14 Ups & 4 Downs For AEW In 2020

3. Miro's Run

Miro AEW
AEW

The storyline - Twitch streamers pal up! - is more cute than it is effective.

Miro hasn't transcended this weird soft launch in the ring, either; his debut tag match bordered on the calamitous, he didn't elicit the same perverse thrill as Lance Archer nor Mr. Brodie Lee in the subsequent attempted make-good squash, and his first singles match with Trent while pretty good didn't approach Dynamite's high-end average. Ultimately, Miro didn't grab the brass ring he spoke of on his debut, the ill-advised and clichéd tone of which only brought into focus that he possibly wasn't blameless for the middling twilight of his WWE career.

AEW's expressive platform is crucial and more often than not strikingly effective, but "dude who plays video games" doesn't yield much in the way of drama. Really, who gives a sh*t if his arcade game got broken?

That a stakes-devoid angle has somehow extended over months with no payoff in sight is another minor Down. Tony Khan is ordinarily lightning-quick to make matches based on the merest whiff of an angle elsewhere.

Miro's run, in addition to being whiffed in itself, underscores a lack of consistency in AEW's otherwise meticulous world-building.

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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!