5 Things AEW MUST Do In 2021 (And 5 They Must Avoid)

by Andy H Murray

1. Build The Women's Division

Britt Baker Lockjaw
AEW

"Give them more television time!" is frequently spouted as a solution to AEW's women's division woes, often without taking business into account. Pundits often fail to note that Britt Baker aside, Dynamite quarter-hours featuring women's wrestling suffer regular viewership drops, so the solution isn't as simple as increasing match counts and runtimes.

Baker is the blueprint for recovery.

Britt sparks growth because she is the one woman in the company that AEW has gone out of its way to develop. She has a clear, understandable character and a strong personality, having been granted more opportunities to build herself up than anyone else. Even Hikaru Shida, the long-reigning Women's Champion, has struggled to develop any discernible character traits. Who is 'The Full Metal Champion'? What makes her tick? Why should we invest in her as a person, not just a fighter?

Nobody knows, because AEW hasn't tried to answer these questions itself.

Having a subpar women's division isn't good enough in 2021. AEW's task is to build it into a money and audience-drawing part of their product by building personalities and leaning on fully-formed performers like Serena Deeb and Thunder Rosa to lift a green roster up. Let's not forget that many of these people are wrestling on television for the first time.

Advertisement
In this post: 
Sting AEW
 
Posted On: 
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.