Why AEW Must Steal THIS Hated WWE Idea
It was a nice moment, everybody agreed that it was a nice moment - because Big E is an amazing talent and human being and should have had a run years before he got it - and then the cynics all told you that it wouldn't last. The title switch always generates a big pop in the arena, but over time, the audience realises that they aren't real champions and did little to earn the title. The magic of the moment quickly fades.
This isn't helped by the fact that the MITB briefcase barely "counts" in the eyes of management. It's often a third quarter experiment when WrestleMania season is as far away as the last WrestleMania. It isn't the big moment designed to formalise an act as a main event star; it lacks conviction. It's a pilot of a push, one that is never optioned by a crowd that knows better. The exact same thing happened with Liv Morgan this year: she was subconsciously resented by fans after the surface excitement subsided.
So if this is a hated WWE idea, why should AEW - which is meant to be the alternative - rip it off? AEW shouldn't even rip off WWE's good ideas, surely. That is the point of it being an alternative.
The AEW World title has lost its lustre following the wild events of 2022.
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