10 Bold Predictions For What AEW Will Look Like This Time Next Year

7. The Booking Will Look Very Different

Snap CM Punk
AEW

In 2022, Tony Khan faced the risks associated with his overarching long-term booking strategy.

Ahead of his blow-off grudge match with Jungle Boy at All Out, Christian Cage suffered a biceps injury. A slow-burn storyline spanning well over a year was all but ruined. Cage won after Luchasaurus turned, leaving the programme in stasis until he can return in around eight months. Will anyone care by then? Certainly not to that extent they did when Cage first turned.

Along similar lines, the formation of the Undisputed Elite, first teased when Kyle O'Reilly debuted for the promotion in December 2021, went absolutely nowhere. Khan had waited for Kenny Omega to return from various injuries, setting up a dream trios match, during which time Bobby Fish lost all patience with his booking and financial status.

For too many key acts, a significant amount of time was just wasted, and, compounding this, the exit of Cody Rhodes and the uncertainty surrounding CM Punk will have surely made Khan realise that not everything need be an epic saga. He's already lost several dream matches this year, and for what?

Constantly building new stars is itself a waste when Wheeler YUTA and Daniel Garcia aren't replacing spots on the card Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara have vacated. They're haven't really moved up.

In this post: 
CM Punk
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

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!