WWE Vs. AEW: How Do The Empty Arena Shows Compare?

In which it isn't so simple as "Dynamite was better than RAW this week".

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Twitter (AEWrestling)

Is it a time for solidarity amongst the wrestling fandom, a time that renders such a comparative exercise bad form?

WWE after all showed solidarity with the Independent circuit by sending a cease and desist letter to Freelance Wrestling in this time of global uncertainty. To continue to exist, Freelance attempted to promote a show entitled 'In Our Warehouse', using the visual iconography of the old WWF In Your House shows. Arguably, this was all done within parody law. Inarguably, this was a total d*ck move on WWE's part, and as such - as always - it is difficult to receive the "show must go on!" spirit as an act of pure benevolence.

The real wrestling war never ends, even now - so why should the fun one?

Still, both AEW and WWE are to be commended - maybe - for running live shows with minimised risk to the public. Everything else is cancelled. This, whatever this is, feels unstable, too.

So yes: a comparison follows.

People seem to want normal. Normal service is wrestling fans baying for blood, from babyface heroes and neckbeard critics alike. It's Thursday. You know what that means.

It's time to sh*t on good wrestling for not being on the correct channel!

Commended, yes - but praised...?

8. In-Ring Action

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WWE.com

WWE:

Not bad, but not enough; WWE's Performance Centre shows are light on new in-ring content, but perhaps understandably so. The traffic in and out of the PC is vast. The scale of the company is vast. Producing seven hours of original weekly content as normal this week is an invitation to this not happening at all next week. Safety is paramount. Still, the action doesn't feel consistent with the apparent trenches spirit. It feels obligatory and careful more so than defiant and celebratory.

If fewer matches = relatively safer, this doesn't explain the brevity - nor does it explain why 205 Live even went ahead, much less with a 10-man tag.

AEW:

AEW's in-house style - and or lack of one - better lends itself to this awful new context. The Lucha Brothers Vs. Best Friends deliberately limited the dives and the aerials, with no crowd to manipulate into "This is awesome!" chants, and instead created a squelching sound canvas to compensate for that lack of crowd noise. Trent helpfully allowed Pentagon Jr. to play his tenderised thigh as an instrument for this purpose.

The four-way Women's match emphasised spots and pace over a gripping, focused story, and in contrast, the main event was a very good, storied match that incorporated six men and much of the pseudo-audience into an escalating, thrilling series of distractions/beats.

But how advisable is all of this...?

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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!