12 Times AEW Was Better Than Literally EVERYTHING

8. Whenever The Stories Earned The Moments

AEW Sting
AEW

You watch professional wrestling to feel bad or scared, and then to feel good. 

The feel-good moment should not be manufactured; it should be the result of careful, agonising, well thought-out storytelling - and for a promotion that some insist tells no stories, the sheer volume of earned, jubilant feel-good moments is the best proof that that take is the dumbest. 

Not that they’d listen. 

The “I need my older brother” reunion between the Rhodes brothers at the inaugural Double Or Nothing set the tone of AEW’s cathartic creative model. Since then, AEW has not created but rather arrived at genuinely stirring and rewarding conclusions that became “moments”. 

The success of Hangman Page’s quest to prove himself Elite at Full Gear 2021; Swerve Strickland taking the spot he promised was his and making black history at Dynasty 2024; Bryan Danielson finally showing the ambition to win the big one at Wembley, powered by the love of his daughter stationed at ringside; Sting proving that he actually was a superhero all along, by winning his retirement match at Revolution ‘24; the Acclaimed winning the Tag Team titles after they’d fought to become the most over act in the company when opposed by the most competitive field ever of major star names and genuine living legends.

Hangman Page, soaked in tears, ready to prise open the briefcase at All In: Texas to retrieve his second World title, quite possibly thinking that his real-life feud with CM Punk meant that AEW might never have made such a moment in AEW possible again: that was one of the best real and fictional stories told this century.

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!