During the latest episode of “Being the Elite”, after their phones counted down to midnight and the end of their contracts with RoH/NJPW, Cody Rhodes, Hangman Page, and the Young Bucks received the message “Double or Nothing” and AEW Wrestling, thus officially announcing to the world that their indeed was an AEW Wrestling promotion maybe run by them that was coming soon in 2019 and that the sequel to ALL IN was on the horizon. As a wrestling fan, this was great news to me. I love the Elite, and after ALL IN, I have faith in them that Double or Nothing has the potential to be a success. Now leading up to this announcement, news was leaked on the name “AEW Wrestling” being trademarked as well as “Tuesday Night Dynamite”, which sounds like a weekly TV show title that would premiere soon, which got both me and my hubby (who is also a long time pro wrestling fan) excited, because it was potentially an alternative to the PGness of the WWE’s main roster of shows. Then yesterday came the news that AEW was negotiating with many channels, and it seems the frontrunner is Time Warner. Personally, I would have thought that WGN America would have had the leg up, because The Elite/AEW already have a working relationship with WGN, because of the ALL IN preshow being on the network.
If AEW Wrestling does indeed sign with TNT/TBS, that has some nostalgia for me. It would feel in many ways like the true successor to the good years of WCW would finally make an appearance. Now having said that, no matter where AEW signs, I just hope that the stories they tell are more realistic and engaging and that the matches are fun and pull me in. If they can accomplish those things, I will be there. I have missed a good non-PG wrestling show on TV. I have been watching wrestling since the 70s, so I grew up on cage matches, blood and the like. I also know that much of that was manufactured blood, and by that, I mean many times the wrestlers cut themselves for effect. I don’t know if I want them doing that, but having blood in a match is a very effective way to show the harsh grittiness of say a hardcore match for instance. It’s why I wish the WWE would just retire the Extreme Rules PPV because the WWE hasn’t been hardcore or extreme for many years now, and as I’ve talked about previously, I think that the Extremes Rules PPV has become a farce of what it once was.
I’m just hoping that AEW can bring a realness back to wrestling in their storylines and feuds. For me, the best two feuds of 2018 were Ciampa/Gargano and Lynch/Charlotte. Both feuds brought a realness factor to them that hasn’t been seen in a long while within the WWE. Each feud felt organic and was allowed to breathe and build. If AEW can bring the same feel to their stories as those two feuds (and from this past year’s BTE example, I think they can), I think they will be highly successful. I know that I am very much anticipating the January 8th announcement with bated breath. Hopefully, time will prove this venture to be a massive success, and send more shockwaves through the pro wrestling world, that for many years seems to be under a McMahon vice grip. Competition can cause creativity, and I hope that AEW, RoH, NJPW and others can finally force WWE to listen to the growing throng to disgruntled fans, who are tired of the SSDD attitude that has become the mainstay of main roster’s creative team, because if they don’t listen, the WWE will become just another example of what happens when a company becomes a “fat cat”, and stops being hungry, when the Marketing and Financial departments start to decide the path of creativity.
