What AEW's Second Show MUST Look Like
Maybe it didn't need to be longer. The opener, free of commercial interruption, is a coveted and important slot. But that match had been built for months, and boasted a tremendous character dynamic worked with an authentic tone of animosity. What was great could have been even better, were that ace, hate-fuelled story profiled through the Road To lens at the start of a show dedicated almost entirely to it. An extra five minutes, to elevate it to true classic status, would not have hurt it at all.
Using this additional time to address good faith criticisms - how exactly are the rankings formulated, and what exactly drives the connections within certain stables? - can only further cement the bond AEW has forged with its ardent base.
Between the build and the main, AEW should, in addition to rolling out those excellent character profiles, promote matches that occupy the uneasy space between Dark and Dynamite. This third hour is the vehicle with which to get Scorpio Sky over and to keep those well above the Dark tier - like Santana and Ortiz, and Jungle Boy - in the rotation.
The balance is a challenge; the third hour must embrace and tacitly market itself as the secondary, supplementary show without relegating it to the diehard filler realm in which Dark sits.
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