The Secret Reason WWE Is Failing

by Michael Sidgwick
Private Party
AEW

Private Party's Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen are 23 and 26 respectively. Their inexperience is being used now as a narrative driver; having failed to light up AEW following a major win over the Young Bucks in October 2019, Matt Hardy is exploiting their failure and naivety for his own ends. Darby Allin meanwhile was patronised as a mere twenty-something who didn't have the technique to make it against the vets on national TV. What he wasn't great at, he had to perfect - and he did, at the culmination of a nine-month long arc.

It works the other way, too. MJF is a prodigy who is great in himself, but it's even more impressive that he's this great at just 24 years old. He gets over with a lot - his elite-level verbals, character commitment, and his ability to contrast his great technical ability with the other styles favoured by his peers - but his age is crucial to his aura. He'll modify his act when he nears 30 because that gimmick doesn't get over at 30, just like upstart rock star fails to convince at 38.

All the while, those in their prime - Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, Jon Moxley - all scored victories over the twenty-somethings to maintain their status as prime guys, instead of trading wins amongst themselves in short succession to some pointless end or other. And then, when a Darby Allin finally beats a Cody Rhodes, it means more, and AEW have built a hot young star attraction over enough to star at Revolution 2021's first announced major match. See how that works?

The future can, in fact, be now. It doesn't have to be an unconvincing tagline.

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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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!