[BigCy]

As the thread states but for the sake of consistency you should try and name as many pros as cons. Try to stick with internal opinions about what they're doing and what they've done not so much of stuff like "they're on TV" etc. Try to put a little substance with your reasons.

This will give people a place to have their entire thoughts on one thread and will hopefully give a little rest to the constant "You never say anything bad about AEW and you must be a paid shill!" and the "You never say anything good about AEW and you want them to fail!" camps. Maybe we can find a good reasonable balance here.

Pros
-Something new and exciting - The hype has been ongoing for a while and many people seem to be happy with the direction.

-Variable wrestling - Most of the matches have been decent and there's a dynamic to most of the matches, usually you don't get the same type of thing every match.

-Pretty consistent booking - I feel like they are trying to legitimize all their guys and building others up, this is important long term.

-Strong social media presence - This is important as many of the generation are into social media of some sort and they are good at using it to appeal and get their brand out there.

-Great live crowd and atmosphere - The peopl actually want to be there and enjoy themselves, it makes the show more watchable.

Khans
-Not enough promo's or story building segments on TV - This has been done to death on another thread but it's my opinion so I'm putting it here.

-Questionable (wtf) Booking - Some decisions that don't make a lot of sense and cheapen the product. "Joke" Battle Royals for Number 1 Contenders, not having titles decided in the same way (Why not have just done all 4 or 8 Man/Woman Tournaments? Would have added so much legitimacy imo), the Marko Stunt thing. I could name more but I'll stop.

-Inconsistency with some of the things that have been said - First they were going for the lapsed fan, then they said they weren't. Said they had a good TV deal in UK that was better than WWE, then didn't. Said they were going to get insurance for the wrestlers, then didn't.

-Shows come off disorganized with no real format - This is mostly the INTJ of me coming out where I like things formatted and structured, AEW goes all over the place sometimes.

-The women's division is very skippable - Not a lot of excitement here but I've never been a fan of women's wrestling.

Inbetweens
-Colorful characters - Characters that are unique and controversial (Stunt, Orange, Rose, Kiss) Gives the roster some variety but may also turn off many viewers. Gets people talking about the company.

-Keeping track of records - I think this is cool but could also pose a lot of problems if it's not done right. Hopefully it doesn't become a problem later.

-The Music - Don't think it sucks but nothing memorable, it's just kind of there.
Have at it.

 

[NXT Only]

I like that there have only been 3 episodes

I dislike that there have only been 3 episodes

And I hear another damn complaint about promos I’m gonna lose my shit

 

[looper007]

I like that there have only been 3 episodes

I dislike that there have only been 3 episodes

And I hear another damn complaint about promos I’m gonna lose my shit

"What about the big sweaty muscle men"

I really liked all 3 episodes.

Things I disliked, I wish the women's division was stronger but I'm sure over time it get better *fingers crossed*. Shame as they got a great babyface in Riho.

 

[Deathiscoming]

Awesome thread.

Pros:-

1)Amazing stage, ring, lighting, ambience, atmosphere, the whole setup. AEW's stage feels so big time/awesome, almost like it's a PPV, and this is their weekly one!

2)Hands down, their commentary(JR and Tony) is the best from any product out there. I don't care if JR isn't as good as he once was or whatever. Just their voices and the stuff they say during the matches, it feels AWESOME. Both Tony Shiavone and JR make it feel like you're watching something Classic and Timeless, their voice makes it so good!

3)Consistent booking, presentation and guys' natural charisma shines through(Guys like Hangman Page and PAC).

These guys/AEW fucking know the worth of guys like PAC and Hangman Page and they come off as huge stars, notwithstanding their natural charisma.

Look at the WWE, they got a dozen guys who could've been consistently booked/been stars and huge draws and yet they're NOT, because WWE's creative/booking sucks ass, and they just don't present them as such. The burials of Rusev, Kevin Owens is a badass one week, and next week he's begging Shane McMahon.

Nakamura feels like "just another guy". And it makes sense because in WWE, Neville/PAC would be presented as a NOBODY just like Nakamura right now is, but in AEW, PAC comes across as a Star.

They've managed to make AJ Styles look like a chump/afterthought stuck with OC/Braun/Cedric crap. AJ FUCKING STYLES. In 2019, I have zero interest in watching AJ Styles. And the fault obviously lies with the WWE, not Styles.

