10 Secrets Behind AEW's Booking Magic

3. Absence Of Exposition

Darby Allin Jon Moxley
AEW

You aren't made to feel as thick as sh*t, or like you've just wasted your time, when watching AEW Dynamite.

Exposition is gruelling. Having the story beats explained to you by the characters in the exact same format that has existed for two decades is not remotely entertaining. AEW, again using the WWE How Not To Guide, have on all but a few Wednesdays completely abandoned the atrocity that is the opening verbal segment and replaced it with the novel concept of a pro wrestling match.

The pacing and structure of the show is too breezy and economical to rest on and get bogged down by long-winded segments, and there is - mercifully - little need for them, since so much character development happens with no microphone in hand. Kenny Omega and Hangman Page tell more compelling stories by the order in which they enter a match than so many do with three pages of dross to recite. Cody, with one furious facial expression, told you which babyfaces were the most resilient and worthy of support throughout his TNT Title run. Darby Allin conjures eerie imagery in stark, near-silent black and white to let you know which heel is next on his list.

The most keyed-in fans are fantasy booking their own version of the Four Horsemen stable, and those words haven't been uttered in sequence once.

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!