What are AEW's strengths so far?
Dec 29, 2019 16:16:35 GMT -5
Zone Was Wrong, sokratesschmitt, and 1 more like this
Post by Dr. Bolty, Disaster Enby on Dec 29, 2019 16:16:35 GMT -5
So, given all the Discussion going, I felt like this was a good entry - what are the things AEW is doing well?
The following are the things that are really clicking with me, and some analysis of why. These might not be positives for everyone else, but I think there's something to be said in actually thinking through what is working for anyone enjoying the show (which I definitely am).
Gimmick Presentation
There are two major things I am liking about the gimmicks in AEW:
- Gimmicks actually have some kind of resonance with the world
A dinosaur with a master's degree is actually a pretty relevant character for a world where education seems to reap fewer and fewer rewards - where someone could turn out to have an obscure specialty that never got them anywhere, or getting underestimated because of the underemployed job they have.
The Dark Order actually touch on anxieties about internet indoctrination, the power and appeal of organized cults, and organizations preying on the vulnerable and unsuccessful. There is actually texture to them in their vignettes, especially the self-annihilation vibe in what they are recruiting with.
Kris Statlander is a very similar vibe to a thing running through bits of the blogosphere about saying screw being a human, let's be something else and define what that means as we go.
And Jericho...geez, Jericho. His thin-skinned veteran act is just amazing, and feels utterly real given how similar his antics are to what we've seen of wrestlers out-of-character on Twitter.
- Gimmicks are actually relevant to a wrestler's matches and actions
When the Network hit and more people began watching NXT, there was a fairly valid criticism that a lot of "gimmicks" were really just fancy entrances. That was true for some (Adam Rose) but not really for others (Bayley), but it's a worthwhile thing to avoid - a lot of gimmicks, especially the kind of doofy mid-90's WWF and WCW gimmicks that made up so much of the Wrestlecrap Archive, are just coats of paint on a wrestler. Gimmicks are actually worthwhile when they are a core part of the wrestler's entire presentation, how they wrestle, how they interact with the world.
Luchasaurus actually moves like a big, lumbering monster with some surprising bits of quickness.
Orange Cassidy's entire schtick is threaded throughout his matches with no breaks in the character.
Kris Statlander uses gymnastic dodges and uncanny valley mannerisms to get across the idea of an inhuman wrestler.
Private Party have great energy, with Isiah Kassidy's flamboyant taunts and Marc Quen's over-the-top offense contributing to the idea that these are guys having a good time.
Britt Baker is no great shakes, but even then, she's the wrestling dentist who is always hitting people in the neck and jaw.
Sammy Guevara's vlogging obsession actually hinders him in a material way during matches.
Speaking of...
In-Ring Storytelling and Playing to the Audience
Everything AEW does is with the live crowd in mind. They do fewer vignettes, and maybe fewer promos than they should...but as much storyline as can happen in front of a crowd, during a match, or in the ring...does.
I'm not surprised that it took them a while to really get on with vignettes, because the entire presentation is so crowd-oriented. Promos (that aren't by Jericho or Cody) take as little time as possible so that we can get to the in-ring action. Matches like Pentagon, Jr. vs. Christopher Daniels, the battle royal, Omega & Page vs. the Lucha Bros, Darby Allin vs. Jericho, and even Cody & QT Marshall vs. Butcher & the Blade all have done something or other to establish who these characters are, what makes them stand out, and how their conflicts affect how they wrestle. If a match is on Dynamite, it nearly always has an actual story worth telling.
Stories Don't Just Disappear
Britt Baker's initial push was pretty bleh - but once it was clear that it wasn't working and her hometown victory was out of the way, that push was used to fuel other wrestlers' rises. Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander absolutely benefited from their victories over Britt, so the push at least served a purpose even if Britt ends up going nowhere.
The Butcher & the Blade didn't really set things on fire with their debut, and their angle with Cody was run through pretty fast. But their angle with Cody also ended satisfactorily, which I appreciate.
The Ranking System[/u]
I have been impressed by the ways that the rankings have actually driven the storytelling. Nyla Rose being bitter about a battle royal not counting and trying to rack up squash victories; Adam Page thinking he should wrestle Pac again to pad his record and getting bitten by his overconfidence; Hikaru Shida and Britt Baker losing their number one spots as a way to put over a new wrestler. In particular, I like that beating the number one ranked wrestler or team has taken the place of beating the champion in a non-title match; it actually means something, but a number one spot is just sort of assumed to be a temporary and short-lived arrangement, so whoever gets knocked off the top only misses out if they are losing a lot afterward.
