9 Lessons AEW Should Learn From Revolution 2021
2. Cinematic Wrestling Can Work
Remember when cinematic wrestling was unique, exciting and engaging? Yes, it once was. Back in the days of Broken Matt Hardy and The Decay, when Jeremy Borash was in charge and the imagination of the Hardys was unleashed across the Hardy Compound? There used to be plenty of mileage in heavily-edited movie-esque pro wrestling.
WWE may have taken all the fun out of the form by having Braun Strowmand and Bray Wyatt bandy about in a 'swamp', but AEW gave a fantastic reminder of how thrilling the trope can be with the war between Sting, Darby Allin and Team Taz. This was heaps of fun, a stunningly violent display of creativity and excitement, full of perfectly-placed spots and a real sense of grandiosity.
This was exactly what cinematic matches should look like. All four men involved all brought something different to the table that could be exploited in such a match (Sting's ephemeral presence, Cage's power, Starks' charisma and Darby Allin's willingness to fall from great heights), and it was clearly put together with subtlety and understanding. Two thumbs up, nay, three thumbs up.
The last thing anyone wants is for AEW to start spamming cinematic matches, but this was a breath of fresh air for the form. There's life in this genre yet.