8 Problems Nobody Wants To Admit About AEW

Despite its promising start, AEW isn't the perfect promotion some fans are making it out to be.

MJF Chris Jericho
Lee South/AEW

It's impossible to argue that the arrival of All Elite Wrestling is in any way a bad thing. The wrestling business has been crying out for a genuine, big-time alternative to the dross that a certain Vince McMahon has been serving up, and that genuine alternative is AEW.

With a weekly TV deal and several PPVs in its back pocket - all of which have largely been brilliant - AEW is most certainly on a 'so far, so good' footing when it comes to the early days of this burgeoning wrestling promotion. But while it's undoubtedly been a successful start for All Elite, and it's so refreshing to be see such action on a weekly basis, that's not to say that AEW has not been without problems.

To make it clear, this isn't designed as a case of bashing AEW just for the sake of it. As mentioned, AEW is a breath of fresh air in an industry that had become stagnated on a worldwide level due to the stranglehold of WWE. AEW is great, AEW is good, AEW is much needed. Is AEW flawless, though? Of course it isn't.

Here, then, are eight problems that are certain section of wrestling fans are refusing to ackowledge about All Elite Wrestling.

8. The Dark Order's Shtick

MJF Chris Jericho
AEW

All Elite Wrestling is certainly living up to its billing as being accessible to all wrestling fans. Mixing some believable acts and segments with some moments where the audience has to be willing to give some leeway in terms of realism, AEW largely strikes a good balance.

One thing that is just too much, though, is The Dark Order and their gormless minions.

In 2019, this act just feels like the sort of hokey pantomime sh*t that Vince McMahon would’ve tried to peddle out in 1988. What’s even more disappointing is that the former Super Smash Brothers are a damn fine tandem, and Evil Uno and Grayson compliment each other’s in-ring work marvellously.

There’s always the age-old argument of people being willing to accept The Undertaker as some all-powerful wizard who shoots lightning from his fingers, but The Phenom is a unique beast when it comes to this school of thought.

One of the greatest in the history of the industry, The Undertaker’s gimmick started before the cat was publicly let out of the bag that the wrestling business may not be exactly what it seemed. And plus, he’s the f*cking Undertaker – his status and legacy alone mean he gets afforded some slightly more rose-tinted glasses than others, particularly when he’s been doing his thing in the WWE for nearly 30 years.

For The Dark Order, their whole shtick makes them feel like they’ve been freshly pulled out of a high school production.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.