So yeah - this is me quantifying what is working for me about AEW so far, and why they are currently my wrestling show.
The following are the things that are really clicking with me, and some analysis of why. These might not be positives for everyone else, but I think there's something to be said in actually thinking through what is working for anyone enjoying the show (which I definitely am).
Gimmick Presentation
There are two major things I am liking about the gimmicks in AEW:
- Gimmicks actually have some kind of resonance with the world
A dinosaur with a master's degree is actually a pretty relevant character for a world where education seems to reap fewer and fewer rewards - where someone could turn out to have an obscure specialty that never got them anywhere, or getting underestimated because of the underemployed job they have.
The Dark Order actually touch on anxieties about internet indoctrination, the power and appeal of organized cults, and organizations preying on the vulnerable and unsuccessful. There is actually texture to them in their vignettes, especially the self-annihilation vibe in what they are recruiting with.
Kris Statlander is a very similar vibe to a thing running through bits of the blogosphere about saying screw being a human, let's be something else and define what that means as we go.
And Jericho...geez, Jericho. His thin-skinned veteran act is just amazing, and feels utterly real given how similar his antics are to what we've seen of wrestlers out-of-character on Twitter.
- Gimmicks are actually relevant to a wrestler's matches and actions
When the Network hit and more people began watching NXT, there was a fairly valid criticism that a lot of "gimmicks" were really just fancy entrances. That was true for some (Adam Rose) but not really for others (Bayley), but it's a worthwhile thing to avoid - a lot of gimmicks, especially the kind of doofy mid-90's WWF and WCW gimmicks that made up so much of the Wrestlecrap Archive, are just coats of paint on a wrestler. Gimmicks are actually worthwhile when they are a core part of the wrestler's entire presentation, how they wrestle, how they interact with the world.
Luchasaurus actually moves like a big, lumbering monster with some surprising bits of quickness.
Orange Cassidy's entire schtick is threaded throughout his matches with no breaks in the character.
Kris Statlander uses gymnastic dodges and uncanny valley mannerisms to get across the idea of an inhuman wrestler.
Private Party have great energy, with Isiah Kassidy's flamboyant taunts and Marc Quen's over-the-top offense contributing to the idea that these are guys having a good time.
Britt Baker is no great shakes, but even then, she's the wrestling dentist who is always hitting people in the neck and jaw.
Sammy Guevara's vlogging obsession actually hinders him in a material way during matches.
Speaking of...
In-Ring Storytelling and Playing to the Audience
Everything AEW does is with the live crowd in mind. They do fewer vignettes, and maybe fewer promos than they should...but as much storyline as can happen in front of a crowd, during a match, or in the ring...does.
I'm not surprised that it took them a while to really get on with vignettes, because the entire presentation is so crowd-oriented. Promos (that aren't by Jericho or Cody) take as little time as possible so that we can get to the in-ring action. Matches like Pentagon, Jr. vs. Christopher Daniels, the battle royal, Omega & Page vs. the Lucha Bros, Darby Allin vs. Jericho, and even Cody & QT Marshall vs. Butcher & the Blade all have done something or other to establish who these characters are, what makes them stand out, and how their conflicts affect how they wrestle. If a match is on Dynamite, it nearly always has an actual story worth telling.
Stories Don't Just Disappear
Britt Baker's initial push was pretty bleh - but once it was clear that it wasn't working and her hometown victory was out of the way, that push was used to fuel other wrestlers' rises. Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander absolutely benefited from their victories over Britt, so the push at least served a purpose even if Britt ends up going nowhere.
The Butcher & the Blade didn't really set things on fire with their debut, and their angle with Cody was run through pretty fast. But their angle with Cody also ended satisfactorily, which I appreciate.
The Ranking System[/u]
I have been impressed by the ways that the rankings have actually driven the storytelling. Nyla Rose being bitter about a battle royal not counting and trying to rack up squash victories; Adam Page thinking he should wrestle Pac again to pad his record and getting bitten by his overconfidence; Hikaru Shida and Britt Baker losing their number one spots as a way to put over a new wrestler. In particular, I like that beating the number one ranked wrestler or team has taken the place of beating the champion in a non-title match; it actually means something, but a number one spot is just sort of assumed to be a temporary and short-lived arrangement, so whoever gets knocked off the top only misses out if they are losing a lot afterward.
So yeah - this is me quantifying what is working for me about AEW so far, and why they are currently my wrestling show.