It's Official: The AEW Roster Is FAR Too Big

by Michael Sidgwick
Isaiah Swerve Scott
WWE.com

No wrestling promoter should ever book a card on which every match goes 30 minutes and strives for *****-level critical acclaim.

That would exhaust the crowd. A show should ebb and flow or, ideally, build to that exact crescendo; otherwise, the main event won't feel special. This analogy however is what the AEW roster feels like to its normalised detriment. You could also make the argument that Khan couldn't not sign virtually every individually, uniquely brilliant act that has led AEW to this point. Why would you not convince CM Punk to sign? Why wouldn't you attempt to tap into the potential boasted by Swerve Strickland?

At some point, Khan should have exercised discipline. That point has passed now.

From day one, AEW marketed itself as the anti-WWE promotion. The written copy in the press release heralding the WarnerMedia deal was effectively a burial of what WWE does - "less scripted, soapy drama" - and a promise not to do that. AEW has now taken this philosophy to the ultimate, suboptimal extreme. If WWE is the place where few stars are made, AEW is the place where there are far too many.

AEW once felt like a band on a classic run of awesome studio albums, but we are firmly in the Supergroup Era now. Individual brilliance can still be heard, but it it is very much compromised.

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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!