In what has become like a bad television re-run, we have once again seen AEW‘s numbers reaching some alarming lows. While they remain one of the higher-rated shows on cable television, the ratings and genuine interest level associated with the company seem rather bleak.
Perhaps it’s fitting that All Elite Wrestling puts on such dark, almost black-and-white productions. After all, they are disseminated on the original Turner family of networks. It’s the same broadcasting company that aired everything from bank-busting blockbusters to B-grade busts back in the ’90s.
However, the one thing that AEW doesn’t have in common with those hallowed Hollywood features is the ability to tell a true tale of intrigue. Tony Khan has proven that he’s not much of a screenwriter and merely average as a producer.
This is unfortunate because when AEW originally launched in 2019, it seemed as if the young owner might have the vision of Kubrick and the eye of Fellini. Instead, he’s turned out to be the Ed Wood of the professional wrestling industry, and he’s been releasing a lot of duds lately.
There Are No Dominant Characters In AEW
Despite recent attempts to make The Elite into a nWo-esque faction and the very well-done Toni Storm character, it seems as if the stars of AEW simply work off-script. Even World Champion Swerve Strickland has been like a ship without a rudder after making history at the promotion’s premium event, Dynasty. There wasn’t a solid follow-up to his monumental victory, and it seems like he’ll wind up having a forgettable first run with the title.
AEW’s huge roster and constant rotation of talent on television make it difficult to follow. It makes it hard for fans to ‘pick a favorite’ when that particular star might not be seen on TV for the next three weeks. Or, possibly- three months.
Rarely does a movie with an ensemble cast do well at the box office. Same thing with television shows when it comes to ratings. Why? Because most viewers want a strong lead character or two that they associate the film/program most closely with.
Someone like Brian Cage, Wardlow, or Powerhouse Hobbs can have a dominant couple of weeks on AEW Dynamite, Rampage, or Collision, and then out of the blue, it’s like they have been written off the show. And they don’t even get a ‘Who shot J.R.?‘ moment when it happens. They just disappear from our screens, like they are gone with the wind.
Meanwhile, we get some of the company’s blandest characters over and over again, fighting for belts that don’t seem to be worth much more than the ones the average fan can buy online. Around 12 minutes and 20 near-falls later, the viewers still haven’t been given a reason to pass the popcorn yet.
Legitimate Stars Have No Storylines
There have been plenty of films that are stocked with stars and yet somehow flop. Having a huge collection of talent doesn’t matter if the sum of all parts produces negative results. And that’s one of the biggest problems with the cast in AEW right now.
Former WWE mainstays like Miro, Claudio Castagnoli, and PAC may technically be under contract with AEW. But they seem more like they are on board with the AARP. It’s as if they’re semi-retired, and they just show up every now and then to remind people that they are still (technically) active.
In Hollywood, if you start making too many cameo appearances, it’s usually a sign that you are no longer considered a headliner. So, what are we to make of legitimate names in the wrestling business who have all but disappeared now that they work for AEW?
Many of those ‘second-tier’ stars were thought to have been held back in WWE. But at least they got regular time in front of the camera there. In All Elite Wrestling, they may as well be doing infomercials at 3 AM – that’s how much exposure they get now. It’s like Oliver Stone had signed up a group of Academy Award winners, but had no real script for them to follow.
Coming from a world where they were constantly being worked into some type of story, the former WWE superstars are used to staying busy – even when they weren’t wrestling in a match that night. But in AEW? There are hardly any storylines and very little intrigue. So there’s not a lot of need for characters – which gives viewers even less reason to watch.
Tony Khan’s vision of wrestling may play very well as an indie film. But his style of television will never be a box office winner. Until he changes his vision of professional wrestling and the focus of All Elite Wrestling? It will continue to be the same old flickering film – with more people walking out of the theater every week.
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Ryan K Boman is the author of the 2023 book, Pop Music & Peanut Butter: A Collection of Essays about Embracing Life with Laughter & Love. His previous work has appeared at The Miami Herald, SB Nation, Bounding into Sports, and Yardbarker. Follow him on social media @RyanKBoman.
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