AEW Vs. WWE: Head To Head

8. Production

Omega Rollins
AEW

WWE’s production is immaculate. It is perfect, in fact, which creates an alienating feeling that everything is stifled and micromanaged and wholly predetermined.

But, while this badly undermines the narrative, the machine operates with an incredible precision that frames the company as big-time. Everything is timed perfectly. The volume of the music is deafening. The announce team, much-maligned, are excellent at segues. It doesn’t feel at all ramshackle, even if it would benefit WWE if it did.

AEW, staffed by a team generations removed from when big-time arena wrestling was even a thing, can be excused for their stumbles and disasters—to an extent. The barely-coded mission statement promises idealised pro wrestling—the pro wrestling that has been missing from your life for too long. Jim Ross, meant to guide us through the show as the trustworthy voice of it, forgot where he was at Double Or Nothing. He is presented as the beloved grandfather of the game, but his much-trumpeted entrance is only visible to live crowds. The entrances focus on the tron, before cutting to the talent, a strange technique that deemphasises the wrestlers, almost.

AEW is imperfect, but not in a raw, endearing, extemporaneous way. The billionaire-funded league too often comes across as amateurish, which the customer equates with a small-time enterprise not to be trusted.

SCORECARD: AEW 2-1 WWE

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!