10 Things AEW Stopped Doing That We Really Want To See Again

10. Carefully Measuring The Chaos

Tony Khan has stumbled upon a booking trap by aggressively expanding his roster.

The sheer size of it applies too much pressure on an established fictional rule, and the result is near-constant over-booking. Every act in AEW, and there are loads at this point, is associated with a stable, loosely or otherwise. Because they'd look like ar*eholes if they didn't save their mate from a beat-down, they save them, but the whole deal while logical is growing tiresome, overdone, and redundant. Anything in excess is bad, and AEW has encountered excess in the extreme with a favoured booking pattern.

It wasn't always like this, and AEW has crafted a stable-based universe since its inception. A more restrained approach is possible. We've already seen it.

On the October 30, 2019 Dynamite, Hangman Page of the Elite defeated Sammy Guevara of the Inner Circle in the opener. This didn't lead to a blur of run-ins and saves. The clean result stood as a fixture, building Page ahead of his Full Gear clash with PAC. The Elite Vs. Inner Circle was instead advanced when Chris Jericho revealed that the contract signing was a ruse with which to isolate and injure Dustin Rhodes later in the broadcast. This stellar booking avoided redundant repetition and put Jericho over as a savvy, vicious heel. This sort of inspiration has been lacking of late.

The way in which the run-ins are booked is another instance of booking excess...