The Unbelievable Truth Behind Wrestling Fan TRIBALISM

PAC Gravity
AEW

Meanwhile, over the spring and summer, Cody went over Lesnar in fortunate circumstances at Backlash. The very second that this finish happened, you knew what was coming: the mandatory WWE big feud Trilogy. And, sure as sh*t, that's what happened. It was good, if very familiar storytelling that culminated with a superb match at SummerSlam, which, great as it was, wasn't the most exciting prospect in all of pro wrestling. It was very solid. Very good. Somewhat uninspiring. Very Triple H. Where Omega Vs. Takeshita badly needed an application of the basics, some heart, Cody Vs. Brock and several other big WWE feuds in 2023 could have done with Kota Ibushi bumping neck-first on a bicycle wheel - or, less specifically, something with a bit of true creativity or variety or flair or something.

For much of 2023, even a very well-received Monday Night Raw run was undermined by an absolutely relentless salvo of Judgment Day Vs. Two Babyfaces tag team matches. The show felt like a rerun for months after SummerSlam. This again made for a lot of solid if uninspiring television, but through a process of conditioning, the fans received the heel stable as the biggest deal on Raw. By default (and, yes, an entertaining dynamic), they were the largest presence on the show. Triple H's tactics while dry and repetitive are effective. The Judgment Day are a part of us all. A part of us all.

A part of us all.

Tony Khan hasn't held himself to a fixed cast of established wrestlers since February 2020, and has gone to ludicrous extremes in the years since. While this avoids the repetition problem, and it's always fun to watch Mistico randomly appear on an episode of Rampage, did AEW fans really need PAC Vs. Gravity, a sh*te one-note meme match, when that time was much better spent actually building Konosuke Takeshita as a major deal with a big-time star presentation on Dynamite?

CONT'D...(3 of 5)

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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!