As a match, FTR vs. Jay White and Juice Robinson was a captivating example of why tag team wrestling can be so special. As a concept, AEW's eliminator matches will continue to be stupid.
WWE will often label such matches as something along the line of 'championship opportunities', but regardless, the same complaints are in place for these bouts - whether they take place in WWE or AEW.
By doing these eliminators, you end up in a lose-lose scenario. If the champion(s) lose, you've beaten your champion(s); something which should be an extreme rarity. Similarly, if a challenger comes up short, they're just another loser who has to head to the back of the line.
Simply put, there are far more suitable ways to crown a #1 contender for any title than by having a champion lose. A major part of the intrigue of any title match should be the possibility that the champion may somehow get beat. By using eliminator matches to get to a title shot, you've already shown your audience so much more than you needed to.
Yes, FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold in a two-out-of-three-falls bout should be magnificent. But did we have to have Dax and Cash lose to get this point? Asolutely not.
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 and Presenter, 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 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 and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.
