{"id":132187,"date":"2025-03-12T07:00:04","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=132187"},"modified":"2025-07-09T15:16:53","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T19:16:53","slug":"five-reasons-why-aew-should-produce-wrestling-documentaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/03\/12\/five-reasons-why-aew-should-produce-wrestling-documentaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Reasons Why AEW Should Produce Wrestling Documentaries"},"content":{"rendered":"

All Elite Wrestling (AEW), despite being a company over six years old, is full of history and references to said history. From pre-existing storylines to legendary wrestlers from all over to existing relationships with other promotions, AEW boasts a wealth of stories that would surely make for informative and entertaining wrestling documentaries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, wrestling promotions producing documentaries is hardly anything new. WWE is often lauded for its massive library of similar material<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

While some of the stories told in their branded documentaries may extend to exaggerations or outright lies, they\u2019re undoubtedly popular. For some wrestling fans, these are often the gateway to research angles, matches, and wrestlers. I\u2019m no exception to this.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of this, I believe there are several plausible reasons for AEW to create its own library of documentaries<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bringing New Fans up to Speed<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Until AEW\u2019s content library was shared to MAX in 2024, fans had only TBS.com and Fite TV (now known as Triller). With fresh fans entering the fandom, AEW can succinctly tell stories that may leave newbies wanting to see these matches and stories for themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, this peering through the window can provide fans with a deeper understanding of what AEW is all about. Most of how pro wrestling is perceived has been dictated for decades by WWE (depending on where you live). AEW, the alternative, can expand what fans came to know and expect, flipping it on its head.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With how fans gravitate toward certain wrestlers, hype can drive interest. Kenny Omega, for example, has made a mark. Not only would a documentary on him be a gateway to AEW, but it could also benefit their partnership with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. That could extend to Stardom and CMLL.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since AEW also owns Ring of Honor, producing this content could benefit this extra brand. This would also be a prime opportunity to introduce or generate appeal for lesser-used talent, such as Nyla Rose and AR Fox, who likely have compelling stories to tell if they\u2019d wish to share them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Connecting with AEW Wrestlers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Piggybacking off of my previous point, fans may find new favorites after hearing the backgrounds of wrestlers. Sharing feelings and opinions on life as a wrestler adds relatability to their journeys. Fans dig that sort of thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only that, but it captures significant points in time within wrestlers\u2019 lives. Watching <\/span>Beyond the Mat<\/span> decades later, I noticed that Terry Funk, Jake Roberts, and Mick Foley\u2019s careers and lives had changed so much since that 1999 film. Which, of course, is natural and obvious. Duh, Corey.<\/span><\/p>\n

These snapshots capture who people were at a certain point. This extends to the work put into wrestling careers. Most prominent among wrestling stories in AEW has been Hangman Page\u2019s fall and rise to AEW World Champion.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of AEW\u2019s most well-built, long-running stories, Page\u2019s journey featured several key moments in his life, let alone career. Becoming a father, AEW\u2019s loss of Brodie Lee, and the real-life confidence reflected in his growing quality of promo work\u2014I\u2019d love to hear his thoughts on these things.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most recently, Toni Storm and Mariah May\u2019s year-long story has merit in the intricacies of their story. Fans of classic cinema and glamorous demure aesthetics may flock to a documentary on this rivalry. Furthermore, women seeing stories where they get to be wholly feminine while badass is an appeal that is not only compelling but inclusive.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the sapphic elements of their storyline, including Mina Shirakawa, LGBT fans can see themselves in a story with twists and turns that showcase just what women\u2019s and LGBT wrestling can provide when given the time and attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

Different, New Insights and Stories<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s one thing to see the stories play out on television. It\u2019s another to see interviews and hype packages displaying a vulnerability and intimacy with a wrestler ahead of a match. But to lift the veil, new perspectives can add further layers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hangman Page is just one example. To further expand on Brodie Lee\u2019s time in the company and his life as a husband, father, and friend, the time capsule of his tenure at AEW can document this important part of the company\u2019s history.<\/span><\/p>\n

How cool would it be to find out the story of how the first All In came to be? Or the details behind AEW\u2019s genesis? Or decades later, the Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson rivalry in Ring of Honor?<\/span><\/p>\n

Understandably, there would be events that would be best left alone, such as the backstage drama<\/a> at All Out 2022 and All In 2023; there\u2019s nothing left to be said about those, but I wanted to address the elephant in the room on that one.<\/span><\/p>\n

