Let's talk about why we love AEW.

[hitmanhart]

Jamie F'N Hayter

[Some Guy]

-Commentary is always at worst solid even when JR is iffy, which is such a drastic difference from WWE that I will take it every day (even post Vince, it is so unbearable that I do not understand how anyone could see it as good)

-Production could stand to be better at times, but for the most part the moves are properly captured the way they should be

-An unreal level of talent on the roster up and down

-The multiple number of styles that are able to be featured on every show

-The taped YouTube shows have a fun and relaxed feel that allow me to enjoy them every week

-The brawls in AEW actually feel like brawls rather than every non Gunther WWE brawl which feels hollow and lame. It helps that guys actually look like they're in a war, and I'll go to bat saying blood is 100% a good thing in wrestling so I'm glad AEW features it as regularly as they do (no I don't care Mox bleeds too much, all the more power to him)

-Between Eddie/Mox/Punk/Mark Briscoe now/Nyla/so many others, they have people on the mic that actually sound like they're getting across a story being told and feel natural

-The theme music is by and large very good, and allows the talent to often times pick their own (which is a detriment in Saraya's atrocity of a theme but otherwise it works well)

-Renee is an excellent backstage interviewer and AEW knows exactly how to use her

-Their PPVs are never bad

-The second lives they've given to guys who either went out ugly or had really unfortunate WWE runs ala Sting, Jeff Jarrett, Swerve, Punk, Toni, Moxley especially, Jericho when his feuds aren't 900 years long, Billy Gunn, Christian, FTR, etc.

-The match quality at its best is higher than any other company in the world, which is great to have since PWG takes like 4-6 months to get their matches out, NJPW has been in a lull ever since Ibushi lost the title years ago, WWE besides Gunther has a real sameness quality to everything, and well Stardom is up there but I can only catch their shows so often

-The unbelievable amount of young talent on the roster that has been developed

-Vince McMahon has no presence

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

So, I don’t love AEW. I’m fact, I kinda feel like I crack jokes more than anything since their product just doesn’t offer much for me personally (and that’s fine!) BUT I am so rooting for their success and continued influence in the industry.

There’s just too many upsides. More places for folks to work, having someone with pockets as deep as Khan taking an active interest in being an honest alternative, WWE folks benefit in contract negotiations, and admittedly, it is kinda nice to hear more than like one or two folks in my personal life mention a wrestling company that’s not WWE.

So yeah. Imma get these jokes in and probably critical for realsies every now and again but best believe I’m hoping they take many many W’s in the future

[Kalmia]

I love AEW because it's just more my style than most other promotions. I don't want a wrestling show that revolves around promos, I want one that revolves around wrestling. I like that AEW has a wide variety of wrestlers and styles and let's them do their thing.

When AEW does do in ring promos, they don't out stay their welcome and feel more real. Not because they're full of shoot remarks (although they are sometimes) but because you can believe the wrestlers mean what they're saying. It sounds natural. Even some of the occasional mistakes and awkwardness helps.

I like most of the wrestlers in AEW. I'm genuinely invested in seeing so many of them succeed. I trust that AEW are going to do something decent with them (even if that takes a little too long sometimes) instead of throwing them to the side for someone else.

I like that AEW rarely makes dumb decisions or swerves for the sake of swerves. When things have bombed, AEW has been willing to pivot and change things.

Finally, as far as wrestling promoters go, Khan seems like one of the better ones. Absolutely not without his faults but he's nowhere near the same level of scuminess that most people involved in wrestling are.

[yokohamacpfc]

- It makes WWE better, not only do they up their game when there's competition but it has a knock-on effect on how talent is treated. A good example would be the strong pushes KO and Sami have gotten since signing new WWE contracts. Pre-pandemic Sami doing the awful Lashley's sisters skit and being Vince's moaning old man avatar and KO was Braun's personal bitch. When their contracts came up there was a fear of losing them that wouldn't be there if Impact or ROH were the only alternatives and so they are promised pushes and we get the current Bloodline story.

- Jungle Boy, Kingston, Starks, Page (both of them), and more I think would suffer from Vince's short attention span in an AWEless world and would be much more obscure figures.

- With the exception of Miro the former WWE wrestlers are used very well with their star power being used to draw interest without being the center of attention as ex-WWE wrestlers were in TNA.

- Japanese and Mexican talent probably used the best they have been by a large American company.

- Crowd-pleasing booking, results such as the recent tag team title change that fans disapprove of are notable for their rarity. Possibly half a dozen times (half of them involving Jericho) in three years has the wrong party gone over.

- Good commentary.

