10 Awful Things Wrestling Needs To LEAVE In 2023
8. The Word "Opportunity"
The ghost of Vince McMahon's AEW cannot be exorcised.
For years, WWE was broken; an anti-meritocracy in which fan support drove almost nothing in the narrative, despite pro wrestling's function as an interactive performance art. You were to like who you were told to like, but because this isn't how it works, a new vernacular evolved. As WWE cast itself as a heel promotion that only pushed its favourites, the downtrodden babyfaces started to use the word "opportunity" a lot. They just needed an "opportunity" to become stars and champions. The days of a fictional character winning matches to achieve this goal seemed long gone.
This trend persists, for some ungodly reason, in AEW. AEW is an actual meritocracy, despite various nepo babies (like QT Marshall and the Hardyz) littering Rampage. Where it matters, though, the most worthy acts are allocated the most television time.
The vernacular is normalised now, like the invisible camera and the entrance music pop. Ricky Starks is a sensational pro wrestler, better at emoting and projecting himself like a star than the vast majority of his contemporaries - but he is guilty of this off-putting meta business on occasion.
He talked a lot about being the man but not getting the chance to be the man in 2023, as if some strange, shadowy forces were holding him back. This collided with AEW's narrative philosophy more than once.
Wrestlers should play characters in a fair, fictional world. The word "opportunity" should be retired forever, not least because redemptive opportunities actually exist in AEW.
Look who Ricky's tag team partner is!