Why AEW Were Right All Along

by Michael Sidgwick
AEW All In Eddie Kingston Jon Moxley
AEW

The crazy thing is that these real, in many cases objective successes, don't register as such. So much obnoxious, deafening white noise drowns it all out. Yes, AEW arguably legitimately broke the all-time attendance record for pro wrestling, but Tony Khan will never make it in the big leagues by burying Jinder Mahal's booking on Twitter. That's small-time thinking!

What?

Tony Khan promoted All In: London! You'd have to actually build Paul Pfeiffer's viral one million-seater stadium design to do something more impressive than that.

B*llocks to these people. WWE's monopoly simply broke the minds of many people who had a coiled turd on top of their brain stem to begin with. What's become of pro wrestling conversation is the dismal, exhausting equivalent of fans of a popular music act angry that an alternative act has sold a few records. Why care. Why care. Why care. Alternatives exist everywhere. It's an indictment of the industry that this wasn't the case in US wrestling for so long.

The only people who matter are the fans, and AEW fans did in fact put their money where their mouths were - the C2 was a relative ratings triumph on Saturday nights - and it's time AEW continued to restore the feeling by bringing back the rankings system.

AEW was right all along to believe that the sought-after millennial demo was old enough to deal with their favourite characters losing clean within a sporting framework that didn't rely on cheap, carny tricks - and that vision is still true five years on.

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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!