10 Genius Ways Tony Khan Can Get The AEW Magic Back
2. Borrow An Old PWG Trick
The Dynamite format is a beautiful thing that differentiates it from WWE television.
Every match is announced in advance to convey the idea that AEW is a sports league that presents fixtures to, directly or indirectly, determine title challengers. There are no impromptu matches because the idea of a promoter not promoting a show is still utterly absurd.
It can get slightly predictable and monotonous; because the formula is so rigid, the length of the match is as predictable as the winner, you can deduce which angle is going to be advanced after the finish of most matches, and worse, you can guess precisely what isn't going to happen far too often.
Of course, in what can now be deemed the halcyon days in retrospect, Khan bloody loved a surprise, and until he normalised it through excess, those surprises were often mind-blowing. Jeff Cobb! KENTA!
Nick f*cking Gage!
Tony Khan needs a new type of surprise, since Jun Akiyama is almost a rule-proving exception to the law of diminished returns. Why not adapt that old fun factor by producing a Mystery Vortex-style show once or twice a year? One that isn't necessarily canon for the entire duration? Dynamite can sometimes scan as dry and dutiful when progressing storylines, so why not, in those functional moments between PPV cycles, switch up the format?
This would spark the imagination of fans, who'd fantasy book themselves in a state of delirium the week of, and the more random the pairings, the better. This engagement strategy is meant to be distinct from the building block booking norm.
Bryan Danielson Vs. Rey Fénix.
Toni Storm Vs. Yuka Sakazaki.
Kenny Omega Vs. Powerhouse Hobbs.
Random matches on a periodic basis would resolve the apathy that can sometimes even precede a very good match, i.e. several iterations of the JAS Vs. BCC rivalry.