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

4. Cinematic Fluff

Britt Baker Big Swole
AEW

The pandemic forced wrestling promotions to great creative with how they presented matches. Keen to bring variety to an audience turned off by lifeless empty arenas, they looked to Matt Hardy's Deletion saga, the original Halftime Heat, and WCW's so-bad-they-were-kind-of-hilarious mini-movies of the '90s for inspiration, resulting in the divisive cinematic match trend.

WWE peaked early, with WrestleMania 36's Boneyard and Firefly Fun House bouts head and shoulders above anything the promotion has attached the cinematic label to since then. AEW, meanwhile, delivered the rollicking Stadium Stampede at Double Or Nothing in May, then lapsed, badly, with Tooth and Nail and the Elite Deletion.

The overwhelmingly poor reception to those last two matches means AEW should steer away from such things in 2021. Besides, the cinematic trend within its first two months of existence. Everything since then has ranged from "meh" to "abysmal," regardless of promotion, proving that even with diminished crowds, nothing works better than traditional wrestling done well.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.