8 Things You Didn't Know Were Banned In AEW

1. Disclosing The Nature Of Injuries/Inaction

Tony Khan AEW
AEW

When you hold yourself to a lofty moral standard, people will expect you to adhere to it all times.

You cannot be seen to waver because being sanctimonious is as unpopular as being terrible, if the great wrestling war of 2019-onwards is any indication - and Tony Khan has invited such scrutiny because he was so adamant that AEW would represent a fairer alternative to WWE. It was possibly unfair to expect the promotion to do the opposite to all of WWE's worst practises, in retrospect, but the "competitor brand" rhetoric was so inflammatory that we are where we are.

The embrace of press conferences and media calls, and the general disdain shown towards WWE, isolationist spin doctors, indicated to many that AEW would be a far more transparent organisation.

This has not proved to be the case; AEW seemingly has a self-imposed ban on disclosing the real reason why certain talents are removed from TV. It's strange; Tony seems to be asking the wrestling fandom what fascinates them about his forbidden closet of mystery most of the time.

There are exceptions - CM Punk as World champion couldn't not disclose his injury, and the harrowing nature of Hangman Page's recent head injury necessitated an update via Twitter statement - but the scene surrounding Adam Cole was hardly a breeze to watch at Forbidden Door and...nothing.

If you didn't keep up with the backstage goings-on via online wrestling news outlets, you'd be hopeless if pondering where someone like Andrade went - and even then, you're still perplexed.

Where's Miro?

People are naturally curious, many of whom naturally suspicious and cynical. This bizarre company policy only breeds ugly speculation.

Watch Next


 
Posted On: 
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!