AEW 5 YEAR REPORT CARD - give your letter grade of AEW as a promotion to date

[Ill Lou Malnati]

C+

Great for in-ring action, but most of the roster is very limited when it comes to character/promo. I think Snowman is burned out. They were on fire a few years ago, and they're still dependable for great matches, but storylines, consistency and proper use of talent continue to be major deficiencies for AEW. You're always going to see a good match if you watch an AEW show, but there's usually very little reason to get invested in it or the wrestlers involved. It is what it is at this point. It's not going to change. Just like WWE, the PPVs are the only thing worth paying attention to at this point.

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

They never put asses in seats like AEW has at their peak. I'm not just talking about Wembley. Shows like 'Grand Slam' or even arena shows where they've done 10k+ on many occasions dwarf the promotions you mentioned.

AEW wins in global reach as well. They have many television deals across the globe which account for a lot of the presumed revenue. Forbes reported revenue of $250M or something like that, even if you adjust for inflation, those other promotions were never doing that.

Yeah we can’t even *legally* watch CMLL here in America without paying for their subscription on YouTube that is in no way worth what they are charging.

$11 a month to get one of their Tuesday show live and the Friday show on delay (except the big Friday shows). Fridays are like their AEW Dynamite compared to Tuesdays being more like their AEW Collision.

$29/month to get both Tuesday and Friday shows live, but still with the big Friday shows not included.

$41/month to get everything live.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Like Cattle said, that's because of the TV money boom of the past 10 years. It feels to me you are trying to force the argument by using a metric that's impossible to compare to the promotions you wanna compare it with. And yes, AEW's revenue is impressive as all hell, but they are still in the red. So I do feel some type of way when you wanna put them ahead of promotions/territories that were profitable and also run 7-12k buildings consistently for decades.

CMLL been doing 10k shows weekly for a long, loooooong ass time breh not even sure why you wanna go there with them. They are a 90 year company that's done big at one point of every decade since they've existed basically. I honestly don't know how you can compare it to AEW unless you just want to use 1 metric (revenue).

Maybe you got it wrong thinking wrestling companies weren't doing big shows before the mid 1980's? because they were. AWA has a fukk ton of 10k+ shows, and Memphis was selling out (or at worst selling 80%) Mid South Colliseum, that held 10k every month for a number of stretches in 60s', 70's and 80's.

Global reach you are right but again, what's the point of comparing AEW to promotions than never even intented to be national, let alone global

I just think it's kind of pointless argument because we have no fair point of comparison between most of the companies you mentioned. That doesn't take away from the impressive shyt AEW has done

I think this CMLL run is both impressive but also meh on a global scale. You say they fill arenas with 10k people every week. That's true in a sense... but it's pretty much the same people in the same arena. So while it's impressive, it doesn't hit for me like a touring company.

Also, if CMLL has no intentions of being "global" then why do partnerships with NJPW and now AEW? I think it's pretty obvious they are trying to expand to some extent...

Also, I didn't mean to suggest that big shows didn't exist prior to the mid 80s... I know they existed, Mid-South had some huge shows in New Orleans as an example.. but their peak was even shorter than whatever we are calling AEW's "peak" and AEW is still doing numbers in some situations.

Anyone who voted less than a B- is hating or trolling because AEW has a strong case as the 4th most successful wrestling promotion of all time.

 

[MenacingMonk]

I don't think AEW forced WWE to get better, it was Vince gettin' the door that ultimately has led to WWE being better.

Honestly, there’s nothing great about what Triple H is doing.Of course the product is better, but it’s not a big compliment because there were years the product was meh most of the time. He hasn’t had anything to brag about that has his finger on it. Bloodline, Cody, and Gunther were on the rise when Cokeboy was there; even Sami’s rise was all because of Cokeboy. Trips just ran with it.

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

Corny

Anyone who voted less than a B- is hating or trolling because AEW has a strong case as the 4th most successful wrestling promotion of all time.

successful and how someone finds it entertaining are very different things.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

successful and how someone finds it entertaining are very different things.

It's pretty much the same thing. People vote with their wallets. We're seeing that with the TV shows. They've sucked. People aren't going. Same thing happened with WWE in those lean years from '94 through '96 when McMahon went full retard with the gimmicks. They were running high school gyms and could barely get 1,500 people in there. If your bottom line is affected for a long period of time, that's how you know you're really fukkin up...

