10 Reasons Why AEW Is Still The KING Of Wrestling

1. Competition Is Not Exactly Fierce

Jon Moxley
WWE.com

WWE is still red-hot and generating business that is nothing short of outstanding, particularly given wider TV trends, but the Bloodline saga has declined in quality. The Usos fall-out felt unconvincing and desperate, the explanation was poorly acted, and without that story peaking, SmackDown isn't very good. Raw is better, but it's dragging, still has that synthetic and hackneyed WWE "feel", and it seems like Triple H has continued the Vince McMahon tradition of a flat autumn. WWE just isn't exciting week-to-week. The talent is amazing at the top - but how many TV matches do you truly remember?

ROH is buyer's remorse defined. Impact Wrestling is good in spots but virtually irrelevant. There is no hot new unprecedented movement on the indie scene, which remains obsessed with workrate, just one of several USPs that AEW subsumed four years ago.

New Japan Pro Wrestling told its fans to invest in the future throughout the G1 Climax tournament this year, too many names only did OK, and after all that, they went with Tetsuya Naito. He's the top star, a living Hall of Famer, and he was amazing in his last two matches - but the big philosophical youth movement that has defined NJPW in 2023 didn't exactly work. At its core, the promotion is still an echo of better days.

Stardom has probably done the best job of servicing a united fanbase this year. The closest competition is a resurgent CMLL. But neither promotion peaks as highly as AEW.

Is AEW the king of wrestling by default?

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!