AEW Is ALREADY Doing This One Thing Better Than WWE

Wins and losses matter.

Apollo Crews Andrade
WWE.com

AEW’s big, anti-WWE mission statement—they might deny that component, but it was very much differentiator and dig—is that wins and losses will matter in the upstart promotion, and will affect the storyline arcs of each performer. In WWE, wins and losses do not matter.

A win is barely a win, a loss barely a loss.

On this week’s SmackDown Live, Andrade faced off against Apollo Crews. The routine formula was accelerated; Crews didn’t have much opportunity to impress through his opening shine, because Zelina Vega tripped his feet within seconds. With only the thinnest reason to boo Andrade’s heat spot, the crowd reacted with apathy. Crews did generate a reaction with a splendid standing moonsault to the outside, but the subsequent comeback was filmed picture-in-picture, diminishing both his massive frame and the way it powers his remarkable feats of athleticism.

When we returned from the commercial break, Crews had mounted a second comeback, showcasing his explosive speed with a kick aimed in the face of his turnbuckle-bound opponent. He gorilla pressed Andrade to the mat before dazzling with a second standing moonsault. This was a clear showcase for Crews, a performer of unreal strength and aerial prowess—a super-athlete.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter.

Andrade defeated Crews following Vega’s well-executed interference. The finish was performed well, but it accomplished nothing. If the aim was to push Andrade as a great working heel, he sold too often. If the aim was to push Crews in defeat—and all data indicates he will vanish, and that’s not cynicism, it’s precedent—that didn’t work, either. He lost. It is a fundamentally wrong approach to storytelling, in that it does not progress a story. This match might as well have not happened. It lacked purpose.

CONT'D...(1 of 5)

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!