AEW: Well, what wasn’t a ‘boom’ for Feb. 26, 2020?

Boom: AEW’s video package quality is hitting its stride

The two videos with the hype for Cody vs. MJF and the above interview show the growth of AEW. One of the biggest criticisms the first three months of AEW is the lack of vignettes, video packages, and interviews to advance stories and build characters.

The Cody-MJF video was quick yet effective. I won’t spend time discussing it here since Countdown to Revolution has some extended previews of the match, but suffice it to say the Countdown segments are very well done.

Best of all, they didn’t need to appear on the show live; a couple minute video segment allowed more time for matches like Omega vs. Pac and the women’s four-way. It’s a nice change of pace from seeing everybody in a major angle on RAW/SmackDown every week.

AEW has been on a run of great video packages lately, reaching its zenith with the sit-down interviews with Santana two weeks ago and again this week. That was probably the most fire and passion I’ve ever seen from a Santana promo, and just watch the interactions between the Bucks and Page. I mean:

While not a full-fledged heel turn for the Bucks, you could just feel the tension between them and Page, and Matt’s line about Page being a jobber in Ring of Honor gave this the feel of a worked-shoot. I’ve been someone who would like to see the Bucks be more serious, so maybe this will be the start?

AEW seems to have found that sweet spot in the delicate balance between wrestling matches and interviews/promos/packages. It has made the product a joy to consume.