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

2. AEW Cares About Its Fans

Cody Dustin Rhodes
WWE.com

WWE does not care about its fans because it doesn't need to.

The revenue stream generated by the consumer is dwarfed by corporate funding, but even before the TV deals masked the institutional rot, the company, to the point of parody, ritually bantered off its fanbase. The series of events that led Daniel Bryan to WrestleMania XXX were astonishing, they pushed Roman Reigns down your throat like a stomach pump, and so of course it produced bile, WWE has cancelled countless house shows and tours to accommodate the GSA, instructed you to not care about talent you audibly cared about, pushed wrestlers you audibly didn't, cancelled or bait-and-switched matches at the last minute...

AEW exists to service the fans. It exists because those WWE fans are so disenfranchised, and so far, the signs are promising. Shawn Spears is the rule-proving exception, in that he's a clear office favourite pushed despite having not connected with crowds. Elsewhere, Tony Khan appears to have spent the last several years of his life scouring message boards and responding to various complaints.

AEW is sensory inclusive; WWE shines blinding lights into your face at WrestleMania.

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!