10 Ways AEW Has Made Other Wrestling Unwatchable

2. You're Not Wasting Your F*cking Time

John Silver
AEW

AEW is an actual meritocracy that rewards great performances and maps out long, continuous character arcs for those who excel in the spot. Except Penelope Ford, who really deserved more after a superb showing at Fyter Fest.

Consider John Silver and Miro.

One performer arrived to little fanfare from the more niche recesses of the independent circuit. AEW positioned him in an enhancement role at a level just above the "creeper", i.e. the worst thing AEW ever conceived. But he got over as an irrepressible super-charged dynamo on Being The Elite and skilfully adapted his act to Dynamite, on which he played a suck-up pissant so well he applauded Mr. Brodie Lee after being half-hilled by him. He played the grateful human shield wonderfully, got over on the flagship, and was rewarded with an undercard match against Orange Cassidy.

The other arrived as a star imported from WWE that the narrative suggested had been vastly under-utilised. He arrived with ready-made drawing power AEW could exploit, but he has failed to connect. The arc is far more cute and detailed than it is actually good. His programme with the Best Friends has therefore become a TV-exclusive concern.

His work didn't warrant the stage; Silver's did.

Matt Cardona and Dr. Luther were nepotism hires, yes, but they weren't exactly heavily profiled. They didn't justify the spot, so they didn't get it.

You get more of who you like in AEW. It should be this simple, and it is now.

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!