14 Ups & 5 Downs For AEW In 2021

by Michael Sidgwick

1. Cowboy Sh*t

Kenny Omega Hangman Page
AEW

If you made it this far, clearly, you enjoy reading about AEW.

So why not pre-order this author's book - Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW - right now at WhatCulture.BigCartel.com? Across 120,000 insightful words, the formation and first two years of the promotion is covered in vast analytical detail.

2021 was the year of Hangman Page.

It nearly wasn't, to unreal dramatic effect. Page never lost too often, as part of some rote underdog story. He lost when self-belief was too close for him to reconcile. He lost, just twice, when he was closest to the success he didn't feel worthy of. Page entered performances of explosive pathos, getting over as the preeminent hero of professional wrestling by accepting and overcoming the insecurities that we all share, whether we acknowledge or project them onto others. With low-key facial expressions and jaw-rattling power moves alike, Page got over using minimal exposition and traditional storytelling devices. He's better than that. At long last, North American mainstream pro wrestling is, too.

The promotion that is apparently littered with "ex-WWE guys" is reigned over now by a wrestler who never worked a single WWE dark match. That's a real paradigm shift. That dispels all bad faith criticisms. That is proof of concept. That is as good a summation as you will get of AEW's incredible 2021.

That is also, of course, cowboy sh*t.

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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!