How AEW got its groove back – By Wrestle G

Hello and welcome one and all to the latest ramblings from myself Wrestle G! We are here once again on NoDQ.com the absolute best website for your wrestling opinion and news.

I’ve been struggling to pick up the motivation to write recently, a lot of that has had to do with trips I’ve had to take and the want to just be a fan rather than a critic during WrestleMania season.

But there’s just something about AEW at the moment that has really invigorated me. So, no wrestling Tapas this week. I just want to get right into the main topic. There’s something good going on down in Florida and I want to talk about it……

AEW has got its groove back.

For some time now there’s been a discourse that AEW needed to ‘get the feeling back’ this always felt like an odd comment to me. Wrestling in any of its boom points has been about evolution (not the faction!). The old Cartoony WWF found its attitude, WCW broke out from its southern routes and gave itself an injection of New York top talent and a kick ass angle inspired from Japan.

So, the feeling that AEW should look back to what it was is something that I’ve long thought was not what the company needed. And after All, in 2024 I feel like that quest and longing for what AEW was, has now waned, and we have seen the company move forward with what they want AEW to be. And hot off of the heels of 2025’s best ratings for Dynamite I think this new ethos is starting to pay off.

I’m now going to look into some of the changes I think have been for the better before summarising how they all come together to make AEW better.

Releases were needed.

I Discussed this at length in my column a few months ago: https://nodq.com/opinions/tony-khan-was-right-to-grant-recent-aew-releases-by-wrestle-g/

By getting rid of Ricky Starks, Rusev, Rey Fenix I think Tony Khan and AEW have sent a message that the locker room wants to be a happy one. If you don’t want to put your best work in, then please find employment elsewhere. But what it also achieves is the perception that the current roster and its talent do want to be there. That shows through in their work, and it shows through on TV.

Savvy New Signings

When people leave you need to fill in those gaps on your roster. In the last few months, we have seen AEW re invest in its women and Men’s divisions to great success. Mina Shirakawa has been made a full-time member of the women’s division after many entertaining cameos and short runs. For the men a very fortuitous timing of both speedball Mike Bailey and Josh Alexander has given the division depth.

The biggest signings have been the Hurt Syndicate, who have waltzed into AEW carrying themselves as the top stars that they are. They have brought a main event feel to everything they have done and its clear that they have a big say over how they are presented and how their storylines are playing out. With the tag straps around their waist, I look forward to seeing what they can do in that division, and they now have a real chance to rehabilitate MJF.

The new guys coming into AEW are there because they want to be there and not because WWE have had a clear out.

New Unique venues

For the longest time it felt tuning into AEW you were turning into a show that looked like the fans didn’t care. That’s not because they didn’t but being in a cavernous arena that should hold 15,000 and you only have 3-4K in there it was sapping some of the energies out of the show.

Since the residency in Arlington last year there has been a philosophy switch in AEW to using more intimate and unique looking venues. We all know somewhere like the Hammerstein Ballroom which has always looked unique on TV for a number of different promotions. But AEW seem to be finding a gem in every city they visit, and the talent are finding ways to utilise the space as well which is adding to angles. The Hayter and Mercedes brawl over the royal boxes is a great example from the other week.

What it does for viewers though is know they are instantly watching AEW when they tune in., they know they are watching something different that doesn’t look like other wrestling on their TV’s.

and the great thing about it is that AEW still run those big arenas for PPV. So, you still get those big time feels for the big-time events.

Character Development

One of the most major things that I’ve liked from AEW in the last 6 months is the commitment to stories and watching them develop. I think it would be fair to say that in the past there has been quite a frenetic pace to a lot of stories, and things have started and been quickly dropped. As a viewer this can leave you confused and not trusting of new directions as your worried, they will be taken away.

Again, since All in I think we have seen a lot more consistencies with stories. I remain lukewarm on the Death Riders stuff, but I can’t deny that it has given AEW a focus at the top of the card. For better or Worse they have stuck to their guns to ensure Moxley remains with the belt and that he is the one everyone else is gunning for. There seems now to finally be an alliance between the Bucks as the authority and the Death Riders as the brawn to cement themselves as a top heel faction.

Below that is a host of challengers that are lining up to try and dethrone Mox. Swerve looks like a million dollars, Hangman continues to be one of the most captivating characters in all of wrestling and Will Ospreay makes a case for being the best bell to bell wrestler in the world every time he steps through the ropes. There has for me been great care in building a core of performers who can flirt with the main event scene. During Edge programme for the world title, they also managed the FTR turn well so that you now have more development in the tag division while you build FTR up for a possible feud with the Hurt Syndicate down the road. There just feels like more long-term planning has been put into everyone’s creative.

And how could I forget Ricochet? I wrote that bald buffoon off at Christmas time when he got punked out by Lashley and was doing his silly laugh. I thought he had made a terrible mistake and was making a fool of himself. Fast forward a few months later and he’s one of the hottest heels in the business. He is for me the perfect example of how a collaborative creative system can get the best out of people, and how freedom to be able to pose your own ideas can bear the best fruit.

So well has the creative in AEW been these last few months, that guys like Jack Perry and Darby Allin have a real fight on their hands to be inserted back into the picture. That roster is as competitive for TV time as maybe it has ever been.

In Summary

I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while. And it wasn’t until a few weeks ago when Dynamite had the 8-man Tag team showcase. A match which was a huge love letter to the PWG origins of the promotion. A Match that 12-18 months ago I think AEW would have hesitated to go all in on. But by doing so I think a message was sent that AEW is no longer going to be scared of its own identity. That AEW no longer needs to try and convert WWE fans by being similar to them or having all of their ex-talent. AEW needs to shout from the roof tops about what it is, and people will gravitate towards that confidence.

What do you think? Do you think AEW has improved or stayed the same? Do you still dislike the product? Has anything been close to converting you? Let me know everything down in the comments below.

As always you can also follow me via @Wrestle_G on X and @wrestleg on TikTok.

Until next time.

Cheers,

G