7 Reasons Why AEW Will Be Must-Watch TV

Image via Getty/Amy Sussman

Dusty Rhodes was not only one of the biggest pro wrestling stars of the 1980s, but he also helped book the NWA during his heyday, as well as the early ‘90s at times. He was so famous (infamous?) for his booking that the term “Dusty finish” was coined to describe Dusty’s tendency to have matches end where a winner’s hand was raised, only to be informed that due to something small, they lost. He’s a legend in the game and judging by how Cody cuts promos before matches, but for the old school “big match feel” of his modern-day bouts in AEW. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and with Cody settling into the role of star on-screen and creative mind behind the scenes, those Dusty influences should will help dictate the feel of the storylines and, more importantly, the tentpole matches and shows will make AEW a true force.

One of the biggest problems many have with today’s WWE product is that it doesn’t usually matter who wins or loses; it’s a common occurrence for a title-holder to regularly lose to a challenger, only to then demolish them in a title defense. The “even Steven” booking of this era can be mind-numbing, as it’s hard to tell what the pecking order of the roster truly is. All Elite has made it a point to specify that wins and losses will matter and that the ranking of their talent roster will help determine who’s being given title shots.

The ramifications of this should be felt immediately; instead of just watching a match, waiting for high spots or moments to cheer, AEW’s going to foster a sense of unpredictability with their programs. If every win and loss matters, that can make most matches must-see television, keeping fans in suspense throughout a program. It’ll make AEW feel closer to real-life professional sports than any form of pro wrestling has been able to.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that tag team wrestling will be put on a pedastal in AEW; the world-renown Young Bucks are a part of the federation’s executive team. That said, it’s something that the WWE lacks; they have solid teams like The New Day, The Usos, The Revival, and others, but they have neglected their tag team divisions for long spells. On Day 1, AEW will be kicking off a tag team tournament that is set to eventually crown the first AEW Tag Team Champions. It’s something that’ll help differentiate their product from the WWE, and with teams like the Lucha Bros in competition, it will set a new standard in professional wrestling.

This is where things will get interesting. During the Monday Night Wars of the 1990s, one of the wildest games to play was seeing which stars would defect from the WWE to WCW (or vice versa, with some ECW thrown in the mix). The nWo storyline was initially based on WWF (at the time) stars returning to WCW to wreak havoc. While the amount of ship-jumping might not be that rampant (we’d assume the WWE has learned a lot from that war), the possibility of AEW’s pluses allowing pro wrestlers more freedom in a less-strenuous environment could be intriguing to WWE superstars who are up for contract renewal and just unhappy with the current product. This also translates to former WWE stars—Jim Ross currently has an active role in AEW, and guys like Bret Hart and Diamond Dallas Page have already made appearances on AEW-branded pay-per-views. Two of their biggest acquisitions, Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley, got their biggest looks in the WWE, and have quickly been pushed to the top of the AEW card.

With a few more key signings and surprises, AEW could continue to pull WWE fans over to see their favorites get to express themselves in a new environment.

Ultimately, everything AEW does right now is newsworthy, for good or ill. Lucky for them, they are saying all of the right things for fans looking for an alternative to the WWE and making a number of interesting decisions. As you can see, they want to make their diversity known from the beginning, be it signing wrestlers from the LGBTQ+ community like Nyla Rose and Sonny Kiss or working with the OWE to bring more Chinese performers in front of an American audience. AEW is leaning into being different, and that's going to be successful for them...in the beginning. They are still learning, and are willing to amend the six month-to-one year's worth of storyline plans they have mapped out already.

It's up to Cody, the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and company to now execute on the tools they've laid out to achieve ultimate success.