1 Up & 6 Downs From AEW Rampage (Sept 30)

2. Formulaic Picture-In-Picture Bouts

Jamie Hayter Rebel Britt Baker
AEW

OK, time to cut Tony some slack because he's been taking it rough here.

Those picture-in-picture ad breaks aren't his doing. They're mandated by the network Rampage airs on, and that's just the way it is. However, that doesn't mean anyone tuning into the weekly has to like them. Hearing Excalibur talk about "the action continuing in picture-in-picture" only works when there's action to enjoy.

Seeing someone slap on a chinlock in a tiny box on the right hand side of your TV isn't fun. Neither, being totally honest, is the way AEW's bouts become 100% formulaic because of these interruptions. Everyone kills time before the break, slow things to a crawl during them, then only kick into gear afterwards.

It's rinse and repeat stuff, and comes across as lazy. Both Jamie Hayter vs. Willow Nightingale and Rush vs. John Silver in the main event slot suffered big time because of this formatting. AEW is supposed to offer the best wrestling around, but Rampage is becoming too promo obsessed (and most of those promos aren't even good!).

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.