3 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Battle Of The Belts IV

2. Back-To-Back Uninteresting Stories

Matt Hardy Stokely Hathaway Ethan Page The Firm
AEW

There were more promo skits on Battle Of The Belts than there were on Rampage, which was a puzzling decision from AEW. During the second hour, fans were "treated" to two of the worst ongoing stories during backstage promos, and they did nothing to convince anyone that these dramas are worthwhile.

Firstly, Stokely Hathaway and Ethan Page claimed yet again that Matt Hardy has been "contract tampering". What is the point of this? Also, seeing Hook tear that envelope The Trustbusters left for him was hardly unmissable television, was it?

Urgh.

It's so hard to care about any of this stuff when the stories are drip-fed in such unsatisfying ways. Stokely and Ethan are just repeating themselves without ever explaining why The Firm gives a toss, and Hook's 'I don't talk much' promo bits are old now.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.