10 Biggest AEW Creative Mistakes

4. The Women's Division

Kris Statlander
AEW

Tony Khan has lost his "Let it play out" privileges as it pertains to the AEW Women's division.

The excuses - the roster was thin, the pandemic prevented the joshi arm from appearing, there was barely an indie scene on which the more green talents could get reps in 2020 - no longer hold. Tony Khan has assembled a roster with range and depth deep into 2022; Toni Storm, Serena Deeb, Kris Statlander, Jamie Hayter and Athena are all excellent workers, Riho, Yuka Sakazaki and Hikaru Shida are all over and super talented special attractions, and Dr. Britt Baker, Thunder Rosa, Nyla Rose and Jade Cargill all bring charisma and star power.

The problem, Khan's key creative mistake, is that he books the women's roster in the same way he books the men's division - and bluntly, there are far more experienced and well-rounded talents in the men's division that enable his top star versus fall guy TV match formula.

He is guilty of positioning several talents who aren't ready for the spot in predictable, drama-bereft matches. Those talents are then cycled out, but aren't experienced enough to slot right back in when asked. A lot of time has been wasted, ultimately.

Khan should dive into a more all-star approach instead of, for example, allowing Kris Statlander to languish for a month after getting over huge in front of an exhausted Rampage crowd.

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Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK 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 AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and 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!