As a Rec Room/Arcadium vet, I must state the obvious: you don't know what the fukk you're talking about.
Def Jam Vendetta and Fight For NY were not graphically superior to most games, but were beloved.
Def Jam Icon had better graphics than those previous games, but was panned and forgotten because of its weak gameplay.
TNA Impact made the 2K games look like shyt:
But the gameplay was ass, so it didn't matter.
I'm not saying the AEW game will be incredible, but I am saying your narrative is false, and that you are either disingenuous or have a faulty memory.