Everything We Know So Far About AEW’s TV Show
The World Tag Team Title tournament kicks off with an opening round match pitting division Aces the Young Bucks against its most exciting upstarts in Private Party. This should be very good; the House of Glory practise run earned raves, and there’s a neat, intergenerational story to be told through the medium of jaw-dropping aerial spots.
Week three, featuring an inaugural defence of both the World and Women’s Championships, is stacked.
Nyla Rose or Riho will face an unknown opponent. Britt Baker and Bea Priestley were pushed heavily at All Out, but that personal grudge may erupt as a battle for contendership. Newly-crowned AEW World Champion Chris Jericho defends his title against an as-yet-undetermined opponent. Cody boasts a strong (and high profile) win/loss record, but that is a main event pay-per-view attraction. This could instead materialise as a stature-enhancing showcase for a performer like Jimmy Havoc, on the back of his surprise win in the outrageous Cracker Barrel Clash (or MJF in his quasi-face role).
Cody is the natural choice as Jericho’s first major challenger. Their simmering rivalry is evidence of AEW’s ability to craft long-term storylines. Since the inception of AEW, on various Road To…specials, Jericho has (hilariously) no-sold the idea that Cody is his boss. The Painmaker is also on a crusade for recognition. Who else, than his “boss”, can say the elusive “Thank you”? It’s an intriguing, childish game Jericho is playing. He’s demanding something torturous of Cody—a tête-à-tête made public, made pressurised.
Week four features the Tag Team Title Tournament semi-finals; the finals are set for week five. This is essentially a guarantee of stakes and high quality action. Chris Jericho is also set for in-ring action on week five, you’d think in his capacity as Champion.
We know from Cody’s Starrcast appearance that AEW will separate itself from the competition—WWE—with its sports-style presentation on television. This has been met with some skepticism, given the various ironic wrestlers recruited (Orange Cassidy, Michael Nakazawa) and the borderline farcical presentation of first few Buy In shows.
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