It's Official: AEW Has Broken Its Most Sacred Rule

by Michael Sidgwick
Cody Full Gear
AEW

When for example MJF lost to Jon Moxley at All Out, that was it. He recognised that that was it, and set about joining or forming a stable to get back on top again. Kenny Omega recognised that Jon Moxley had him beat in the singles ranks following Full Gear '19, and attempted to crack the tag ranks alongside Hangman Page to get his career back on track.

In 2022, when Adam Cole lost at Revolution, he simply requested a rematch by way of a trios match. In turn, little feels as elusive and definitive as it used to. Little feels like it truly matters, where in late 2019, the anxiety over Cody's challenge of Chris Jericho at Full Gear was so palpable that the obvious direction - the grudge feud with MJF - wasn't that predictable at the time. The idea that Cody had to win was pushed so brilliantly that his loss didn't feel like an option, much less a booking device.

Hangman Page's character arc could only have worked in the context of how AEW used to function. Only when he lost everything, and was marooned from the title picture and his support network, could he rely on the crowd's full support to drag him into doing that cowboy sh*t all over again.

If things stay as they are in AEW, we might not see anything like it again.

For a major in-depth read about that Page arc, and a passionate, insightful dive into the formation and success of AEW itself, purchase my book Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW at this link.

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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!