10 Misconceptions About AEW You Probably Believe
2. The Fans Will Pop For Anything
It doesn't matter what AEW presents to its audience.
AEW Dynamite could be headlined by Matt Hardy Vs. Luther in a one hour Iron Man match, and the AEWsexual neckbeards would clap like seals and scream like banshees for every slow, awkward, mistimed second. See, AEW can't possibly be good, even when it is, so the only explanation is that the fans, so desperate to lap up any content that isn't a WWE product, will go apesh*t for anything. These aren't the words of @AcknowledgeMe_69_420 on Twitter; they're literally the words of the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, who said in 2021 that AEW is being "babied" by "hardcore wrestling fans" because the promotion is "premature" and "novel".
This is, of course, bullsh*t.
AEW has built investment within its audience by - largely - consistently pushing the acts that they've responded to favourably. Think about it. Is there a single wrestler that AEW fans have connected with that AEW has in turn banished to catering because f*ck you they aren't tall and muscular?
If it was a bad take all along, it's an old one now: despite rave reports online, recent crowds have felt subdued if not outright quiet, in stark contrast to the launch phase and last summer. Have AEW returned to the same cities too often? Has the novelty worn off a tad? Is Tony Khan booking too many predictable matches in which just one wrestler is a star?
In any event, they don't just pop for anything.