It's Official: AEW Has Broken Its Most Sacred Rule
Eddie should want to win in a promotion that values wins and losses above everything else. One tremendous aspect of his character is that he loathes the trappings of television wrestling. "That's my out line," he says, whenever he is confronted with the obligation of selling his next match. He grows exasperated and impatient whenever an invisible wall segment begins to drag, always desperate to just dispense with the bullsh*t and start fighting. This character work enables him to feel real in a heightened world. The sad part is that, following Barbed Wire Everywhere, he has a point.
The score following Barbed Wire Everywhere was 2-2. 50/50. It appears to be over, and that's a disaster if so. Did Jericho win because AEW feel they need an alternate in the event of CM Punk not making All Out?
Honestly, despite the bloody thing going seven months just for a 50/50 finish, that compromise is the best scenario; if AEW thought they could get away with allowing both performers to "win" in some way, it is a complete contravention of the company's core value. Tony Khan once said that a defeat should ruin a pro wrestler's week; on Wednesday, it barely affected Kingston for five seconds, since he was meant to be happy that he bumped Jericho onto a conveniently placed crash pad. Excalibur explained that Eddie did what he set out to do and made Jericho bleed. The loss was irrelevant.
In AEW.
If it's not over, then AEW actually broke its other sacred rule because Jericho declared this the final chapter of the "saga" in his go-home promo. Despite changing course on the odd idea - the stats approach, the introduction of several more titles - they've never wavered on the idea that its stipulations should be upheld.
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