14 Ups & 5 Downs For AEW In 2021

2. Unacceptable Production

MJF Chris Jericho
AEW

The Revolution disaster is covered imminently, but AEW's production problems extended beyond the incompetence of an external unit.

On the Cincinnati Dynamite, on September 8, unacceptable timing miscues truncated a surefire classic main event between Jon Moxley and Minoru Suzuki, which became one good if disappointing sequence. Mox spent as much time celebrating as he did fighting, and while it was rewarding to watch the pandemic champion luxuriate in the atmosphere, it was all over the place as a segment of television. This was AEW's follow-up to All Out and the most buzz it had generated since Double Or Nothing 2019.

The Blood & Guts finish isn't getting buried here, though the sports entertainment overtones undid the JCP tone for many, which is fair. Chris Jericho took a tremendous risk, and MJF's actions paid off Jericho's accusation that he was "soft". The way in which the finish was shot however was a disgrace. This wasn't just the sort of botch that too much was made of in the dreaded discourse. Blood & Guts was mythologised before it even happened because the fans trusted AEW to absolutely nail it. This doesn't feel like it will happen next time 'round.

Look at the absolute state of that metal-print cardboard. It was a felonious assault on the intelligence of the audience.

AEW generally does a very good job production-wise - so why do they keep f*cking up at the most inopportune times?

Advertisement
In this post: 
MJF
 
Posted On: 
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!