10 Ways AEW Is Dangerously Close To Following In WCW's Footsteps

8. Missing In Action

Hikaru Shida
AEW

Following on from making mention of AEW's bloated roster, that ties nicely into how Tony Khan's promotion has to be careful not to have too many talents missing in action at any one time. Of course, that's where the juggling act of having three hours of broadcast television comes into play.

Sure, there are those who will pinpoint AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation, but even Khan himself has labelled those YouTube shows as having more of a "developmental" skew to them and for being a place where younger talent hones their craft. And let's face it, most wrestling fans don't have the time or will to give up another hour or three each week.

AEW very much has that classic WCW problem of having wrestlers going missing for weeks, sometimes months at a time. We're not just talking younger, greener talents, either, for a lot of these randomly-absent names are ones who could be significant players for AEW now and in the future.

Taken Ethan Page, for example. A megastar look, charisma oozing from every pore, extremely capable between the ropes, yet All Ego has had just five TV matches - yes, really! - in 2022. Hikaru Shida, Scorpio Sky, Andrade, 'Hangman' Adam Page, PAC, Nyla Rose, Buddy Matthews, Lance Archer (even discounting his participation in this year's G1 Climax), Varsity Blonds... are just some of those to have prolonged spells of simply not being used on TV.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.