10 Most Desperate Ways AEW Got You To Watch

2. The Wacky Inner Circle Segment Names

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Chris Jericho might well be doing his best work at time of writing.

His is a legendary career, the best periods of which, arguably, are 1998, 2008 and 2019. His work has improved vastly since his oft-sloppy cruiserweight years. His character and in-ring work were masterful in '08, but he's better as the obnoxious rock star jackass; doing Nick Bockwinkel somehow wasn't sacrilegious, and the 'Serious Man' persona showed off his range, but it wasn't quintessentially Jericho. He was fabulous as Le Champion, a more iconic role than the Wizard, but his in-ring these days is genuinely stunning.

As the magic of Le Champion faded, and the Inner Circle declined in relevance as the ultimate gang of antagonists in AEW, their once awesome segments developed a desperate vibe. In a strange running gag of sorts, every talking segment carried a distinct name or theme. There was the Town Hall. The Parlay. The Ultimatum. The Team Meeting. It was all very weird; these segments were presumably pitched to make the promos feel more important or memorable, but they just felt gimmicky and too performative to take seriously.

This was consistent with Jericho's act, yes, but he was far better as the "carny succubus"; a vampire in a new wrestling world. This "War Council" stuff was sports entertainment before he actively parodied it.

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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!