The Secret Reason Why AEW Can Beat WWE

Damian Priest Xavier Woods tomatoes
WWE.com

Even when WWE is good - SmackDown is sometimes very good, though it requires one hell of an act in Roman Reigns to transcend the standstill exposition-heavy format - it's still the same old heavily produced sh*t.

Vince McMahon has a certain vision in mind for his preferred sports entertainer. The independent scene he eventually, reluctantly harvested wasn't brimming with his type - it needed to act as an alternative to his cartoon world - and so, bereft of options, he goes to the same pool of guys. This is made all the more deadening and repetitive as a result of WWE's other weird mentality of "trust". They have to "trust" talent before they go all in on the push, whatever the f*ck that amounts to now, yielding show after show featuring rematches upon rematches.

WWE doesn't have to create any ornate narrative spiderwebs. They are incapable, though the Bloodline saga over on SmackDown may tentatively suggest otherwise. Theirs is an antagonistic and bankrupt approach. WWE is a company that suffered major viewership decline in the 2010s for telling its audience to f*ck off with every stop-start push and senseless demotion.

The chickens are coming home to roost, and Damian Priest is going to fling their faeces at the Miz or something.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK 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 AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and 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!