10 Burning AEW Criticisms Tony Khan MUST Ignore

4. "The Matches Need To Be Toned Down"

Tony Khan kniws Best
AEW

This week, as with most weeks, the discourse has resurfaced: AEW encourages dangerous wrestling and must be toned down in order to prevent catastrophe.

If that thought process isn't entirely made-up, and it probably is because some people just want AEW to go away, it's so strange. Why would you want to watch safe, tepid, boring wrestling that doesn't look impactful nor spectacular?

Why is there a subculture of rest hold fetishists out there?

Realistically, this complaint is in such bad faith that it's not one that Tony Khan is likely to even entertain, although he has dumbed down elements of his product in 2022 by inserting sometimes unnecessary video packages to undercard TV matches that could simply exist. He has listened to the wrong people on occasion.

He's also a wrestling fan with wide-ranging tastes and has amassed a roster of unreal talent who want to work hard to curate their legacy. The Athena Match ruled, and embodied pro wrestling as a performance art.

They called it in the ring, and the action looked like it hurt without risking injury.

Isn't that what certain old school devotees want out of the f*cking thing in the first place?

 
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!