Exposing The Absolute Dumbest Criticism Of AEW

Kenny Omega Jon Moxley
AEW

Cody's entire babyface persona is built on the idea that he did the work to get over, on his own, when the WWE machine did not believe in him. He is vaunted because he is an indictment of a machine that punishes fan investment. Jon Moxley had to deliver, and big, since he excoriated WWE for how badly they mishandled him - and because the very name 'Jon Moxley' conjured thoughts of an ultra-violent, elite-level promo formed by years of indy lore. That he did; he got over huge as a whip-smart babyface in the badass mould, and by reducing the wrestling news sphere to something resembling the conservative media of the late 20th century in the wake of his Lights Out match with Kenny Omega at Full Gear. AEW built an aura around Jon Moxley by portraying him as antithetical to his blasé wacky Dean Ambrose character.

His arc is consistent with, and the most successful example of, AEW's strategy: the company seeks not to lazily promote former WWE talent but to actively disassociate its fans from their old, torn image. AEW markets the incoming talent as the under-utilised, restored prototype. There's an insolence to the strategy - AEW is basically saying, quite frequently, that they can do that which WWE could not - but there's an audacity to be admired, too. It's frank, does not insult the intelligence, and it's believable. There's no weird pretence to shatter the earth - "What's Brodie Lee doing in the AEW Zone?!" - but rather an admission of a new start. The idea is to indict WWE and depict AEW as a travel brochure for fans and talent alike.

Strongly booking former WWE talent is not a tribute or a failure of imagination. It's a flex.

CONT'D...(3 of 6)

Advertisement
In this post: 
Matt Hardy
 
Posted On: 
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!