10 Times WWE Ripped Off AEW

6. Pyro

Jon Moxley Rey Mysterio
WWE

WWE actually had pyro decades before AEW even existed, duh!"

Congratulations on not getting it.

WWE abandoned pyro on its television broadcasts in 2017 as the richest wrestling company in recorded history decided to cut costs and, in doing so, remove the spectacle from the occasion. This was a damning symbolic gesture, as much as anything else: with no immediate competition forcing the company to actually try, they simply didn't, holding your investment in near total contempt.

Moreover, according to WWE Producer Road Dogg, you wouldn't care, anyway. Gotten to on Twitter, Road Dogg, who has a very skewed viewpoint on what matters at the best of times, claimed that neither pyro nor custom sets were "necessary" to the experience, and that it would soon be the norm and "no one will care".

Translated: You will accept our dulled primary colour lighting, and you will f*cking like it.

The rise of AEW altered WWE's perspective, and this is what enough people don't think about. What if it didn't exist? How little would WWE actually care now?

Before the promised pyro and spectacle ahead of the launch of AEW Dynamite, those brazen Stamford f*cks tactically waited 48 hours to bring pyro back. Oh, you didn't know?

Pyro very much was necessary to the experience, after all!

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!