Going Broadway: Five Things AEW Must do by the End of 2021
It’s me, it’s me, it’s JDB…
I love All Elite Wrestling. If you don’t enjoy the product, might I remind you that you don’t have to watch. You don’t even have an obligation to open your mouth about the product. You do you, and I can do me, and everything is square.
This article is for those who appreciate the wrestling on Wednesday nights, and for my money, is the best all-around wrestling product in the business today.
But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect.
These are simply the opinions of a decades-long wrestling fan and historian with experience in the news/interview industry. With that I humbly present some insights, and actions, AEW should take before the end of 2021.
Britt Baker Must Dethrone Hikaru Shida
This may happen sooner than later. With their title match set at Double or Nothing, I’d be hard-pressed to believe that Shida won’t drop the strap to Baker. Then again, I thought the winner of the women’s eliminator tournament would have done the same.
Shida is very good, and while her reign as champion has delivered quality matches, there has been a drop in direction and story. There is a slight language-barrier, and there’s only so much Shida can do in that respect.
While I love Joshi and am even a fan of Kenny Omega, keeping Japanese talent atop the division isn’t what will elevate the women’s division. Kris Statlander is back, and from Jade Cargill and Thunder Rosa to Abadon and Tay Conti, there is worthy talent out there that Baker could carry an engaging program with.
Simply put, the time is now Britt Baker to become AEW Women’s Champion, and cement herself as not only the face of the division, but one of the faces of the company as a whole.
AEW Women’s Tag Team Championships
With the departure of Ivelisse, AEW’s first tag team “champions” are no longer a team. To make up for this, now is the time to strike for women’s tag team championships.
There is a plethora of women’s talent on the rise that deserve more exposure. A tag team championship for the division can accomplish this.
I’ve already mentioned names above that could challenge for a championship, but other names would make up a worthy tag team division. This is even more exciting when you consider the possibility of Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay (AKA The Iconics) in AEW.
Armchair Booking Parings
-Red Velvet & Big Swole (w/KiLynn King)
-Riho & Yuka Sakazaki
-Shanna & Leva Bates
-The Bunny & Penelope Ford
-Tay Conti & Anna Jay (after she heals up)
-Nyla Rose & Diamante
-Cassie Lee & Jessica McKay
-Abadon & Holidead (MPW)
Clearly, there is enough here to go around and make a solid tag team division. Let’s make it happen, Tony.
Adam Page and MJF Must Become AEW World Champions
There is only one wrestler that can take down Kenny Omega. That man is Adam Page. This is a story long in the making, and it will likely end with the eventual breakup of The Elite towards the end of the year.
In an ultimate feel-good moment and tribute to Brodie Lee, the Dark Order (Silver/Reynolds) will dethrone The Young Bucks as well. With the history between Page and Omega, this will be a satisfying finish to one of many coming chapters in AEW’s history.
After a bloody and tiring battle with The Elite and becoming the first wrestler in AEW to kick out of the One-Winged Angel, Page will be crowned as AEW’s new world champion.
Enter MJF to take advantage pf Page’s weak state. I don’t know if it’s a gimmicked stipulation, or a sneaky contractual loophole, but MJF should take the title off of Page before he even has a chance to enjoy it. UBER-HEAT.
This begins MJF’s dominant reign, as Adam Page is left with the scars of a long war, but with no medals to show for it.
AEW Trios Championships
I know, I’m going crazy with adding championships, but hear me out. This is not just an ultimate ode to Chikara, but it also accomplishes much of the same as what the women’s tag team championships would accomplish.
There’s too much damn talent, and they need shit to do.
AEW is very stable-heavy, and a Trios Championship is a perfect way to incorporate many of these stables in championship feuds. How many stables does AEW currently have? Let’s take a look: (in no particular order)
-Jurassic Express
-Best Friends
-The Dark Order
-The Inner Circle
-Team Taz
-The Pinnacle
-Death Triangle
-The Elite
-The Matt Hardy Brand
-The Nightmare Family
-The Factory
This is a lot. A set of trios titles to keep fresh stables in fresh feuds with each other is a no-brainer in my view.
AEW Must Add a Second Major Show
This is the answer to how to fit new brand new championships on an already packed weekly show. This is already in the works, according to AEW brass, but the trigger must be pulled by the end of 2021.
Where and when does this show air? TBS would have to be the obvious choice for this second show, as it was the home to WCW for decades. This includes WCW Thunder, their second show during the Monday Night Wars to compliment Nitro.
Second option: A paid AEW streaming network service that would host their second show. Would I personally shell out $5/month for exclusive AEW content, as well as access to a second weekly show?
Of course.
An AEW Plus subscription is already available on FiteTV overseas, which gives fans access to all AEW shows, including Dynamite. It has already been rumored that Khan is looking into an AEW streaming service, and this could be the perfect landing spot for it.
When should the show air? That’s hard to say. I don’t believe in direct competition, as nobody truly wins in that scenario. So Monday and Fridays are out. NXT airs Tuesday, which leaves only Thursday or Saturday for a potential show.
Saturday would likely lead to lower ratings, so Thursdays it is? It would mean that Impact Wrestling would possibly have to move back two hours to air as a lead-in to a second AEW show. Otherwise, AEW would be in direct competition with Impact, and that’s not going to end well for Impact.
Going Home
All Elite Wrestling is proving that the world of professional wrestling is much bigger than the WWE Universe. It has grown at a pace that I don’t believe anyone truly expected, habitually hitting over 1 million viewers for their weekly show now.
With the potential of the AEW streaming app, this could include not just AEW content, but other promotions that they have a working relationships with, including Mission Pro Wrestling, NWA, DDT, Ice Ribbon, New Japan, and a host of others.
The future is bright for AEW, but after a tiresome (and deadly) pandemic put the brakes on a lot of potential plans in 2020, 2021 is the time to pull the V-Trigger on AEW’s expansion.
-JDB