Three steps AEW can take to regain momentum

All Elite Wrestling has been in a challenging position since September 4, 2022. The media scrum after All Out, now known as “Brawl Out,” created a situation where the promotion has lost several big names, Tony Khan remains under fire, and multiple backstage issues stole the spotlight from in-ring action. Along with WWE continuing to make moves to change its product, momentum has shifted a bit in professional wrestling. There’s still plenty of excitement for the AEW product, but these are three ideas to help put the focus back on the performers who excel at what they do the best.

Focus on the women’s division

There’s one glaring similarity that highlights the issues going on backstage throughout AEW. They all involve the biggest names and personalities in the men’s division. While their behavior detracts from the product, the AEW women’s division continues to maximize the few moments they are given on television. Each week, their segments and matches draw attention from fans, for better or worse. Using this moment to take some of the focus off the men and put it on the women’s division.

AEW’s women’s division is filled with performers that can garner and keep fans’ attention. Jade Cargill, Toni Storm, Athena, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, and plenty more are there and are ready to stand in the spotlight. Plus, individuals like Willow Nightingale, Skye Blue, Abadon, and others are prepared to fill in the gaps as fresh faces for fans to embrace. If big stars like Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks aren’t available, AEW should look to take some of that time and use it to build the women’s division as many fans continue to call for.

Refresh AEW title pictures

AEW’s title picture has grown stale. There are a few individuals that remain in the chase of singles championships and that has limited growth for the rest of the roster. CM Punk’s forced departure created a void at the top of the card that was filled with Jon Moxley winning a tournament that featured the same names. Chris Jericho snatched away the Ring of Honor World Championship from Claudio Castagnoli and the first challenger will be Bryan Danielson. Moxley’s first challenger will be another former champion, “Hangman” Adam Page. Again, more of the same.

When will the title picture feature some new names like Ricky Starks, Swerve Strickland, Ethan Page, or others? FTR continues to collect all the titles but is kept away from the AEW tag team championship. Will Wardlow finally get a big feud that defines his title run? All of these are questions that fans want to be answered quickly and AEW doing so will help give viewers more to talk about and look forward to each week.

Create a “surprise” moment on television

Battle of the Belts IV went down Friday evening but the show did not have the type of buzz one would expect for an AEW showcase. Part of the reason being is that these shows feel “skippable” because few surprises occur on BOTB. In fact, in the twelve matches across all four editions of the show, only one title change has occurred.

AEW hasn’t generated many “wow” moments on television in recent months. The closest could be Jericho’s win over Castagnoli, but that “wow” was more negative than positive. Predictability has a place in professional wrestling, but surprises thrown in help shake things up to remind fans that these weekly shows are not to be missed. AEW hasn’t embraced that as much lately and giving fans a shocking moment that matters would help build intrigue in what’s to come.