14 Ups & 4 Downs For AEW In 2020

7. Course-Correcting Failure

Brodie Lee The Dark Order
AEW

AEW doesn't persist with sh*t - the Nightmare Collective were sh*t, and they were binned off - and nor do they give up on acts with potential through impatience.

There was always something to the Dark Order as a midcard act that operated sinisterly around the win/loss rankings system. A tidy marriage of framework and motive, the quasi-supernatural execution reeked. Then Mr. Brodie Lee arrived, overhauled the dynamic by embodying Vince McMahon, and it got over big when he recognised that the fury was more entertaining than the menace.

Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. was a transparent attempt to sweeten mainstream news outlets. Too successful to really get behind, AEW recognised that she was too far removed from aspirational and used her success to rub our pathetic, failed lives in it.

Matt Hardy's run sucked. Hokey and incongruous and well below the in-ring standard, it contrived to bore fans even when he slotted into personas tethered closer to reality. This heel reboot is already really, really good; by claiming to have created everything, he is essentially comparing himself to God. That's some heel work.

This consistent ability to get it right breeds trust in the process. This is pivotal. You are encouraged to trust AEW and receive virtually everything with blanket investment. This is almost antithetical to the WWE experience.

They aren't wrong when they say it's the alternative.

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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!