10 Reasons AEW Is Still The Undisputed Best Wrestling Promotion

7. The Upcoming Match Run-Down Still Rules

Orange Cassidy
AEW

Every week on Dynamite, just before the main event, Excalibur conducts a wonderful ceremony: he runs down the matches set for Rampage and next week's Dynamite.

It can get frustrating, watching those stretches of Dynamite on which there are one too many predictable matches, but this tradition really does bring into focus that Tony Khan, ultimately, has developed a winning formula.

Three years in, and the match graphic drop still inspires a wave of pops. There's even a psychology to it; often, the matches that fans know are happening, or know that are happening but not when, exactly, are followed by an out-of-nowhere announcement of a dream match. Sometimes, these announcements are so cool and unexpected that they generate as much of a pop as the match itself. HOOK's debut. Dax Harwood Vs. Cash Wheeler. The Kenny Omega Vs. PAC 30-minute Iron Man match.

The main thrust here is that AEW can and frequently does create "Holy sh*t!" chants purely through a visual depiction of its booking - which surely means it is the most well-booked promotion on the planet.

 
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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!