10 Terrible Debuts AEW Quickly Fixed
4. The Buy-In
The first AEW pay-per-view Buy-In is so awful at points that it almost has to be seen to be believed. And it still can be, thanks to the glorious HD upload on YouTube.
Such was the joy around All Elite Wrestling even existing that many were quite kind to some of the production flubs, lame duck moments and stilted silences between aforementioned announcers Alex Marvez and Excalibur, but two full years after launch and it plays like something that would get absolutely slaughtered now.
The Casino Battle Royale is still rubbish, but it remains anchored by a rotten format the company seem too stubborn to change. The 2019 version is the worst of the lot, with the "suit" groups ensuring that no one talent is focussed upon during their entrance apart from the "joker" Hangman Page. This works out well in the end with him winning, but the remainder of the presentation was disappointing enough that AEW should have made it a one-and-done.
Such was the case with the warring librarians Leva Bates and Peter Avalon, who were quickly and - lol - quietly phased down and out of anything importance after their irritating interruption of Kylie Rae here. Schlocky and laboured, this belonged nowhere near a product with the guts and gumption to call itself elite.