Stop forcing a new wrestling war onto the masses
All Elite Wrestling debuted to a great reaction last Saturday night with their first pay-per-view, DOUBLE OR NOTHING. The show was great from top to bottom. Could the card have been more spaced out instead of top-heavy? Sure. But you’d be hard-pressed to find any sane individual with any other bad take regarding the show. [Okay, maybe the quick reunion of Cody and Dustin wasn’t as believable as some would portray it as, but I still liked it, so I’ll look past the weird story arc].
Yeah, a couple months ago, Triple H took a shot at Cody and AEW during the DX Hall of Fame speech. And, yeah, Cody’s response was to hit a fake throne with a sledgehammer with hilarious special effects destroying it.
But this war between WWE and AEW doesn’t exist. It won’t exist for a long while. In fact, we’ll be lucky if it ever exists. But that’s not what those writers want you to believe.
Sure, you, like me, probably read some of the aggregated dirt sheet content spread across the internet. I don’t take it nearly as seriously as some people, because it’s been proven time and time again just how much that information is wrong and/or not vetted. Of course, Vince McMahon and other promoters can always change their mind, but that’s become a crutch in an industry where the hardcore fans, for some reason, need to know everything that goes on behind the scenes at all times.
It’s that attitude that’s kind of ruined the wrestling experience for me. At least online.
And now, the fervor is real with the advent of AEW, which promises to disrupt the landscape of professional wrestling. Here’s the short of it: I really hope they do. Professional wrestling has long needed a second top company since WCW folded. TNA was hopeful to come close, but never did. WWE tried an initial brand extension, which I was a huge fan of. But after about five years, the rules of that brand split were muddled, and things just didn’t make much sense anymore. And it’s funny, because that’s kind of where we’re at with WWE right now.
WWE’s product has been lacking in story for the better part of two months now. The build to WrestleMania was excellent for most of, if not all, the matches. Things made sense. And now? Things just… are boring. And a bored wrestling fan might be the worst kind of audience.
But when DOUBLE OR NOTHING hit the market this past Saturday, fans were treated to something different. Something with high production quality, some name value, and a huge debut by a guy who left WWE after his contract expired a month ago. There’s a lot to be excited about moving forward. Of course, maintaining the momentum is key in this industry, and WWE’s proven it’s really the only entity that can sustain that throughout the last few decades.
So when wrestling journalists, much of whom I like, start the discussion of how WWE will respond to AEW on Monday Night RAW, I just can’t take them seriously. They’re trying to create something that isn’t there yet, and already shoving it down our throats that we have another wrestling war on our hands.
Again, it’s what we desperately need — but it’s not something we need desperately right now. It will take time. AEW hasn’t even debuted on TNT yet, and we’ve got writers clamoring about how AEW’s already changed the game.
Look, I get the hype. I got swept in and ordered DOUBLE OR NOTHING and parted with $50 against my better financial judgment. I really liked the show. I felt like, sure, I got my money’s worth. Would I pay that much for another show? Probably not, but I just wanted to see for myself what AEW could be. And their first show was a home run.
But it doesn’t mean their second show will be. It doesn’t mean their television show will be good. I absolutely think it will be, but I’m not assuming anything. I’ve seen this before. I’ve seen wrestling fans, myself included, get swept into the hysteria before from other promotions. So when legitimate news sources are pushing this new war onto the fans, it creates an almost Roman Reigns-like effect on me.
Lots of wrestling fans began hating Roman Reigns once they knew he was Vince’s guy. They did the same to John Cena in 2005. It’s just something they do nowadays, which has become the new norm. I understood the defense mechanism of having a guy shoved down our throats — it even happened with Hulk Hogan in the late 80s and early 90s. And I find that similarly happening with these writers already propelling AEW into the stratosphere after one show.
Here’s the thing — I’m sure Cody and co. have told these writers some of their future plans. Where they’re going to look to capitalize in business. Where their bread and butter will be, how they’ll attract talent, their money-making models, etc. I’m sure there are plans. There has to be with a venture like this. That’s the only thing that makes sense as to why these writers are hyping this war so much.
Did anyone really expect WWE to “respond” to AEW on RAW? There’s literally no reason for them to. Sure, Sami Zayn name-dropped the company on TV, but in the context, it’s hardly a response. They want this to become a war, and they want you to believe there already is one.
Jon Moxley heading to AEW doesn’t create a war. A legitimate television show that’s rivaling WWE in the ratings and better overall wrestling shows is what will create a war. We’re still a ways away from that. The more these writers push and push AEW as being on WWE’s level right now, the more and more they’ll garner resentment towards a brand that doesn’t even deserve it.
There’s nothing wrong with letting this potential war happen organically. This is a reason why people choose to prefer one company over another. I thought we all were supposed to love wrestling?
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