10 Biggest AEW Creative Mistakes

by Michael Sidgwick

1. Too Much Focus On The Future

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This will probably read as deeply pretentious, sorry, but AEW works so well at its very best because Tony Khan has built a stunningly effective narrative ecosystem.

Factions enable conflicts to persist without burning through the marquee matches ad nauseam. Top star versus upstart rookie/respected veteran/great worker midcard hand matches function to strengthen said star ahead of a far less predictable show-down on PPV. All the while, the lower rung members of stables are patiently built up so that, in a year or two, all going well, they become top stars. TV matches are high quality, if predictable, but they serve to make the expensive PPV matches an incredibly close, dramatic affair. Tony Khan has persisted with this model because it's successful, but also because, with a TV rights negotiation looming, it is crucial that he leaves several matches on the table.

In what might be a massive creative mistake, he's already left loads and loads - and the recent injury crisis has brought into focus the dangers of such an approach. It feels like it takes Khan takes forever to do something at times, and time runs out quickly in pro wrestling.

Do wrestling fans really want to look back on and wonder what could have been, had Khan booked Kenny Omega Vs. CM Punk and matches like it before they fell apart? AEW fans have already been deprived of the mouth-watering programme, premised on who really changed pro wrestling, between CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. Spend too much time prolonging things in an industry forever in flux, and sometimes, it's all for naught.

Another point: Khan's trademark building/dawdling can ruin months' worth of TV in retrospect, if the pieces don't fall into place. Kenny Omega Vs. Adam Cole feels like it is an eternity away from happening, and they teased the sh*t out of it.

For what, at this point?

For a vastly deeper look into the bad, and the very, very f*cking good of AEW, purchase my book Becoming All Elite: The Rise of AEW, which is available to order at Amazon here.

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Contributor
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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!