4)Their matches featuring Hangman Page, PAC, Omega have a "big time" feel, the crowd is involved, the action is fantastic, and overall, these matches already seem to be better than almost anything WWE puts out.

Especially the PAC/Moxley vs Hangman Page/Omega match felt so fresh, novel, exciting, full of energy, intensity, storytelling/psychology and amazing athleticism.

What's the last time a WWE tag match with their big stars felt like this?

Look at the Roman/Bryan vs Corbin/Nak match. It didn't even feel 50% as amazing as the AEW match and this match had DANIEL BRYAN and SHINSUKE NAKAMURA. Not to mention it lasted for 8 minutes, entrances included:lol This is the biggest proof of how inept and awful the WWE Booking/Creative team(or Vince) are. Fucking stupid.

5)Crowd involvement and energy.

Fucking awesome. And I've only really watched the aforementioned tag team match as of yet, and a few minutes of Hangman Page vs PAC. But I don't remember the last time ANY WWE match had this atmosphere around it. Most WWE crowds are fucking dead, it's like a Zombie show really.

6)Authentic.

Everything the WWE produces seems like marketing, fake, canned, even the entrances seem like practiced/repetitive shit.

I watch Hangman Page's entrance and it's damn awesome and has an authenticity about it. The theme is awesome. Compare that to WWE's entrances of New Day, Orton, Nakamura, Rollins. It's like the same old tired, fake shit.

Cons:-

1)Get better entrance music for a lot of guys.

Jericho and Hangman Page are the only ones I can think of who have an excellent theme. Others, it doesn't even feel distinct. PAC, Moxley, Omega's theme songs could be better.

2)They need to work on their undercard.

With the exception of a select few like Lucha Bros, most of the AEW talent doesn't seem good/interesting. And I don't like women's wrestling so I couldn't give a crap about the women's division either ways. I'm talking about the men's roster only.

WCW beat WWE because of the balance between their cruiserweight division, a solid midcard, a stacked Heavyweight division loaded with MALE stars, and storytelling/drama.

3)Stuff like Sonny Kiss, Marko Stunt, Jungle Boy, Darby Allin.

I'm just not going to watch any tournament or match involving these. If you want me to take the AEW heavyweight title seriously, don't put an emo/goth Skater version of Spike Dudley, all 135 lbs of him in the Heavyweight title picture. The first weeks/months are the most crucial, and booking the four people I mentioned in a serious capacity would only hurt your viewership/fan interest, at least if you're looking to build fans and expand.

My Suggestions to improve AEW:-

1)Get more talent for the upper midcard/mainevent.

As of now, I'm only interested in PAC, Hangman Page, Kenny Omega, Pentagon, Jr. and Jake Hager. Moxley is the least talented(from an in-ring POV) of their main guys, and I'm ambivalent about Cody. Never really watched Cody matches.

Jericho and Dustin are obviously in the twilight of their careers. They're going to need more people for their upper midcard/mainevent.

2)Don't focus on Women's wrestling, PC/inclusiveness garbage, and whatever WWE does, including the Women's Revolution BS

Women's wrestling doesn't draw. I don't care how good the 110 pound Riho is in the ring. Most people aren't going to pay or attend a show to watch Riho, Cringy Lynch or women's wrestlecrap. They're going to PAY to see Hangman Page, Kenny Omega, PAC. That's just the way it is.

AEW should focus on stuff that draws, not women wrestlers, Sonny Kiss, Marko Stunt and Nyla Rose :lol

Let the WWE keep pushing the Women's Revolution garbage and see their ratings/viewership decline further. The more you focus on stuff that doesn't draw, the less of a chance you have to push the stuff that draws.

3)Get a unique division or niche, something that is NOT WWE.

ECW had their hardcore stuff. Impact had their X-division. WCW had the cruiserweight division and a solid midcard.

 

[InexorableJourney]

Pros
-For me the show delivers more whoa's and oh's than any other wrestling show I've ever watched.


Cons
-JR on commentary, he's forgotten how to call matches and often recites internal monologues aloud as though he's forgotten to take his meds.

 

[NXT Only]

"What about the big sweaty muscle men"

I really liked all 3 episodes.

