Why Vince McMahon Has Failed To Kill AEW

Rights fee versus wrong approach.

by Michael Sidgwick
Dynamite Dark Order
Twitter (@AEWrestling)

The narratives surrounding this Wednesday Night War change so often that every critic, commentator and viewer suffers more whiplash than they do in the face of a Fénix Vs. Nick Jackson sequence.

It was thought WWE pulled off a masterstroke in the build towards Survivor Series by successfully promoting NXT as not merely a third brand, but the dominant brand. The cool brand. The advertised invasion on the go-home show, oxymoron or no, succeeded: NXT defeated AEW Dynamite in the ratings war by promoting appearances from the talents of RAW and SmackDown.

Your writer, admittedly, was too quick to engrave the trophy by declaring WWE as the ultimate victor. This sentiment was echoed elsewhere in the wake of December 18's Dark Order furore. Meltzer referred to it as the "tipping point" in NXT's favour, and the general sense was that AEW Dynamite, if not failing, had become a normal, uneven wrestling TV show with highlights, lowlights, and an inescapable sense that it wasn't effectively promoting its star talent. WWE had successfully marginalised AEW as a niche portion of the weekly wrestling diet, for all of a fortnight.

Last week's news changed everything, in conjunction with AEW's vast improvement in 2020.

CONT'D...(1 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!