As times change, so do people. Seeing how a wrestler might see themselves at a certain point, how they\u2019ve learned and grown, that type of evolution can add depth that informs storylines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps even influence them. Additionally, more perspectives on certain areas can create intrigue, for instance, the time of Cody Rhodes in AEW or how roster members may have felt about the ranking system.<\/span><\/p>\n

Capturing Potential Audiences Through Retail and Streaming<\/strong><\/h2>\n

AEW\u2019s accessibility stretches far and wide. MAX. Amazon Prime. The TBS and TNT networks. Triller.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now more than ever, wrestling fans have easier ways to consume the promotions they follow. Of course, there are ways to maximize AEW\u2019s current deals to spread more awareness of its product.<\/span><\/p>\n

While AEW had reality TV shows featured on MAX in the past, and past wrestling episodes and events are streamable, it need not stop there. They can continue it, showcasing aspects of the company and its roster through documentaries. There are eye-catching wrestlers, and there are legends fans are already familiar with like Sting, Mercedes Mone, and Samoa Joe.<\/span><\/p>\n

And then some aspects would inspire curiosity, namely, the Daily\u2019s Place and its importance. Or how the company handled the COVID-19 lockdown from 2020-21.<\/span><\/p>\n

I would like to hear about Swerve Strickland\u2019s hip-hop connections and how they affected the product in the past. Perhaps some specials on AEW Dark and AEW Rampage can inform newer fans of these parts of AEW that are now long gone. Loads of potential might entice even the more casual user.<\/span><\/p>\n

More Content for Long-Time Fans<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As a wrestling fan who\u2019s eagerly followed my favorite wrestlers in AEW for years, I\u2019d love to hear the inside stories behind the matches, moments, and people in the company I enjoy. It\u2019d be interesting to see the important periods of AEW\u2019s history under a deeper lens. I\u2019d imagine AEW or wrestlers would have access to all the behind-the-scenes content we haven\u2019t seen before.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s exciting. Imagine the \u201cwhat could have been.\u201d No matter how bad, it\u2019d be a part of AEW I\u2019d not seen before.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve followed the angles unfold. We\u2019ve made our chants and inside jokes. Long-time AEW viewers have watched the programs during even the nastiest warts, waiting for them to pop. Getting a chance to see how things came about in AEW\u2019s history would reward our consistent viewing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A well-produced documentary extends that same interest. Fans want more of the company or its wrestlers. Fans have clamored for more ways to support the brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

One such thing is uploading more full matches to YouTube. I suspect there would be interest in AEW documentaries. <\/span><\/p>\n

With the money likely earned by streaming and television, combined with sponsorships, it shouldn\u2019t be too costly. It may even be a net positive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n

AEW producing documentaries is completely optional. I\u2019m by no means telling them to upend their business cycle to include a small thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, I\u2019ve written this to provide advantages that could benefit the company\u2019s budget, perhaps even the folks at Warner Bros Discovery. Moreover, it could satisfy old, new, and undiscovered fans alike.<\/span><\/p>\n

As AEW makes strides in evolving its presence in pop culture and the wrestling elite, having things in place like this will only benefit in the long run. What\u2019s more is that AEW has stars that WWE doesn\u2019t. They can capitalize on the talents in and out of the ring, showing the world that there\u2019s more than one big kid in town.<\/span><\/p>\n

By sharing the stories that make AEW, AEW, the company would gain positive PR. The environment that the company\u2019s roster enjoys can be highlighted as wrestlers describe their creativity, heart, and commitment to elite excellence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Header photo \u2013 AEW \u2013 Stay tun<\/em>ed to the\u00a0Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a> for more on AEW wrestling documentaries, 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.\u00a0 You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All Elite Wrestling (AEW), despite being a company over six years old, is full of history and references to said history. From pre-existing storylines to legendary wrestlers from all over to existing relationships with other promotions, AEW boasts a wealth of stories that would surely make for informative and entertaining wrestling documentaries. Of course, wrestling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5361,"featured_media":132235,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4677,6,2192],"tags":[4133,3911,4945,9237],"class_list":["post-132187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-north-america","category-wrestling","tag-aew","tag-all-elite-wrestling","tag-documentary","tag-wrestling-documentary"],"modified_by":"Marilee Gallagher, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5361"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132187"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132236,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132187\/revisions\/132236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}