Things I disliked, I wish the women's division was stronger but I'm sure over time it get better *fingers crossed*. Shame as they got a great babyface in Riho.

The promo complaints and Marko Stunt debate has made me forgot about the big muscle men fetish on here lol.

 

[NondescriptWWEfan]

better wrestling
actual value placed on wins and losses

not many good promos
not so great theme music

 

[Lorromire]

Pros:

- Better presentation and wrestling. Better storytelling.
- Titles feel important.
- No scripting everything.
- Quality camerawork.
- Actual use of talent.
- Loads of other things, but these are my mains.

Cons:

- Other than Jericho and PAC, their themes aren't great. Adam Page's is okay, Kenny's is a huge stepdown from his NJPW theme, and even Mox's isn't great.
- Smaller roster. It's not small or anything, but adding a few more guys/girls to each weight division (heavyweight/cruiserweight/tag/etc.) would be a good touch.
- It's only on once a week!! Twice if you include Dark.

Overall I absolutely love AEW. I think commentary, though it could be better at times, hits it out of the park. I'm sick of WWE's 'commentary', so having them actually talk about the match is great.

 

[DJ Punk]

Pros:
-Great matches
-Constant Action
-Awesome End Match Replays
-Matches with purpose (Don't feel like filler)
-Moxley/Omega Feud (Not your standard face vs heel feud)
-Entertaining Tag Teams
-The overall look and presentation
-Energetic hyped crowd
-Decent Commentary (Not the best, but not cringeworthy)

Cons:
-Awkward Cuts to Commercial break
-Signing Guys like Dillinger and Swagger
-MJF being too involved in Cody's story (Great heel potential, but this hurts it)
-JR sometimes sounding either confused or disinterested (I want that energy back like the night Moxley debuted)
-Clusterfucky main events (So far)
-Lack of promos (So far)
-Generic entrance themes

 

[NXT Only]

More things I like
-Competitive matches. I personally think squash matches are a waste of time and help no one.
-More action, less talking. I’m not overly interested in guys sitting in the ring telling us things we’re already aware of. Just drags the show down. Promo are important and should be treated as such. Once or twice a month works fine. Best AEW promos came after Moxley debuted(paradigm shift) and the Inner Circle was formed(Night 2). Every week guys coming out there to talk? No thanks. Great job AEW.

 

[Reggie Dunlop]

More things I like
-Competitive matches. I personally think squash matches are a waste of time and help no one.
-More action, less talking. I’m not overly interested in guys sitting in the ring telling us things we’re already aware of. Just drags the show down. Promo are important and should be treated as such. Once or twice a month works fine. Best AEW promos came after Moxley debuted(paradigm shift) and the Inner Circle was formed(Night 2). Every week guys coming out there to talk? No thanks. Great job AEW.

This. Except I think the occasional squash match does have its place. The Santana and Ortiz match last week, for example. They did it well, and it served a purpose to introduce fans to them. Kind of in the same category as promos - once in awhile is ok, just not every week.

 

[RavishingRickRules]

Pros: Everything they're doing.

Cons: Fans who want them to be exactly the same in format and style as WWE - Starts to get really old seeing people advocate that AEW do all the things that made me sick of WWE.

 

[MarkOfAllMarks]

AEW isn't WWE. Stop asking them to do WWE shit. Yes they don't have 5 promos a night. That's because that's not what they want to focus on. They have great promos and yeah sure it's not every week it's because they aren't WWE and they not trying to be like WWE. If you watch most New Japan shows they have ZERO promos most of the time. Very rarely. The show is very much wrestling/sports oriented. WWE has a lot of you guys accustomed to a certain format of wrestling.

 

[Intimidator3]

Likes:
Match quality

In ring storytelling

The main event scene

Jericho absolutely owning the big star/heel champ role

Commentary

Dark

All in all I’m loving everything for the most part.

Dislikes/improvements:
Maybe 1 or 2 more promos. As long as they don’t go overboard into WWE territory and no b.s soap opera/Maury Povich inspired crap.

Women’s division needs work.

Acts like Stunt and the librarians etc. Not really a dislike but they need to be careful how they use talents like this.

Need more Lucha Bros!

 

[NXT Only]

This. Except I think the occasional squash match does have its place. The Santana and Ortiz match last week, for example. They did it well, and it served a purpose to introduce fans to them. Kind of in the same category as promos - once in awhile is ok, just not every week.

