10 Reasons Why AEW Is Still The KING Of Wrestling

6. AEW Can Spark Anything Into Life

Jon Moxley
AEW

While AEW has declined from its creative peak, no other promotion can elicit the same, utterly bowled-over crowd response up and down the card.

That qualifier is necessary, because the big matches in virtually every promotion generate an intoxicating atmosphere. Very recently, Will Ospreay and Tetsuya Naito perfected the underdog psychology at the heart of puroresu in that incredible G1 semi-final. WWE fans go nuts for the big Roman Reigns matches. Nobody is saying that AEW is the only promotion capable of drawing a response, but they are best-in-class.

Even when a stagnant loop of a TV storyline is trundling along to little interest, AEW can spark it into life. Consider the wild over-delivery of the four-way Women's title match at All In and the atmosphere it contrived to generate.

With the peerless degree of thought that went into it, AEW somehow justified what was a time sink of a storyline. The idea to station the Knights at ringside, while controversial, given the unpleasant stories that have hovered around that family for years, was inspired. Saraya Knight looked like she'd had her lights knocked out with a quite phenomenal sell, and her daughter looked positively evil with her reaction, and with that twist, AEW managed to get Wembley rocking for the least anticipated match on the card.

Saraya, frankly, has been a disappointment upon arriving in AEW - but while the creative juices are drying up, the promotion remains more resourceful than any other.

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!