15 Misconceptions About AEW You Probably Believe

by Michael Sidgwick

1. “AEW Doesn’t Tell Stories”

toni Storm Mariah May
AEW

This is the worst one. It wasn’t true, ever, and it isn’t true now.

Tony Khan does enjoy booking a throwaway trios match with a random assortment of names, yes. These Conglomeration-pilled party attractions are thrown on Collision for two reasons: they eat into TV time, and the crowds enjoy the speedy action and wholesome vibes. The second reason alone, incidentally, is a good enough reason to do them.

Yes, some AEW matches happen without any “storyline” “build” - but that is because, answering another criticism at the same exact goddamn time, they aren’t matches so much as fixtures. Fixtures happen in sports. The idea is to depict AEW as a live sports broadcast that happens to be filmed, and not an overly-produced and patently scripted television show. Booking a “random” match that functions to position the winning wrestler further up the card is a story - especially for a promotion that aims for a more sporting feel where the action is emphasised as a selling point unto itself. The more often a booker does this, the less contrived the actual grudge programmes will feel.

CM Punk Vs. MJF was the peak of 21st century storytelling. Its only competition at the artistic summit was waged by AEW again, with the Kenny Omega Vs. Hangman Page saga. Some people would place Hangman Vs. Swerve Strickland alongside those feuds as the trifecta of seminal AEW programmes - that, or Toni Storm Vs. Mariah May.

Tony Khan does tell stories; he just doesn’t have his characters repeat the premise and story beats at one another over and over and over again.

That’s the difference.

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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!