10 Times AEW Took It Too Far

1. A Mockery Of WWE Too Far

Paige VanZant
AEW

A good, astute wrestling promoter plays to their audience. "Telling the fans who to like and if they don't like them, tough t*tties" isn't the norm. This is the nihilism-generating philosophy of a mad old king.

AEW fans tend to pop for the various digs aimed at WWE's expense, so AEW will proceed with doing it. Subjectively, what was once earned and amusing is starting to really wear thin - unless CM Punk is in full furious "F*ck off" mode doing his incredible "buy one get four three extravaganza" bit - and it does frame AEW as the #2 organisation. Regardless, it's fan service, it always generates a reaction, and until it doesn't, AEW won't stop.

They should probably start thinking about it in the wake of the Jeff Hardy news. The scope for a self-own is too vast, and has now been realised.

Even before Jeff debuted, Matt parodied Jeff's exit by hopping the guardrail when abandoning Private Party; on commentary, with a wink, this was described as "pretty erratic behaviour". Jeff has recently behaved in a manner far more sinister than "erratic", by endangering the lives of drivers, and this scene (in addition to Jeff's own parody at Double Or Nothing) scans as deeply, deeply ill-advised stone-throwing. Booking Jeff Hardy on this specific run was a dishonourable mention unto itself.

If you want to get over on the heel, it's best to play babyface.

 
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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!