AEW went through its own stage of telling fans that the product wasn’t entirely what they wanted it to be, and that was a torrid time to be a fan of the promotion. So it only seems fair to give them credit for being out of that rut, producing good-to-great TV every week, while WWE runs through its self-imposed identity crisis. 

There are those who take issue with the super-indie element of AEW, stripping back the sports-entertainment of its competitor in lieu of telling the story within the ring and between the bells. Sometimes that can be bloody, sometimes it can be indulgent, and it almost certainly always manages to be long and intensive. 

But there can be no doubt that AEW does what it can to put out the best product it can for those it knows will appreciate it. Fundamentally, AEW knows what it is. It knows what it has to be. And for the past few months it has successfully walked the line of enjoyable TV. One only has to listen to the crowds this week, unaffected by the trauma of having to take out another mortgage to pay for tickets, and entirely free to celebrate some of the world’s best wrestlers doing what they do well. 

There is a clear eye on the future. There are familiar names in the likes of Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, and even Chris Jericho. AEW shares talent with NJPW and CMLL as well as the occasional indie outfit, blending the familiar with the new and exciting, as well as breathing life into the general wrestling ecosystem. To be honest, AEW does best by being exactly what WWE isn’t, and that is a good thing, especially after the week WWE just had.

Written by Max Everett