10 Problems EVERY Wrestling Company Has In Common

1. The Lack Of Proper Crowds

Chad Gable Scorpio Sky
AEW

It's all a bit bittersweet, pro wrestling in the lockdown era. It doesn't bear thinking about, but those thoughts cannot be repelled.

Are FTR over? When they're great, they're f*cking great, but certain matches go long and uneven. It's difficult to tell, and to get a grasp on what is and isn't working, we're left to resort to the toxic swamp that is Twitter.

John Silver is over, and he should be generating ovations across the U.S. to the fury of Mr. Brodie Lee. That same AEW audience should be very slowly turning on Kenny Omega. They should be receiving Jon Moxley in full-blooded voice as the goddamn hero he is.

The timid ambience of the ThunderDome doesn't sound too dissimilar to a 2018 RAW crowd, to be fair. But less facetiously, Drew McIntyre is doing a commendable job as the rare, not totally detestable top babyface, and he isn't hearing the praise he deserves.

The noise is back in New Japan, to an extent - and it's electric to hear the conscientious clap-crowds lose themselves when Big Tomohiro Ishii roars back from the dead - but it's just not the same. Ironically, given the ignorant, racist, pervasive take, NJPW fans are the loudest and most impassioned in all of wrestling when those seminal main event goods are delivered.

Wear a mask.

Wear a goddamn motherf*cking mask.

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!