10 Things Everybody Gets Wrong About AEW

4. "The Crowds Just Go Crazy For Anything"

Brandi Rhodes AEW
Lee South/AEW

The narrative persists that AEW crowds are not discerning, and do not accurately reflect the quality of the shows. They make spectacles of themselves in a bid to artificially elevate a product they so desperately want to succeed.

Or, Dynamite just promotes at least one total banger per week, and Cody, MJF and Chris Jericho have the genius verbal ability to whip them into a frenzy of passion.

This take is as annoying as sh*t because it is literally tone deaf. Look at - or rather listen to - a match like Fénix Vs. Trent. The crowd, exhausted from the opening six-man banger of December 4, didn't go nuts for it because Fénix did not operate in his usual, bravura form. They didn't will him over the line, quite the opposite; they sat in wait for him to sprint over it, and because he didn't, the match was received politely.

On the same show, those fans reacted to Cody's good promo in which he offered up his possessions to MJF as persuasion. The flexing was maybe a bit much, and it wasn't anywhere near the level of his seminal Hard Times sequel, and so they did not go apesh*t. They reacted in accordance with its quality. People go on like Peter Avalon gets Road Warrior pops.

Shush.

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!