9 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite: Holiday Bash
Downs...
1. AEW Invites Women's Division Apathy
Not at all, beyond one minor issue. This was a show that mostly captured the very essence of what professional wrestling is.
But on a generally flawless show that was tonally perfect for the season and the darkening mood, one thing stood out as grim.
(The c*nt with the sign was an unfulfilled and thus toxic c*nt, obviously, and he isn't getting platformed with a dedicated entry.)
The atmosphere ahead of a well-built TBS Title Tournament semi-final was damp and low-energy. Here's what may well have happened: in the pre-pandemic era, AEW crowds were up for everything. Since Rampage was launched, necessitating marathon TV tapings, it's starting to feel as if the base has decided to conserve their energy during the token women's match. This has been happening for several weeks now. Riho Vs. Jamie Hayter ruled, and yet the crowd was flat. It's as if, after two years of one-match-per-show booking, that AEW has accidentally conditioned the audience to receive women's wrestling as an afterthought.
It's time AEW made aggressive, brave moves to resolve the problem, because the worrying part is that the division is actually booked well deep into 2021. The fans aren't responding to good, small moves. They've been conditioned.
At the very least, and this hasn't happened once incidentally, the women should get the opening match and the hot, eager crowd that comes with it.