Why Wrestling Is About To Make The Biggest Mistake Of The Century
It was as sports-oriented as pro wrestling gets; greying, sweat-soaked old legend gradually rediscovers his sharpness and form by racking up close, hard-fought victories over journeymen and emerging talents before proving himself worthy of the ultimate prize.
Embarking on the journey with Punk was immensely rewarding when he reached the destination, but perhaps it was all much too patient for the curious new viewers to stick with. As much as Punk struggling to put away Daniel Garcia and Lee Moriarty deepened the heft of Punk's triumph in the end, those new viewers were piqued by the signings of Punk, Cole and Danielson because they expected Punk, Danielson and Cole to work one another. When they realised that the eye-catching dream roster wouldn't immediately interact with itself, in an era of pop culture that has never yielded more entertainment options, they opted out.
Since 1993, the expectation for pro wrestling has been established. Stars wrestle stars. Tony Khan has spent his career as a promoter attempting to re-train the audience. Stars can lose without it being an embarrassment; matches needn't necessarily be arrived at as anything other than a sporting fixture; the macho men can appear as sensitive figures struggling, as we all do, with mental health. Teaching patience in an instant gratification world however proved impossible.
AEW can bottle the lightning again because, somehow, CM Punk returning to AEW is as improbable now, if not more so, than it was on July 20, 2021: the day before Fightful Select broke the news on Twitter that he was in talks to return to wrestling.
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