The upstart wrestling promotion began as an informal bet between Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Cody Rhodes, who was working for Ring of Honor and various other indie promotions at the time.
Dave Meltzer asserted his opinion that a small promotion such as Ring of Honor was a long way off from selling out a ten thousand seat arena. Cody of course disagreed, and over time the event morphed into the biggest independent pro wrestling show of all time, All In.
After the success of All In, fans demanded more. Cody and The Young Bucks were more than willing to oblige. Rumors began to swirl about the Elite. Most of the rumors dealt with the formation of a new, major pro wrestling promotion in North America. However, unlike Ring of Honor, the new promotion would attempt to compete directly with juggernaut WWE for viewers, talent and ratings.
Little by little, AEW has come together. First came the major talent signings, like Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho. Then came the announcement that the promotion would be bankrolled by the affluent Khan family, who also own the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Finally, the biggest announcement of all came down the pike; AEW had found the holy grail of pro wrestling, a television distribution deal. AEW would air on the TNT network, the former home of the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling.
Now fans have a date–October 2nd–and a match announcement. Here are seven things fans are looking forward to with AEW on TNT.
#1 Fresh Voices in the Pro Wrestling market
Fans all over the world adore WWE. They have a global footprint that reaches across oceans, time zones, and language barriers.
However, they have been the dominant voice in pro wrestling for longer than some of the younger wrestling fans have been alive. While the WWE is the best at its particular brand of sports entertainment, many fans are looking forward to some fresh voices and ideas in the pro wrestling marketplace.
Cody and the Bucks have been wrestling on the cutting edge of sports entertainment–the indie scene. Even major WWE stars often come through the indies first, such as Ricochet, Adam Cole, and AJ Styles.
With their fingers on the pulse of modern pro wrestling entertainment, fans are hoping to be wowed by the new things AEW could come up with.
#2 A greater emphasis on in-ring action
Pro Wrestling has changed with the times, like any entertainment form. However, one thing that has remained constant is that the product usually revolves around wrestling matches.
This is true even in WWE, which puts a lot of emphasis on backstage antics. Wrestling matches are the impetus and the structure that moves storylines forward. However, in WWE one can definitely tell that the wrestling product takes a back seat to the scripted drama. Some matches are quite short, such as the 24/7 Championship match between R Truth and Drake Maverick on Raw recently.
The wrestling match was just another component in the story WWE wanted to tell, rather than the climax of said story. AEW plans to do things differently, with the wrestling matches and in-ring action as the main crux of the programming rather than scripted drama.
It all comes down to how the two promotions choose to tell stories. Neither side is approaching it ‘wrong’ but many fans are looking forward to AEW’s greater emphasis on in-ring action.
#3 The Cleaner in prime time
Call him the Cleaner, the Best Bout Machine or the best wrestler in the world. Just don’t call him small time, not anymore.
Kenny Omega came onto the radar of international wrestling fandom when he faced off against Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom for the coveted IWGP World Championship. Their match was so praised by fans and critics alike that it was viewed by people who had never even heard of New Japan Pro Wrestling before.
Omega followed up with another stellar performance, where he faced Okada in a best two out of three falls match. The match was rated seven stars by Dave Meltzer, as harsh a critic as you’ll find in pro wrestling.
Despite being well known to pro wrestling fandom, Kenny Omega doesn’t have the mainstream appeal of men like John Cena, The Rock or even The Miz. However, with a prime time wrestling show coming, in which he is the no questions asked top star, that could all be changing.
Kenny Omega in prime time could begin a new pro wrestling revolution, just as Hulk Hogan in prime time kick-started the wrestling boom of the 1980s.
#4 Chris Jericho’s swan song
Chris Jericho has been a fixture of the pro wrestling world for over twenty-five years. After getting his start in Japan, he was brought into WCW on a recommendation from Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero, who had worked with him overseas.
Chris Jericho’s career in WCW is a great example of wasted talent. Even though Jericho’s segments and matches were some of the most entertaining on Monday Nitro, he never got further than being a Cruiserweight Champion.
Jericho made his WWE debut in appropriately splashy fashion, with a “Countdown to the Millennium” clock shown on Raw for months before his debut. Chris Jericho would go on to be one of the most decorated WWE wrestlers of all time, taking frequent sabbaticals to heal his body and keep his mind fresh for the business. Each time Jericho made a return, he subtly tweaked his character.
Many fans figured that Jericho’s last match would be in WWE, but then he made the astonishing decision to wrestle for AEW instead. Jericho is aging and has possibly burnt bridges with WWE.
This means that Chris Jericho’s run with AEW is likely to be his last in the pro wrestling industry, and many fans are looking forward to seeing how Jericho will continue to make his final years in the pro wrestling business even more memorable than what has come before.
#5 Epic tag team wrestling
While the WWE has made some recent moves to increase the profile and prestige of their tag team division, it’s no secret that the promotion has given preference to the singles stars.
With The Young Bucks in charge of AEW’s tag team programming, that could all change. Arguably, the Bucks are the best tag team in pro wrestling today, from both a technical performance standpoint and a social media footprint standpoint.
The Young Bucks chose to remain independent for many years because they believe tag team wrestling is an art form unto itself and deserves the proper stage upon which to strut.
AEW’s tag team division already features one of the best teams in the world, the Lucha Brothers (Pentagon and Rey Fenix.) Fans are looking forward to tuning in to AEW on TNT so they can partake in exciting tag team contests, which are given their full prestige.
#6 Inclusion and representation
Over the history of pro wrestling in North America, there has been an ugly undercurrent of homophobia that has permeated the industry.
Back in the 1950s, Gorgeous George raised the ire of wrestling fans by acting in a decidedly feminine way. He wore elaborately embroidered robes, had curly blonde hair, and sprayed the ring with perfume before he would deign to enter it.
Over time the homophobia became more blatant, such as when Dustin Runnels first donned the Goldust make up. In the early days of the character, Goldusts’s attraction to other men was seen as a way to garner cheap heat.
Even when wrestling has attempted to be positive about gay characters, such as Billy and Chuck, it often turns them into running jokes or one-note performers.
AEW is looking to change all of that, in part by hiring Exotico performer Sonny Kiss and trans female wrestler, Nyla Rose.
Representation and inclusion of traditionally marginalized peoples would be a breath of fresh air in the wrestling industry and help begin to repair the reputation of the sport as toxic masculinity run wild.
#7 A new Wrestling War could break out
Back in 1995, World Championship Wrestling debuted its new, live show, Monday Nitro. It was placed in direct competition with WWE’s Monday Night Raw, which had evolved from Prime Time Wrestling.
This was the opening shot in the much-ballyhooed Monday Night War. For the first year and a half, WCW was behind Raw in the ratings, but the introduction of the NWO faction and Hulk Hogan’s heel turn turned things around.
What followed was both promotions doing their level best to put on the most amazing show possible and win the ratings war. During this period in wrestling, fans saw many of the most famous and celebrated storylines in sports entertainment. The rise of the anti-hero Stone Cold Steve Austin. The villainous Mr. McMahon. The NWO. Goldberg’s winning streak.
So it’s no wonder that fans look back so fondly upon the Monday Night War. They are hoping that AEW on TNT could spark a new one. The real winners of such intense competition between promotions are always the wrestling fans, who get to see the best and brightest that both companies have to offer.
There you have it: Seven things fans are looking forward to from AEW on TNT. What are you hoping to see on AEW’s new telecast? Please comment and let us know and as always thanks for reading!
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