New Year’s Resolutions are tricky to make, keep, and sustain. They also reveal a lot about the anxieties, concerns, and state of those making them. Your response to my resolutions and hopes for AEW in 2025 may also reveal a lot about your own perspectives, issues, and feelings about AEW and other fans’ views on the current product.
Their use of negative language also highlights another reason they often fail: hyper-focusing on the problem doesn’t highlight the steps to achieve it. Criticism online in wrestling is easy and like the proverbial cowpat in a field. In 2024, there was a lot of good stuff to celebrate beyond a new TV deal.
It was another strong, phenomenal year in the ring. We had stellar PPVs and huge storylines that broke new ground using violence, showcasing LGBT+ themes and personal battles with mental health.
The final destinations could induce Nirvana-like levels of euphoria. Yet the road has been potholed and hellish. As 2024 ends, things feel firmer, but there’s still one big issue. In 2024, AEW wasn’t perfect, and that’s fine.
If there was one resolution for AEW in 2025, for me and many fans, it would be to keep focusing on the small details that make AEW storylines and matches special.
Extend the emphasis on detail that makes some characters and wrestlers feel like real people. Keep reminding us of their motivations, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities.
Interconnect the world more so there are ripple effects for wins or losses across the card. Consider gaps in logic and plot holes that were considered in advance. Fill them instead of just expecting fans to rely on personal head cannons.
That central theme for 2025 would be more consistent logical storytelling, which is AEW at its best.
Take a Risk and Change/Adapt Plans
Before the “cinema” of The Bloodline, AEW brought prestige back to long-term storytelling with the imposter syndrome storyline of the anxious millennial cowboy. This past year, we saw the conclusion of another potential all-timer storyline with the bloody and career-altering masterpiece that was Page vs. Swerve Strickland.
However, not everything should or needs to be a saga. The devil storyline’s conclusion was unnecessary and unnecessary. Attempts to put the square peg in a round hole failed regardless of the many attempts. Adam Cole and MJF have been dented, and its impact has hurt others involved.
Roderick Strong is one of the most overlooked wrestlers of 2024. Strong had an incredible catalogue of matches. The Undisputed Kingdom’s static and purposeless existence harmed fan investment while both Cole and MJF were absent. Kyle O’Reilly’s return to his friendship group was drawn out and stretched beyond its breaking point.
If Tony Khan and Creative could learn to cut bait or adapt plans based on fan engagement, it would restore some faith that AEW is listening again. Risks could lead to some exciting possibilities.
While Darby Allin may be slowly built to be the one to overthrow Moxley, the risk is that other wrestlers, like ripe and ready fruit left on the vine, will rot. As I discussed in ‘What If Jon Moxley Lost the AEW World Championship at Worlds End?’, capturing the mood doesn’t mean plans have to be entirely scrapped.
Give Characters Purpose
AEW’s main character and barometer of the company’s fortunes for many fans needs character development.
Ibou of Wrestling Purist made an astute observation about Hangman Page’s behaviour in the 18th December edition of Dynamite. Page’s walking out and returning during his trio match with Jay White and Orange Cassidy revealed a reduction of character dimensions.
Instead, Ibou described how Page has lost the nuance of the troubled man trying to cope with everyone seeing him as a bad guy. Instead, Page has become just a “wide-eyed cartoonishly angry guy” (Ibou, X).
The page has been “flanderized,” the process where a character loses its dimensions and nuance. It is reduced to one oversimplified and exaggerated character trait. It becomes one note.
Page isn’t along. It happened in 2024 with Hook. The Death Riders lack nuance due to the vagueness of their mission statement. Orange Cassidy’s post-Worlds End risks regression if his current arc that challenges his existential crisis leads to nothing.
However, it’s not irreversible. It just requires some care and attention to detail. Page’s rage or emotions could change with a new opponent and storyline. Given Page and Cassidy will fight on the 1st Dynamite of 2025, there’s hope a feud between them could take both men’s arc further with a new purpose.
Many characters in AEW could use the same treatment. Remove the barriers that are stopping us as fans from fully investing.
Revamp Your Darlings with Care
The idea behind The Death Rider storyline is to reset characters, which is noble. Although, the flaw is a lack of meaningful character growth for those involved.
Private Party are now the tag champions. However, the titles don’t make the characters. Time dedicated to fleshing out characters with clear motivations, emotions, and purposes will help. There’s an opportunity to bring them off the backburner as an act and to connect them back to The Death Riders to conclude that loop.
Various characters could have new life. Look at how Ricochet overcame the initial transition problems many wrestlers coming from WWE to AEW struggle with. Each wrestler or group will require its own unique and spaced-out development. It’s likely also plenty of trial and error will need to happen.
Some acts, like FTR, remain outstanding wrestlers, but mechanical characters have a potential heel turn ahead with The Outrunners. Fans need to be patient for other changes. Consider Okada’s Continental Classic victory and hints of character change ahead of the foreshadowed clash with Kenny Omega.
Others need more time and attention. They are more complex but not irredeemable. Both Chris Jericho and Britt Baker, who were building blocks for their respective divisions, are not sacred cows. Each, as they persist with their acts and gimmicks, will remain lightning rods for criticism within and outside the fandom.
As wrestling history has shown, especially Jericho’s history, re-invention and renewal are always possible.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – AEW – 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 on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube.