- Sting, Dustin, Gunn and despite above comment Jericho are all assets to the company, excellent use of legends.

[Denny Zen is Cooking™]

Feb 11, 2023 15:40:07 GMT -5 The Ichi said:

It feels like it actually respects me as a fan.

This is verbatim what I came in here to say. AEW is not a perfectly booked company, and has had its fair share of bad storylines to be certain. But AEW has always felt like it’s booked for the fans, not in spite of the fans. AEW has been very good throughout its history at listening to and acknowledging fan feedback, and pivoting if necessary.

I also just appreciate AEW’s more “old school rasslin” presentation. I know some people like WWE’s production quality, but the over reliance on CGI and AR over the last 3-4 years has genuinely made it almost unwatchable for me. I like that AEW has professional production values, but doesn’t take it to an extent that I feel like I’m watching a live action PS3 game.

And, perhaps, most importantly, AEW has almost all of my favorite wrestlers these days. The in ring quality is absolutely top notch, and I think I can pretty much count on one hand the number of Dynamite/Rampage episodes that I haven’t enjoyed in 3+ years. And all of the PPVs have been quality.

[J is Justice]

They have incredible entrance themes.

Amazing tag division.

Skye Blue.

[Milkman Norm]

-The matches

-The values of the folks in charge so more in line with mine then some other promotions

- It's given Tony Schiavone another act & introduced him to a new audience. I'm so happy for him

- With one major show that ends at 9 central it's easy to follow without keeping my up late

[Super Duper Dragunov]

They currently have the sexiest male world champion in wrestling.

But then he opens his mouth. But still, sexy.

[IgnahtaSempria]

A lot of people have already said most of my favourite things, so I'll just say this one: I like how nobody in the company is pigeon-holed into a certain role based on their size, or what division they're in.

Big dudes do flips. Cruiserweights deadlift people. Brawlers chain grapple. A 6'6", 53-year-old Dustin Rhodes does flipping piledrivers in almost every match, and Sting is on a New Jack kick. Tag team wrestlers aren't portrayed as inherently inferior to singles wrestlers, and if one member of a team gets injured, the other is still allowed to have singles matches instead of disappearing from the card entirely. A midcard guy like Chuck Taylor can hypothetically challenge for the World Championship, and the lead-up and match will be booked in a way that makes you believe that he actually has a chance, even when the result is clearly a foregone conclusion.

I just... I f***ing love AEW, guys.

[ERON]

It's a wrestling show for wrestling fans that doesn't dumb itself down to try to appeal to the masses. It lets wrestlers be themselves instead of making them play characters and read scripts concocted in a corporate office. It's both a spiritual revival of WCW, and an indie with a billion-dollar budget. In short, it's what American wrestling has been sorely missing since 2001.

[HMARK Center]

Most of you folks have been just fine on this, but just a reminder here to not make stuff here about bashing WWE. No worries bringing up stuff about WWE you personally aren’t into and how that might relate to something you like about AEW, but it’s a positive vibes thread so no need to say stuff that might bring the mood down.

-Obvious answer: it’s a high profile, high visibility, accessible alternative. I realized long ago that I really wasn’t much of a WWF/WWE fan after the early 1990s, ended up preferring WCW during the MNW era, and even after that really didn’t get into WWE for a bunch of reasons. I went with ROH and gave TNA frequent chances, and eventually landed on NJPW, but outside of getting to go to big New Japan shows stateside it seemed like I’d never really have a major weekly TV wrestling show that I could see live with any regularity. Well, I’ve got that, now.

-Speaking of which, I love that they run Newark, NJ, since that’s so close to me. I’ve gotten to attend two Dynamites, a Rampage/Dark, and a PPV. I appreciate that the live AEW experience places an emphasis on not letting things get boring for the crowd, there are times you can hardly tell you’re waiting through a commercial break.

-Easily the biggest factor: the storytelling emphasis is on what happens in the ring. I’m a huge fan of wrestling as physical storytelling, whether it’s the story of an individual match’s psychology or a long term character arc that plays out in the way a given wrestling performs during their matches. Promos and angles have their place, but at day’s end I want to feel rewarded for paying attention to matches and picking up on details; no promotion can get you to feel that way about every single match it runs, but some get closer than others, and AEW is up there.

-Willingness to cross over with and acknowledge other promotions.

