10 Reasons Why AEW Is Still The KING Of Wrestling

4. The Value System Can Still Work Wonders

Jon Moxley
AEW

AEW, and CM Punk said this was the mission statement of Collision, is sink or swim.

Despite the grim recent trend of nepotism - enterprising front office staff have plagued the C-show Rampage and dragged it into the D-show bin across the last year - AEW remains a meritocracy. It is still the best and most rewarding promotion in which to watch a performer use their own talent and ingenuity to get over as the wrestler they want to be.

Contrast Toni Storm's WWE run with her AEW run.

In WWE, bizarrely, she was a self-deprecating geek who was blasted in the face with a cream pie. She was, for all intents and purposes, almost literally a clown.

Conversely, WWE does a better job with Cody than AEW did with him in 2021, but the WWE version of Cody Rhodes is the 2019 AEW version with a slap to the mush telling him that he needs to be more ambitious and selfish.

Storm in AEW is a revelation. It's not unfair to label her old, less than shiny-shiny promo game as laughably bad, but now, she is a total laugh riot. Given the all-important creative freedom with which to experiment with her character, the old Hollywood starlet descending into psychosis is magnificent.

She is hilarious; few things are funnier than a full-throated conniption fit, and, with a liberal sprinkling of the word "t*ts", she has evolved into one of the funniest characters in the business.

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!