10 Important Decisions AEW Have To Make
5. First Champion
This decision is one of the largest and most difficult to make in defining what AEW will represent. Do they give it to Jericho to be their recognizable face? Or do they establish Adam Page right away as future of their promotion? They could even pull a swerve by bringing in someone like CM Punk to interrupt All Out’s main event and delay the crowning. There are a lot of directions AEW can go here. But more importantly, is the work after that.
AEW’s first champion needs to have a significance to his reign. Turning this belt into the 24/7 Championship is going to do no favors in establishing the AEW name. They need to let him be king of the mountain for a while and stack the competition up around him. Let people truly fight it out for a chance at being the number one contender, rather than handing shots out like WWE has done recently.
Utilizing the record keeping helps here, as you show wrestlers on monstrous runs that lead to a title shot. This can build the idea that AEW has one of the most competitive rosters in the sport. The top belt can define what the company’s present image will look like. But down in the middle of the card, they will need another belt to determine the future…