Triple H's WWE Vs. Tony Khan's AEW: Which Is Better?

4. Angles

Triple H Tony Khan
AEW

Triple H was never actually that good at booking angles even during his impressive prime as the creative force of peak NXT.

He was always more capable of basic brawls, scripted promos in which the premise of the conflict was echoed across the ring, and well-produced video packages that documented the basic brawls and scripted promos. There was little verve, spark and imagination to his style. The t-shirt fake-out angle in which Sami Zayn performed an incredible transition from nervy apprehension to devastation to euphoria was incredible, mind you, but it was uncharacteristic of his booking style, which is conservative and often dry.

And also counterproductive: using a comparative exercise, to establish Braun Strowman as a babyface monster, Triple booked angles to bury his tag team division in what was overlooked promotional malpractice.

To establish Wardlow as a babyface monster, Tony Khan booked tremendous angles in which his top prospect rampaged through the backstage area, brutalising security guards who took pleasingly funny slapstick bumps, only to just get blocked off from giving MJF what was coming to him - thereby fuelling anticipation amongst the fanbase to see Wardlow achieve precisely that.

Khan then subverted this by laying out an awesome angle in which Wardlow, using his smarts, worked his way into a similar position - but this time, the fleet of security guards prevented a cowardly MJF from returning to the ring in his match against Shawn Dean. MJF lost by count-out, in a shocker made effective by Khan's refusal to book that finish elsewhere, which infuriated MJF into eventually granting Wardlow a match.

If he didn't, the intelligent Wardlow - who didn't have to destroy the Young Bucks, FTR and the Acclaimed all at once to look powerful - would have removed MJF further away from title contention.

Winner: AEW

 
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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!