I won’t lie the Santana and Ortiz one was random, they hadn’t been promoted as having a match but if they did need to show dominance it made sense. But the best part was it wasn’t just a match to squash some local jobbers. It lead to a Jericho promo and a challenge to the Young Bucks for a match. So the purpose was there unlike, for example, Authors of Pain squashing teams week after week and it leading no where.

 

[Soul Rex]

I love the freedom, lack of script and TV 14, also the presentation is fucking perfect, the stage, the lights, the colours, the logo, intro. I love their brawls and some matches.

I hate the obvious, lack of promos, characters and size, fuck those vanilla midgets.

 

[Optikk is All Elite]

Pro:
The matches, the segments, the commentary. It feels very raw. It feels very natural. Like you can actually believe Mox and Omega hate each other.

They don’t make jokes of their wrestlers. Literally all of their wrestlers, jobbers included, are presented as stars. Darby is short. They don’t call him Shorty and criticise him.

There is a very nice seriousness to the brand. Again, no jokes. The commentary is not about having banter and ignoring what’s in the ring.

Con:
They don’t do enough build for the next Dynamite. For example, they should’ve hyped SCU vs dark order. We should’ve had a dark order promo or vignette.

They have already given away potential PPV matches and are due to give one away next week.

They want to be Prou-Wrestling heavy that’s fine. But during the entrance have a plug in or side promo where the wrestler introduces himself. Let’s hear some backstory. Why is Moxley crazy and why is the dark order dark? Things like that. I want to hear a bit more from the wrestlers.

They give away good promo on YT. They do this and then they don’t plug their social media on TV. Just a little icon on the screen or let JR shout it out occasionally during TV.

 

[umagamanc]

Pros:
- The atmosphere and ambience of the show. The ruggedness and authenticity of the show provides the impression that it has soul, in comparison to WWE which is so clinical and soulless.
- Wins and losses mattering. This is such a simple yet excellent concept. Every match seems like it matters.
- The promotion and legitimization of their main event talents - Jericho, Cody, Moxley, Pac, Omega, Hangman Page. Whenever they are in a match, it has a "big time" feel.
- Tag team division. It is absolutely rammed with excellent tag teams - Lucha Brothers, SCU, Best Friends, Private Party.
- Commentary. Schiavone is fantastic, and since he joined the team, JR has vastly improved. Excalibur is great too.
- AEW's inclusivity is lived genuinely and authentically, and not marketed extensively so that it's rammed down the throats of their audience. I like their progressive ethos, yet I don't like it when it is proclaimed to the rooftops and actions don't match (WWE) as it appears so hollow.

Cons:
- Women's division needs improvements. There is no star power, and it is filled with people who have potential though are not there yet.
- The males singles roster below the main event lacks legitimacy. A greater variety in size would be a significant improvement, as there are fewer larger guys than I desire. There is Hager and Wardlow, so 2/3 more additions would be helpful.
- If things occur off television that progress storylines, these need to be explained on Dynamite, e.g. the Cody/Jericho brawl at Comic Con. Not everybody will consume their wrestling product on multiple channels, so this is a huge omission.
- More promos would work, yet don't go overboard. Only keep it to people who can cut promos.

 

[Buster Baxter]

Pros
-Great production value

-Solid commentary

-Announcing all the matches for the show beforehand and not doing some fucking stupid 20 minute talking segment to set them up

-Good looking championship belts


Cons
-I don't really care if they do more in ring promos where guys are yapping back and forth, but I do wish they had a backstage area where guys can say something before or after a match. It adds more character to the show.

-Not a fan of keeping track of win and loss records.

I

 

[JBLGOAT]

Pros:

I'm not bored

I'm impressed by the live attendance

They do a good job of advancing stories without relying on promos

I like the 10 pm replay as it makes it easier to dvr.

Cons:

-Need to do a better job of protecting the record of the wrestlers if it's going to matter. They need to have squash matches or hire people in to job. there are tons of wrestlers with name value. There's tons of companies to work for so people may not be keen to come in to job but Hangman Page and Kenny Omega should have better records.

-The Lucha underground wrestlers remind that Lucha Underground is dead and there may never be another promotion like it.

-They don't have a farm league so it's going to be hard to build new stars without buying them.