Why AEW Were Right All Along

AEW Collision Eddie Kingston Daniel Garcia
AEW

Funny how a wrestler with an authenticity and body type unwanted by WWE losing matches cleanly to drive support of his babyface character resonated with fans turned off by WWE. That's what AEW is, and it is not remotely coincidental that AEW fans gravitated towards that story. All the noise was rendered just that in December 2023: noise, made by obnoxious bad-faith actors, to which AEW should never have listened in the first place.

While it probably wasn't the best idea - Andrade el Idolo had wanted out for a while, and wound down his contract after Worlds End - he too was recharged throughout the Continental Classic. Countless AEW wrestlers won three matches on the spin throughout 2023, but Andrade's really seemed to count in the context of the tournament. He enjoyed his best spell by some distance in an AEW run defined by how fitful and uneven it was. He was supported, and elevated, by the sporting framework.

What follows is a list of achievements made by AEW since launching on January 1, 2019:

AEW has promoted 25 pay-per-views - a medium thought dead five years ago - two of which in conjunction with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Just one has dipped below 100,000 buys. AEW annihilated NXT in the Wednesday Night War that was launched to see them off.

AEW after over four years remains a huge cable TV success, and while cable TV itself is at its lowest ebb ever, AEW can do little about that. They can only beats what is put in front of them, and, as touted by WBD, they were top five in the key demo on no less than 50 occasions throughout 2023. The expansion of the pay-per-view schedule hasn't proved detrimental - at 134,000 buys, Worlds End was more successful than tentpole events Full Gear and Revolution - and that is because AEW has cultivated a very committed base of fans.

There's still a creeping sense that AEW isn't what it was, that the feeling isn't quite there, but it's not exactly reflected in the numbers.

CONT'D...(4 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!