10 Things WWE Doesn't Want You To Know About AEW
8. The Talents Have Creative Freedom
"[WWE] probably would have made me a creepy figure hanging out in a boiler room, jacking off or something..."
Those were the words of Darby Allin, speaking at Starrcast, comparing the AEW experience to the projected horror of the WWE experience. According to Allin, AEW asked him specifically how he'd like to be presented.
Most every WWE star you ever connected with used their own instincts to get over. Steve Austin watched a documentary on serial killer Richard Kuklinski; The Rock took to speaking in the third person on a whim; John Cena freestyled in earshot of Stephanie McMahon to escape his generic characterisation; Daniel Bryan thought it would be funny to ape the hyper-machismo of Diego Sanchez's psych-up routine. This mentality and savvy, that drives stars and artists, is verboten: earlier this year, Fightful reported that WWE is less open to pitches than ever because it implies incompetence on the writers, who, of course, are incompetent.
Chris Jericho's post-All Out title celebration was the perfect recent illustration of why this approach works. AEW trusted him, an all-timer of a promo and one of the industry's most creative minds ever, to get it over. In the process, Jericho created a new character in just 10 minutes: Le Champion. He also created a meme, a t-shirt, and a prop with which to celebrate his wins. The champagne bottle will clearly become a foreign object. too.
Wrestling is art.
AEW is a canvas for artists.