AEW Vs. WWE: Head To Head

6. Over Stars

Evil Uno Luchasaurus Fight for the Fallen
AEW

AEW is already well advanced in this key area.

Cody is embroiled in three conflicts, and he’s the top, universally-liked babyface, so it actually works, Shane McMahon. He is over as the top babyface in the promotion. Kenny Omega is over as its Ace. Jon Moxley is over as its dangerous, paradigm-shifting disruptor. The Young Bucks are over as the Aces of the tag team division. MJF is over as the most entertainingly despicable heel in all of wrestling. Darby Allin is over as a spirited, never-say-die babyface. Jungle Boy is over under the same mentality, but with a completely different character. Luchasaurus is over, improbably, as a 6 ‘ 5”, 65 million year-old dinosaur character capable of pulling off a standing moonsault.

Hangman Page is the outlier—but several WWE acts, Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston and Becky Lynch, most notably, share his dulled shine. He is the rule-proving exception, damaged by the drive to get the time limit draw over. At least there was a badly miscalculated reason for this. AEW tried to get a concept over at the expense of the star. It was a misfire, but they were aiming for something.

Rollins and Lynch aren’t as over as they were because, unlike in AEW, they are weighed down by office-favoured opponents and punishingly awful scripting. WWE can get stars over, but they don’t stay over. The old impulses don’t go away.

SCORECARD: AEW 3-1 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!