10 Ways AEW Is Nothing Like TNA

10. The Entire Roster Matters

AEW is a top to bottom show. That doesn't mean that everyone gets equal amounts of TV time and attention, it can't, but Dynamite is the closest thing mainstream wrestling fans have had to a stacked show in a long while. There are clear demarcations between the various levels of the card; the main event performers are clear, the middle of the card is packed, and those fighting for scraps at the bottom are giving everything they have for those crumbs.

The levels are clear, but everyone feels like an active participant in the show. The Beaver Boys were whipping boys for weeks before they eventually threw their lot in with the Dark Order, an insidious group that has also had its eye on QT Marshall and others. AEW Dark has been built-up as an important cog in the machine as opposed to a throwaway extra show. AEW feels like a collective effort where the legitimacy of the enhancement talent is as important as the credibility up top.

Compare that with TNA, a promotion that was quite literally created to act as a showcase for Jeff Jarrett. The early days were a conveyer belt of main events and X-Division showcases, quickly establishing two legs on which the promotion could stand but almost immediately abandoning the supporting cast. This only got worse as the years passed, and TNA soon followed the WWE model of ignoring the lower reaches of the card until something was needed.

AEW must not make this mistake.