AEW: A good start creatively but room for improvement in the future

AEW has celebrated a milestone of being a company for two whole years. There have been many champions, storylines, and historic matches. This has made AEW a pillar of success with no sign of slowing down. There is still room for improvement to make AEW the perfect home run for creative storylines and great wrestling.

AEW has found areas of success creatively, but they have room for improvement.

When AEW first launched, they were searching for their own identity. There were some things that worked and some that did not. it has been about taking chances creatively and it’s a philosophy that has remained true today.

Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho’s storyline was the first example of taking chances. The rivalry was so well done because there were many moving parts including Kenny Omega, Hangman Adam Page, and Pac who all were in the outskirts of that primary rivalry. They teased different scenarios of what could possibly happen and it enhanced the story.

They still use this formula today with many moving parts to their rivalry. With a faction like Inner Circle, it truly took AEW in different directions, especially when there was a world title involved. However, the subject of factions is a little tricky today and a center of debate and division among fans.

The reason factions are so tricky is because they can limit a company creatively. A company with an emphasis on individual contenders for top titles will run into slumps creatively. So far, AEW rankings have not been too surprising and they are actually in the exact position expected.

When there is a lot of factions for individual championships, certain wrestlers are bound to be lost in the shuffle. This can happen because certain stablemates have higher momentum over others or they just aren’t used often with only so much time for programming.

The silver lining is that AEW seems to be backing away from faction creating with superstars like CM Punk, Malakai Black, and Ruby Soho. Superstars at their absolute best not tied down with a faction. Hopefully, AEW will continue down that path and make decisions that make sense for individual characters.

The plus side of AEW programming is that they have proven they can tell a long-term story. Fans make it sound simple, but it is one of the hardest things ever done on television. There are critically acclaimed television shows that have struggled with this concept. Wrestling historically has struggled with it and it typically led to lost spots for various reasons.

Losing a spot is something that all wrestlers worry about including Brandi Rhodes who expressed a degree of worry in the most recent episode of Rhodes to the Top. This is the case for most wrestling companies that lack imagination and commitment to keep the wheel turning for their program.

Fans would grow tired of seeing their favorite wrestler pushed down or pushed out because they missed time for injury or other reasons. Let’s be real, missing time is something that happens to everyone for one reason or another.

Hangman Adam Page came back after some time off and went straight for championship contention in the casino ladder match. It was the right move to bring him back into the loop without missing a beat because he worked and never truly lost momentum at all.

AEW has kept that flow to bring people back whether they were injured or just haven’t been on television for a while. The true test will come later on when they struggle with someone from a creative perspective and it will show if AEW can keep a creative flow no matter the circumstances.

After the unveiling of the TBS championship, it’s clear there will be more opportunities for the AEW women’s division. There’s a lot happening including the continuation of the epic rivalry between Dr.Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa, the rise of Jade Cargill, and wildcard Ruby Soho.

One of the biggest complaints is that AEW gives one or two matches for women and nothing more on Dynamite. The rest of the women’s division has had to create their own destiny utilizing AEW Dark, which led to an interesting program between Big Swole and Diamante.

That goes hand in hand with another issue of the unfortunate predictable nature of AEW Dark programming. AEW Dark has taken on a style as more of an exhibition bout with clear winners before the introductions are over. Big Swole and Diamante took matters into their own hands for a competitive rivalry and it’s sure to bubble over into the chase for the TBS championship.

This is the chance the fans and wrestlers have been waiting for with a program where there is a lot at stake. It’s one of those situations where people can’t even guess what will happen next, hopefully, the women will be given that chance to shake all programs and show how important this moment truly is for everyone involved.

Everything AEW has done has been about taking chances and their future looks good even with the quirks they have. Fans can trust Tony Khan will do whatever he has to do to push bounds to bring the best wrestling and storylines.

AEW has come so far in a short time, but there is a lot of room for improvement and hope for adjustments. There is a lot to look forward to and hopefully, fans will continue to see improvement as we enter the final phase of 2021.