-I do have to say it’s done my heart good to see so many of my favorites again. Like I said, I just really never got into WWE again since I was a kid, so while I was glad that guys like Danielson and Samoa Joe went there and got plenty of money and lots of eyes on their work, I never followed them there as a fan.
Now? I can’t tell you how great it felt to chant “you’re gonna get your $&@!ing head kicked in!” at Arthur Ashe or to jump up and start going “JOE! JOE! JOE!” after the TNT title match at Full Gear, not only because I was watching them again but because both guys were wrestling like it was golden era ROH, seemingly no restrictions beyond those that come with wear and tear. Made me feel like I was 21 years old and standing at the Inman Sports Club in Edison, NJ watching those guys when we were all a heck of a lot younger.

[Hypnosis]

The feeling that anything or any match can happen.

Major feuds are usually intense and violent (Moxley and Hangman, for example).

While the current women's storyline sucks, the division itself now has a good mix of popular names and workrate.

Seeing the young talent grow from year-to-year.

The support that AEW's given to the families of Brodie Lee and Jay Briscoe after their deaths.

[xCompackx]

AEW is literally everything I want in a wrestling company. Great wrestling, funny as hell commentary you want to listen to while also being genuinely informative on why a move is applied, consistently hot crowds who seem like they're actually being entertained by what they're seeing, the list could go on. AEW's going to make mistakes and stuff will flop; that's inherent in any entertainment company. But if at very worst, you still produce a fun show on a weekly basis, that's pretty good.

Shit, even going to AEW live is the most positive experience I've ever seen in wrestling. Last Dynamite I went to live, Aubrey told us a funny story about Chris Jericho mistaking her for his assistant and my brother's sign got shown on the tron between Dynamite and Rampage. They want you there and I love that.

[Cyno]

The closest I've ever been to bored watching an AEW show was last week's Rampage. Even the worst stuff is stuff I can get entertainment out of (albeit for the wrong reasons; like classic Wrestlecrap not the "oh God end this misery" modern definition).

I really like the variety of styles shown in the ring. There's no one overriding style everyone mostly adheres to. It's like a wrestling theme park. You see technical, hardcore, lucha libre, strong style, etc.

Between the AEW crews and Ian and Caprice doing ROH matches, they have my favorite commentary in the business. Only real sour point is when Jim Ross acts like a curmudgeon. And that's overshadowed by Excalibur's geekery, Tony's general excellence, and Taz's heel commentary that's funny and not overbearing.

It made tag-team wrestling great again. Last time a tag division felt this relevant to me was the E&C, Dudleys, and Hardys era of WWF. Teams like the Bucks, FTR, and the Acclaimed feel like they're as big stars as Hangman Page, MJF, Bryan Danielson, and Jon Moxley.

It has Danhausen.

[mc74]

Basically the same reasons as some people have already mentioned.

-A product that involves around wrestling and presents itself as such.

-The big one here, being consistent & quality storytelling. Something that has been a major pet peeve of mine with WWE as the lack of good storytelling is what led to me falling out with watching them on a regular basis. Granted, AEW has certainly had their stinkers here and there, but for the most part, I feel they've done a good job of telling stories in and outside of the ring overall.

-Utilization of talent in roles that are better-suited to them.

-A stacked roster where it feels like just about every wrestler stands out in their own unique way.

-Commentary is excellent, even if JR happens to have a bad night at the desk.

-Their working relationship with other companies that help expand the world of pro wrestling outside of AEW, exposing the audience to other talent and various styles of wrestling. Helps mix things up a bit.

-Elevating tag team wrestling to a level it hasn't been in years.

[Non Banjoble Tokens]

How many ways can one say the name Britt Baker?

[Non Banjoble Tokens]

Feb 11, 2023 23:26:29 GMT -5 Super Duper Dragunov said:

They currently have the sexiest male world champion in wrestling.

You made Tyrus feel really bad with that statement.

[IgnahtaSempria]

Feb 13, 2023 3:48:47 GMT -5 Non Banjoble Tokens said:

Feb 11, 2023 23:26:29 GMT -5 Super Duper Dragunov said:

They currently have the sexiest male world champion in wrestling.

You made Tyrus feel really bad with that statement.

Good. Tyrus should feel bad. He should feel bad about his multiple sexual harassment accusations. He should feel bad about his ring work. He should feel bad about his promo work. He should feel bad that the only reason he's a world champion in 2023 is because the booker ascribes to the belief of "all publicity is good publicity".

In short, Tyrus should feel bad for being Tyrus. Because God knows no one else wants to be Tyrus.

[Starshine]

It's the best wrestling show I've ever seen on TV. Like, it's good enough that I don't feel that I should be emabrrassed about people knowing I watch it; or that I ever feel stupid for having any emotional investment in the product.

Good TV is good TV, that's pretty much all that needs to be said.