Pro Wrestling: What I Love About AEW

 Hey youse Divas! Your favorite diva and wrestling fan is back with another one. Cloudy and chilly (again) here in Wisco, and one excited girl ready for pampering with my colorist, followed by lunch and shopping with my friend Tori. Stella is around here somewhere. 

I watched Dynamite.  After a reset of the guide size on my cable box, I’m lucky I got the full episode. I had seen spoilers both on Twitter and the internet today and I couldn’t wait to get home to watch. My pal Chris on Twitter mentioned today he hasn’t kept up with Raw in weeks-same here, but I’m keeping up with SD. Yesterday I received an email about a WWE PPV presale, and as I write this blog, I can’t even tell you what event it is. WWE was my childhood and young adult life as was NWA/WCW, along with the AWA. AEW is me right now, and I’m saving my money for an AEW PPV, rumored to be in Chicago this year. 

Yes Virtue, I like you. But I love AEW. 

So, with that being said, let’s talk about what I love regarding AEW. 

Commentary 

If you know Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan on commentary and Primetime Wrestling, you know that they were the best to have ever called matches. Monsoon being the face paired with Heenan’s charismatic comedy as a heel made this team one of a kind. The commentary then was lighthearted, genuine and real, with the great Lord Alfred Hayes being a guest from time to time, adding a charm with his laugh. 

In 1987, following Jim Crockett Jr’s purchase of UWF, thus merging with NWA, a young man named Jim Ross appeared with Tony Schiavone, David Crockett, and Bob Caudle. In 1989, Schiavone appeared in WWF then went back to WCW, while JR went to WWE. Then we had the addition of Michael Cole (insert yawn here). Cole is boring and WWE commentary is too scripted and dull. Pat McAfee is entertaining and energetic breathing life into lifeless commentary, while at seventy years of age, JR still has it. Schiavone hasn’t lost his touch, I’ve always liked Tazz on commentary and Starks is great on Rampage. Overall, the commentary of AEW is fun, entertaining and energetic. The sarcastic comments plus enthusiasm make it fun, and I want to sit in on commentary too. 

Unpredictability 

When you think about a particular show that you like, or binge, what draws you into that show? Unique characters? Writing? The unexpected? A particular actor or actress playing a role? 

Whatever the case is, the unique characters plus the unexpected are two things that draw me to AEW. Britt Baker comes to mind, as does Orange Cassidy. What make Britt so unique is that she’s a full time dentist, and what makes OC unique is his non verbal, laid back nonchalant personality. WWE characters are created using “ ‘writers’ “ and several laid plans whereas AEW characters are one part creative plus one part who they are as people. 

WWE is so predictable it’s not worth watching at times. We already know what’s going to happen while AEW keeps us guessing. It’s like watching the end of the movie then going back to watch the beginning. Who wants to know what’s going to happen before it happens? 

With AEW, we are kept guessing. The rumors of  Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole being signed were all over the internet, yet nothing was confirmed until they showed up. Sane goes for Malaki Black, Buddy, and Keith Lee, along with Swerve. Did we know that the latter were confirmed signings? Did we expect Bobby Fish or Kyle O’Riley? No. Same goes for Brody King, Danhausen, Jay White and Tony Nese. I’ve never heard of this group, and here they end up All Elite. 

We could see Wardlow’s face turn in the weeks before Revolution. Did we expect him to help Punk defeat MJF? No. Inner Circle is gone; did anyone see Jericho disbanding the group to align with Daniel Garcia and 2.0? (The Jericho Appreciation Society should be what they call the fans, not the name of the faction). Did we expect to see Steven Regal in AEW managing Mox and Danielson? No. Britt losing to Thunder Rosa? No. 

If you are an older fan, you would remember old school wrestling being unpredictable. That’s what AEW is. Some say it’s like WCW in it’s early days, other disagree. Whatever the opinion, AEW keeps you guessing, unlike WWE with their obvious outcome.

Less talking, more wrestling 

Ever tune into a WWE show (of course you have) and roll your eyes? Opening either Raw or SD with a segment is fine, but there are times when you need to place the segment in a different part of the show, or not have it at all. When people are talking, they can’t be wrestling. Promos back in the day were up to three minutes, give or take (I watched a few on YouTube recently). Promos in WWE are fifteen minutes so it seems, and some people are terrible at speaking, not to mention boring in general. (Lesnar, Charlotte, Rousey, Corbin, Boogs, Nakamura to name a few).

I remember Tony Schiavone saying something sarcastic about MJF and “ ‘cutting his mic off’ “. WWE should consider the meaning behind that comment by cutting off mics and having less chatter. Who wants to someone yap about whatever they are yapping about especially when they yap too much? There are a few I tune out when watching WWE, yet I do not tune anyone out in AEW, because AEW features more wrestling. Furthermore, when AEW stars cut promos, you want to listen, because less is indeed more. If I wanted to watch a talk show, I’ll watch Raw or SD. If I want to watch wrestling, I’ll watch Dynamite and Rampage.

Uniqueness of Characters 

Having a unique product is one thing, and unique characters is a different topic. I won’t get into too much about this part, because it’s obvious. In the early childhood classroom, there is “product art” and “process art”. Product art is art that looks identical. Pre-printed pictures and/or pre-cut shapes decorated by children with similar and/or same pieces are examples of product art. Process art involves use of materials to create a unique masterpiece, such as water/juice bottle caps, q-tips, crumpled tinfoil, yarn, or other object in which the child manipulates with cognitive and fine motor skills to create a unique art. Finally, there is a blend of both product and process art, where projects look the same but look different at the same time (manipulation of various material with pre-cut shapes). This is one of the first things you learn as an educator in the field of early childhood education. 

When you apply the aforementioned analogy to both WWE and AEW, it’s pretty clear that WWE stars are a blend of product and process art, whereas AEW stars are process art. WWE characters are pre-created and heavily scripted, AEW are created in the sense they are process projects. Imagine yourself at an art museum when you walk into a gallery room. Upon walking into said room, your eyes go from the left to right corner, with your eyes landing on two collections of art side by side. One looks the same, while the other looks different with various mediums and techniques used to achieve said medium. Which one captures your interest? Product, which looks the same, lacking unique, or process which is unique? 

Conclusion 

Although only a few years old, AEW is for me what Mondays were during the Monday Night Wars. I was in the gym last Friday and not paying attention to what was happening until I saw Reigns on TV then I realized SD was on. Not paying attention to the screen (I was watching Power: Force but sneaking glances  at SD), the next thing I see is the farmer in the dell, referring to Lesnar. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. This was after watching Dynamite, which was one week after Wardlow’s speech, no appearance from Punk, MJF or Kingston following Revolution and the disbanding of the Inner Circle. Not seeing people on tv after a PPV makes you want to see them and hear what they have to say. WWE is getting boring for me to watch while still holding a piece of my heart for the nostalgia that I grew up watching. AEW has my attention and keeps holding it, bringing back excitement in pro wrestling. 

And there ya have it. Why I love AEW and why I keep stalking sites to determine the next AEW events in Chicago. I’ve already chosen where I’m sitting this time, have ideas for signs, and I’m ready. Punk, this Chicago girl can’t wait to see you, and Wardlow, I can’t wait to see you either, along with the rest of the crew. I can’t wait, because I won’t know what to expect, and as a wrestling fan, that’s exactly what I want. 

With lazy Saturdays and love, 

Dani