Why Vince McMahon Has Failed To Kill AEW

MJF Cody
Scott Lesh

But this programme is unfolding amid an expanding shared universe, progressive stakes, and fire promos. QT Marshall has emerged as a sympathetic favourite; the Butcher and the Blade are an established midcard tag team; Diamond Dallas Page returned to avenge MJF's hilarious baiting; the debuting Wardlow is set to clash with Cody in a steel cage. The prospect of Cody humiliating himself to take 10 lashes of a whip is pure, unbearable drama. As a babyface, he'd rather be humiliated than proven a coward, but fans are genuinely split: they want the match, but not like this. It's expert, captivating episodic TV that is both unpredictable and consistent with the motivations of each character.

What's more likely to draw eyes: that angle, or the inevitable Cole Vs. Ciampa contract signing?

Now, some of this argument is shaped by personal inclination, but even a quick reading of the objective data yields the same conclusion. Consider which episodes of NXT have defeated AEW. On November 20, NXT defeated Dynamite under the promise of a siege attack from RAW and SmackDown, and that promise was immediately realised with Becky Lynch's opening promo. The events of Survivor Series, on which NXT defeated RAW and SmackDown, informed the ratings victory of November 27's post-PPV show.

The next week, with viewers now aware that there would be no further cross-pollination - for now - they chose to watch Dynamite on December 4.

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!