Proper earlier than the primary AEW present, Double or Nothing in 2019, Tony Khan did a media tour to advertise the present and this quote stood out.
“Wrestling followers have wished – and wanted – one thing completely different, genuine and higher for a lot too lengthy. AEW is answering the decision. AEW is about greater than wrestling. It’s a few motion fueled by wrestling followers who’ve been underserved and maybe even disenchanted by what the business has produced lately.”
Sounds acquainted, proper?
For the primary few years of the promotion, Khan held true to his imaginative and prescient. We noticed a mess of nice long-term professional wrestling tales play out. Adam Web page went from shedding his first world title problem on the first All Out to successful the title at AEW Full Gear in 2021. All through that 2.5-year stretch, it was an amazing story speaking about how Web page overcame his personal ideas and points to win the belt over his former Elite stablemate and tag staff accomplice Kenny Omega.
You additionally had Wardlow lastly snap and beat MJF three years to the day after the corporate and storyline began in a squash match. It was completely performed, and also you felt like a star was born with Wardlow. Lengthy-term tales with the most important stars within the firm are what AEW was constructed upon
Over the past eight months, the promotion has modified. Out has gone the good long-term tales and as a replacement is one thing that we ran to AEW to keep away from—over-the-top cartoon characters and tales which have large logic gaps.
At AEW Full Gear 2023, MJF was injured within the tag staff title match, and Adam Cole was set to interchange him in the principle occasion in opposition to Jay White. This in itself had quite a few gaps of logic.
- In an organization with interim titles having been the established route, why was Cole allowed to step in and defend the tile for MJF?
- If Cole wasn’t wholesome sufficient for the tag staff match, why was he allowed to wrestle in the principle occasion?
- There have been 10-15 individuals attempting to cease MJF from popping out to defend the title after the goofy ambulance spot, however not a soul tried to cease Adam Cole?
These are just some of the numerous gaps from Sunday night time, and that’s simply from this match. We may discuss for hours in regards to the “Timeless” Toni Storm gimmick and the way atrocious the end with the steel plate blatantly protruding of her butt and making Aubrey Edwards and the fan base appear like idiots.
After the present, Tony Khan basically attacked the followers who criticized the promotion with a scathing quote.
“If individuals wish to see a sports-based presentation in each match, there’s 33 matches within the Continental Traditional, so prepare. Strap in each Wednesday and Saturday. The identical individuals who don’t wish to see any exterior interference, I’m not bullshitting I’m lifeless critical, for those who don’t wish to see any exterior interference, if you wish to see straight wrestling at its easiest in an amazing discipline, then put your cash the place your fucking mouth is.”
Excuse me? Do you notice that you’re speaking each down and disrespectful to the individuals who actually helped construct this firm by being loyal followers and placing our cash the place our mouths are for 4 years? The identical group of followers that bought out the primary Double or Nothing in minutes as a result of we believed this product could be completely different? The identical followers that didn’t hesitate to purchase 81k tickets to All In with out an introduced match since you offered professional wrestling and never a minor league model of WWE? The identical followers that traveled for pay-per-views for years as a result of they cherished the promotion?
The explanation why your numbers have been down isn’t our fault, it’s yours for offering an inferior product. AEW Dynamites have been subpar for the higher a part of two months because of the concentrate on WWE-style storylines and making the wrestling really feel much less vital each week. We began watching this firm and fell in love with it due to the wrestling and the way all the pieces meant one thing. The rankings made each win and loss matter and had title challenges feeling vital.
“Hangman” Adam Web page and Swerve Strickland within the Texas Deathmatch at Full Gear was the epitome of why we, the followers who wish to be offered with skilled wrestling, fell in love with this firm. The whole lot about it was good, from Web page skipping his entrance to get at Strickland to the staple gun and all the pieces in between. That was a top-five match I’ve ever seen, and it was precisely why these of us who need skilled wrestling have stayed round for so long as we now have.
Having MJF do a spoof of what might be described as a poor Hulk Hogan cosplay with the ambulance and taping his quad when his ankle and knee have been attacked is simply insulting to your fanbase.
This was our probability to actually have an American-based skilled wrestling firm with the wrestling being taken critically and positioned entrance and heart. That’s slowly being taken away from us with this terrible shift to doing second-rate WWE “tales.” It’s evident that others agree with me, as rankings and attendance for the tv exhibits have been on the decline. Pair that with MJF/Jay White being rated a 3.81 on Cagematch if you stated that followers have been on “the sting of their seats” exhibits why the criticism is each honest and warranted.
I don’t know what occurred.
Did you carry within the mistaken individuals to the room when it comes to reserving? Was this your imaginative and prescient of professional wrestling all alongside, and we simply obtained duped for years? You referred to as this another Tony, however how can it’s another by doing the identical issues WWE has performed for years? You lied to us after which had the balls to name us out on your product working us away.
We might be placing our cash the place our mouths are, Tony Khan, nevertheless it’s not in your pockets. Nice pay per views aren’t sufficient anymore. You’ve misplaced the plot, and I’m afraid chances are you’ll by no means get it again.
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