WWE Just Exposed AEW's Most Embarrassing Flaw

Every recent twist in the Cora Jade/Roxanne Perez story was made possible then probable by their actions in the months leading up to it. As is the way it should be. Jade explaining it all was for the benefit of an indifferent casual audience believes it courts, but in reality if you watched the heel turn you'd probably been watching enough to see the foreshadowing.

Likewise, Stark's battle royal victory came after a thoughtful and detailed QR teaser campaign that gave fans enough to predict her return but her fellow wrestlers no cause to prepare for her onslaught. Tiffany Stratton is shedding her heel skin and gutted her way to the final four. Nikita Lyons similarly shone. Alba Fyre and Lash Legend couldn't be separated as a match within the match. Katana Chance was a human rope in a super cool tug-o-war elimination spot. The care applied to this in planning was rewarded with surprisingly solid execution throughout.

Both Roxanne Perez Vs Mandy Rose and the Number One Contender's Battle Royal the following week were about the NXT Women's Title, and almost every conversation on both shows revolved around them. Television time was used wisely to elevate the important, escalate the stakes and provide the biggest possible stage for significant events. In the latter, 20 women with individual (and yes, sometimes stupid) traits had discussed what winning would mean to them and put over their daft gimmicks in the process.

Could there be a philosophy in more extreme opposition to all of that than AEW's persistent mishandling and marginalisation of their women's roster? Or, for that matter, most storylines? 100mph segments are bad enough when Thunder Rosa, Jade Cargill et al are given the same 15 minute block to share every week, but when they inform a further 1hr 45m of it happening everywhere else, even less lands with any significance.

In contrast, NXT 2.0 has tacitly highlighted a surprisingly deep (in quantity if not always quality) female roster, established brand new heels and babyfaces at the top of the card who pose credible threats to a longstanding champion, and used a battle royal to further lower stakes angles in ways that don't expose limited wrestlers.

This is the absolute best version of the basics, and it's the bare minimum of what AEW should be doing.

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