10 Things WWE Doesn't Want You To Know About AEW

6. The Schedule

Cody Dustin Rhodes
WWE.com

WWE's house show schedule is antiquated, and in 2019, appears to serve no real purpose.

Fewer fans than ever attend house shows, they are actively losing money, and their continued existence means WWE stars must perform in a certain gear in order to withstand the grind.

There is but one benefit, and even that barely qualifies as a benefit unto itself; per several accounts, talent enjoys working house shows relative only to how unfulfilling "TV days" are. To quote Big Show, waiting around for "some friggin' idea that absolutely sucks" is like bashing oneself in the head with "a hammer". The talent enjoys the relative freedom of clowning around away from the cameras; it's a sort of gruel preferable to creative starvation.

AEW's schedule is far less rigorous; the company does not promote live events, and will only offer four pay-per-view events per year. The stars of AEW work once a week, if that. It feeds the inherent daredevil instincts of the performers, in that they give all of their bodies to the match.

This yields two benefits to fans. If they care about the wellbeing of performers, they aren't tortured through a slow-acting meat grinder, and if they don't, matches are full-on, committed, event-worthy spectacles.

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!