10 Real Reasons Why Wrestling Fans Never Get What They Want

9. Sets With Props

Everybody loves the SmackDown fist, to such an extent that some must think the inanimate object actually booked the show. Before SmackDown entered its Bloodline-anchored resurgence, the calls to bring back that set were ceaseless.

Everybody also loves the old "swinging sickles" set from Backlash (2000 to 2002), and with good reason: it was an awesome aesthetic that conveyed the danger of stepping foot in a WWF ring in that era, in addition to being a fantastic spectacle unto itself. The vintage WCW Halloween Havoc stage was even better; Alice Cooper in his prime touring years would have used that set.

WWE only bothers constructing an incredible set at WrestleMania or in Saudi Arabia, and AEW has stopped bothering altogether. At the first Double Or Nothing, AEW created a fabulous thematic set; by 2023, the poker chips were on a big screen.

The physical set was used in an electrifying angle between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley. It's not just there to look nice; it can also be used as a destructible environment to advance stories in a compelling, unique way.

So why does every AEW show now look like Wish Raw?

It's the cheap and lazy option, primarily. Less money spent on bespoke, expensive set designs allows more money for talent contracts. The cost and effort of lugging it around is also not inconsiderable.

Also, AEW likely thought the new Dynamite set would look more high-tech or major league in contrast to the retro tunnels and spotlight set-up, but it reality, it just looks like a lower-budget WWE now.