All Elite Wrestling has come in for some criticism lately with regards to some of its booking. In recent months, we have witnessed the debut of Shaquille O’Neal; both Snoop Dogg and Mike Tyson getting physical in-ring, and now the latest teasing by Paul Wight of a Hall of Fame worthy debutant arriving at AEW Revolution. Many have drawn comparisons to the lunacy of late-stage WCW, where celebrities and elder talent ran amok whilst the full-time card was shunned and pushed aside. This comparison to WCW is something worth pondering for AEW management, but it is not currently a problem. Let’s explore why.
Veterans in AEW Have Mostly Been Supporting Members of the Roster
Whereas it can (and certainly has) been claimed AEW is at the mercy of its older talent, this could not be further from the truth. Sure, Chris Jericho was the first-ever AEW World Champion at the grand age of 48, but this was a necessary decision to ensure some name recognition and to get some eyes on AEW’s product from the very beginning. AEW has a plan, a long-term plan which involves some tremendously talented young workers (more on them later). The fact that Jericho was a World Champion at his age does not lessen this fact. Additionally, roster members of a similar age have played the role of supporting cast members; veterans often used sporadically, either to give less recognizable names a rub or to put them over in-ring. Dustin Rhodes and Billy Gunn are two workers with name recognition who have put over younger names. Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, Taz, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts have effectively acted as coaches and mentors to full-time workers in need of some assistance. There is no problem with AEW’s veteran usage.
There is a Bright Future Ahead
One of the things AEW most deserves credit for is its development of young talent. Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, Jungle Boy, Anna Jay, Riho, Isiah Kassidy, Marko Stunt, and more were virtual unknowns before appearing weekly on AEW Dynamite and Dark. All of them are either currently under the age of 25 or were under the age of 25 before signing with the company. This is a proven commendable effort by AEW to develop its own young stars. Then there are the likes of Adam Page and MJF; two other stars under the age of 30 (MJF is still only 24) who gained recognition before signing with AEW and have gone from strength-to-strength to develop further, with both now certain future world champions. As seen just this week, Jade Cargill, especially, has the potential to be a big star for All Elite Wrestling. This is a young and talented roster and it isn’t being squandered with AEW’s use of celebrities and veterans.
International Development
Another polarizing decision by AEW has been their opting to use so many young Japanese talent, particularly Joshi talent (Japanese female professional wrestlers). This decision is not one that should be as polarizing as it is. Frankly, AEW is using so many Joshi talents because of just how good they are. Many of them are young, hungry competitors capable of wowing audiences (Riho) and becoming excellent, worthy characters despite any language barrier (Maki Itoh). This is also helping AEW develop internationally, with the company already recognizable in Japan with thanks to Kenny Omega being a most beloved former IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Over time, there is no doubt AEW will continue to expand into other markets, such as the UK, China, and more. There is room for improvement here, however, as talent at the level of Pentagon Jr and Rey Fenix should be in a much better position than they have been since debuting. They are simply too good to be stuck in the mid-card for life.
Celebrity Involvement is Not Problematic for AEW… Yet
So far, the celebrity involvement in AEW has not been a problem. In fact, credit must be given for the sheer caliber of celebrity they have attracted at such a young age. Shaq, Mike Tyson, and Snoop Dogg are each big parts of American pop culture. Yes, they are older celebrities, but they each maintain relevance even now. Additionally, their cameos have been fun. Snoop Dogg performing whatever that splash was made for hilariously entertaining viewing. Shaq had a match far better than it had any right to be this week, with he and Jade Cargill each drawing acclaim for what was a highly impressive debut for them against Cody and Red Velvet. There is the potential for celebrity involvements becoming increasingly problematic in the future, should they persist more often than they should. But right now, they are managing this aspect just right. The celebrities are there to appear in small, sporadic doses to boost ratings and with Shaq appearing in a match which drew over 1.1 million viewers this week, it appears to be working.
Conclusion
All Elite Wrestling is not flawless. There has never been a perfect wrestling show and there never will be. Some may argue that it is far from perfect. However, it cannot be argued that Tony Khan and company are doing a very good job at developing a future with the assistance of a classy bunch of veterans; are building upon ratings (even despite the pandemic) with the assistance of pop culture icons; are working towards becoming recognizable overseas and are continuously attempting to sign big named free agents who may bring something extra to the show (Jon Moxley being a standout example). It is hard to say for sure what lies in store for AEW Revolution this Sunday and it is impossible to predict the teased Hall of Fame worthy talent. One thing is for certain: right now, AEW is heading in the right direction.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW DARK Tuesday nights at 7 PM ET on YouTube.
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