10 Reasons Why AEW Is Still The KING Of Wrestling
5. Sue
Sue is used here as an example, but her wonderful cameo at All In underlined something about AEW's inimitable magic.
At its seminal peak, the Simpsons was a delirious work of genius capable of blending satire, irreverence, political commentary, slapstick. Twin Peaks, similarly, enchanted fans with its harrowing mystery, romance, metaphysical horror and offbeat humour: the titular town was somehow the first and last place you'd wish to move.
AEW is the closest wrestling gets to this sort of tonal mash-up. It is the undisputed king of the "Shouldn't work, but does" approach.
At Stadium Stampede, the Blackpool Combat Club battered Trent within an inch of his life. It's been difficult, jeering this Jon Moxley character, because he's Jon Moxley: one of the coolest and soundest men ever to have stepped foot in the ring. But the beat-down was so violent and cruel and relentless that, for possibly the first time, it was easy to accept him as a heel.
Then, Sue emerged in her van because her little boy was getting beaten up by a nasty man. This allowed Best Friends to use the baking trays she'd used to make cookies for the roster against the BCC. Finally, in circumstances that were as silly as they were clever, a weapon had a reason to exist in a plunder environment.
How is the Wholesome Death Match, an oxymoron, something that can even happen?
Because AEW at its best is nothing short of bold, inventive magic.