10 Ups & 7 Downs For AEW In 2020 (So Far)

Downs...

7. Dark's New Format

QT Marshall Allie
AEW

It should never be a chore to watch a show once pitched as a quick, digestible web series designed to showcase and highlight wrestlers not fortunate enough to make it to the A-show in quick, snappy pseudo-squashes, but such is the general state of AEW Dark in 2020.

Cramming the show with 9-12 matches and stretching the runtime to upwards of 90 minutes has been to Dark's detriment. The real problem, however, is the lack of variety between bouts. These are not full-on squashes but more balanced enhancement scraps with near-identical layouts, as the enhancers last 4-6 minutes against more established wrestlers, mounting several comebacks before inevitably falling.

Wanting to build the likes of Lee Johnson and Alan Angels up as more than jobbers is a noble endeavour, though watching the same match several times on the same show is tiresome. The few matches that do break the formula stand out as a result.

Dark isn't all bad every week, though it is now a long, long way from its roots, and desperately needs turning up if it is to become AEW's second weekly show on TNT.

Advertisement
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.