10 Things AEW Stopped Doing That We Really Want To See Again

7. Orchestrating White-Hot Atmospheres

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AEW

It wasn't too long ago that Roman Reigns, in an attempt to play down the AEW buzz, claimed the promotion was being "babied" by its hardcore fanbase. This explained the white-hot atmospheres, Reigns seemed to suggest - not engaging stories articulated by unscripted promos and worked with an unregulated ring style.

But an alarming trend appears to have taken root: the days in which the AEW crowd is bang up for everything appear to be over. This is especially worrying since, by virtue of lighting up Pittsburgh alone, AEW had proven that there's no such thing as a quiet wrestling town. The USA itself is a hardcore hotbed when AEW is at its incredible best.

This is hardly a conscious creative choice, but certain pragmatic decisions have undermined what was once such a strong, euphoric selling point. Taping Dark: Elevation, Dynamite and Rampage in one block is far more cost-effective than running a separate building every Friday, but it hardly helps. Nor does limiting the women to one match per show; several fans appear to have received a message not to get hyped for a marginalised division.

Other than reducing Elevation's run-time - since it only exists to generate modest YouTube revenue and stat-pad records that mystify the TV audience - what's the solution?

Read on...

 
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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!