Wrestling Is About ONE Thing - And Here's Who Rules At It

...and you know it.

Cody Lance Archer
AEW/Lee South

The core function of a professional wrestling promotion is to get its talent over with the fanbase and position them in compelling storylines that enhance or at least maintain their drawing power and crowd reaction. Or buzz, since this no-fans era has removed yet another metric by which to gauge true popularity in a time in which the TV rights fee means exponentially more than customer money.

Think of October 2 as the start date to collect data for the progress reports of companies still running right now.

October 2 was the first battle in the ongoing Wednesday Night War, the looming shadow of which forced WWE to reimagine its output, insofar as that object and subject go together. AEW had what many consider a clear advantage in the wars of clout, discourse and buzz - a mobilised/fawning fanbase that hadn't endured years of fatigue and disappointment - but WWE possessed a loaded, world class talent roster and financial resources unparalleled in the history of the business. And, moreover, the NXT brand was still glowing with fan sentiment in critical acclaim. This war of perception was there to be won. And ultimately, so little of that mattered. Action changes the conversation.

Who took it best?

CONT'D...(1 of 6)

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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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!