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

It's pretty much the same thing. People vote with their wallets. We're seeing that with the TV shows. They've sucked. People aren't going. Same thing happened with WWE in those lean years from '94 through '96 when McMahon went full retard with the gimmicks. They were running high school gyms and could barely get 1,500 people in there. If your bottom line is affected for a long period of time, that's how you know you're really fukkin up...

but this is our individual opinions and how we are individually entertained

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

but this is our individual opinions and how we are individually entertained

Well in that case... I'm not too interested.. we already know how most posters "feel" one way or another.

 

[Straw Hat Luffy]

I feel like rating AEW a D or F is being disingenuous here. And people are using the WWE argument wrong—look at it from this perspective instead of saying AEW made WWE get their shyt together, AEW fed us when WWE was at its lowest of the lows. I mentally prepared myself to stop being a wrestling fan those years when Vince booked all-time woat shyt until TK came along.

From AEW’s origins to Bryan Danielson and Cm Punk era to even just the fire ppvs today I believe it’s fukked up to lower the first five years less than a C.

And let me say a C for a promotion that didn’t exist five years ago is acceptable. Just like AEW fans are stupid for saying all the storylines happen during the matches, wrestling fans are stupid for comparing the first five years of a promotion to a promotion that has been around for decades is dumb as fukk. I couldn’t rate the first five years of WWF/WWE because I wasn’t even alive to experience that shyt lol.

All the cons about AEW has been stated over and over here. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt because what can you know about booking in the first five years of building a wrestling promotion? I know people want to use ECW as an example with Heyman’s genius mind but that would ignore the fact that Heyman spent years in the wrestling business lol


To summarize though, it’s sad how nobody feels special. All those posts and internet hype over Mercedes and Okada just for them to feel like regular folks and they haven’t even been in the company for half a year. The PPVs for AEW are absolute bangers but TK needs to change his approach with creative.

 

[MenacingMonk]

To summarize though, it’s sad how nobody feels special. All those posts and internet hype over Mercedes and Okada just for them to feel like regular folks and they haven’t even been in the company for half a year. The PPVs for AEW are absolute bangers but TK needs to change his approach with creative.

Mone debuted too early. Okada is fukkin good as a heel in the Elite, but since he’s linked up with the Bucks, these dudes are quick to dismiss what he’s doing.

Talking about, “Okada deserves better! ” like what? Mu fukkas would just complain if he was by himself, doing the same Rainmaker shyt he’s been doing for a decade, and wrestling random matches. He’s actually showing character now.

Ospreay is the only one no one can complain about because he’s shining.

 

[Wolfpac]

Honestly, there’s nothing great about what Triple H is doing.Of course the product is better, but it’s not a big compliment because there were years the product was meh most of the time. He hasn’t had anything to brag about that has his finger on it. Bloodline, Cody, and Gunther were on the rise when Cokeboy was there; even Sami’s rise was all because of Cokeboy. Trips just ran with it.

Ehhh, he definitely had his finger on WM XL, and that was one of the greatest wrestling shows (Especially night 2) that I've ever seen. Bloodline, Cody, and Gunther all may have started under Vince, but have done well under HHH's regime and will continue to do so. You don't have to worry about them doing any stupid shyt, especially Gunther. Can only imagine what he'd be doing under Cokeboy right now.

 

[MenacingMonk]

Ehhh, he definitely had his finger on WM XL, and that was one of the greatest wrestling shows (Especially night 2) that I've ever seen. Bloodline, Cody, and Gunther all may have started under Vince, but have done well under HHH's regime and will continue to do so. You don't have to worry about them doing any stupid shyt, especially Gunther. Can only imagine what he'd be doing under Cokeboy right now.

It’s easy to take something established and run with it to make it more than it is. Trips actually knows the biz and there’s was no chance of him fukkin it up. Dude hasn’t done anything on his own to make him standout though.

 

[Ribbs]

B-

The cons are obvious (booking, storyline inconsistencies from week to week, online antics from TK) but their highs are very high. Brought in and showcased some great talent, partnering and establishing a relationship with other companies were a good look. But there's a con in that, roster has ballooned to the point where not everyone gets used and people get lost amongst TK's favourites. They do know how to put on a show when it matters. Really great PPVs. Matches have some great in-ring action. But the con in booking affects that at times. How good of a match is it when we know the outcome by who is in the ring? I don't pay attention to audience numbers, I'm here to be sports entertained, not to count heads with a clicker.

They have a long way to go and every company has there bumpy roads but they can figure it out as long as they learn from their mistakes. And if TK can stay out of his own way.

 

[El Poyo Loco]

I wanted to give them a D+ but then I seen osu sucks so I went with that

#Hail

 

[horizon]

D+ and I watch Dynamite every week