AEW's Secret Weapon (You Won't Want To Watch)
The disconnect wouldn't exist as much if AEW did more to sell or even acknowledge the show. A one-minute recap on Dynamite and or Rampage would help, and not even a dry recap of every match or result. On the January 26 Dynamite, Private Party suddenly sidled up next to Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus and declared themselves next in line. What if AEW ran a weekly feature spotlighting the most impressive showings on Dark and Elevation the week prior? What if Tony Schiavone was asked to impart his authority with a cursory "Private Party have impressed in recent weeks, they could well be next in line" over highlights of their wins? Does Warner not want it to be known that AEW content exists outside of its sphere?
AEW also has an overbooking problem. The promotion remains excellent, mostly, but the run-ins and beat-downs are painfully familiar devices at this point. The show is so episodic in its approach that the storytelling can often feel rushed and contrived. Not everything needs an angle to advance it; in fact, the more angles a promotion shoots, the more fake it feels. AEW could simply present more "fixtures" to both resolve the Dark problem and recapture the somewhat lost, sports-oriented vibe. In 2022, It is less an emulation of a sports league and more of a procession of impromptu brawls.
Private Party could have simply won a match on TV, grabbed a microphone, and declared their intentions. Or, Excalibur could have said something to the effect of "Private Party continue their impressive Dark: Elevation streak with a big TV win that could have implications for Jurassic Express".
CONT'D...(5 of 6)