attached to the face, it forces AEW to go to extremes to make a point of it being that “wow” factor. If AEW didn’t go to that well so often, then maybe they wouldn’t have to resort to plastic bags over the head or syringes in the mouth to get that shock factor.
And less is definitely more when it comes to finishes. Everyone kicks out of everything. I can suspend disbelief. I understand false finishes. But referencing what I said prior, I’ve come to expect people to kick out of stuff they should never kick out of. It doesn’t keep me on the edge of my seat anymore, I’m not standing cheering or letting out an exasperated sigh because my guy didn’t win, instead I’m numb to it because everyone kicks out of everything. Especially finishing moves. I don’t care when a finishing move is hit. It’s not going to end the match. It’s not shocking anymore when someone kicks out of a finishing move because everyone kicks out of a finish move.
Less is more, will keep me on the edge of my seat and hook me.
Music for the last week:
Best of You – Foo Fighters
Rise Up – Andra Day
Righteous Man – Carcosa
Thrash Unreal – Against Me
Always Watching You – Escula Grind
Faint – Linkin Park
The Flood – In Hearts Wake
Clawing Out – Zeal & Ardor
Dig Up Her Bones – Misfits
Feel My Fangs in You – Last Ten Seconds of Life
Movie of the week
Oddity (2024)