10 Troubling Things AEW Won't Change

3. Title Devaluation

Sammy Guevara Tay Conti AEW TNT Title
AEW

There are now 10 titles that are defended on AEW television.

AEW World; Women's; TNT; TBS; World Tag Team; ROH World; ROH TV; ROH Women's; ROH World Tag; FTW.

Wheeler YUTA will defend the ROH Pure Title at some point, and the rumours of the Trios Title debuting imminently are intensifying. This is a similar problem to AEW introducing so many new talents at a ceaseless rate; at some point, it all becomes too much. No AEW fan (your writer included) doesn't want to see a Trios division. It would be amazing.

But how necessary is it really, and how much does it detract from what is already in place?

Are the not inconsiderable complaints levied at Hangman Page's World title run made because there are simply so many acts contracted to AEW that nobody could possibly resonate as the biggest deal in a stacked company?

AEW is almost too good for its own good, but just imagine a G1-style round robin tournament for the AEW Trios Titles on TV. Blackpool Combat Club's Bryan Danielson working the Elite's Kenny Omega on Wednesday, then Death Triangle's Fénix on Friday. That would be electrifying, so much so that you can forgive Khan's relentless enthusiasm.

Conversely, enthusiasm can also be a sign of poor discipline - and when was the last time a TNT Title match truly felt like the challenger was entering a real breakthrough performance?

A spirited loss in a title match only scans as a breakthrough moment if a title itself feels elusive and difficult to capture.

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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!