Introduction

I’ve been watching AEW Dynamite since it premiered on October 2nd, 2019.

Three years on from that date, I’m happy to report I still love the show. At its best it is genuinely compelling television comparable to anything else in the medium, weaving effortlessly between drama and comedy. The in-ring action has been spectacular, showcasing some of the absolute best talent in all of professional wrestling.

Tony Khan’s wrestling buffet works, the blend of styles and sensibilities complimenting rather than stifling one another. While it’s still a relatively new wrestling show, I feel safe asserting that AEW has produced the most consistently excellent weekly wrestling product I have ever experienced.

If you find that hyperbolic then I should reiterate consistent is the key word there.

Other eras in wrestling can boast of higher highs and more classic segments but, in reality, such moments were counterbalanced by legitimately terrible television, ill-conceived angles, and wild fluctuations in quality from one segment to the next. AEW, on the other hand, is good because of itself not despite itself. At all levels of the card, it has excellent talent and generally good segments. Its robust midcard often produces the best matches and segments, serving as the solid foundation necessary for great episodic television. Certainly there have been some lows, but those lows are dips on the quality scale, not trends. Since its inception, AEW has trended upwards and I look forward to seeing that continue.

In that spirit, I’d like to identify three ways in which AEW can improve going into 2023.

My goal is to point out these issues in the most constructive way I can, so as to better serve AEW’s goal of producing the best television show it can.

The Backstage Camerawork

Rebel, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Tony Schiavone

AEW has only had a few true ‘backstage segments’ with wrestlers talking in nondescript backstage areas, but it does regularly have backstage interviews and backstage beatdowns.

These interviews and beatdowns are indistinguishable from WWE except for one key detail: the wrestlers are aware of the cameras.

This is a welcome change that doesn’t needlessly create a narrative paradox (if there aren’t cameras filming the wrestlers how are we seeing them?). Despite that significant change in the character’s perspectives, AEW backstage interviews and beatdowns look exactly like WWE’s; the same composition, waste-to-head and same blocking, wrestlers standing side-by-side with bodies pointed toward the camera as they look to the side, the camera moving backward as more and more wrestlers fill the screen. Yes, WWE is not the first promotion to shoot promos in this way, but that just means there’s all the more reason to change things up.

AEW could stand out, visually and thematically, by shooting such scenarios in a different fashion. Why is there suddenly only one camera angle when we journey to the backstage? Why not add some variety by shooting an interview from a distance, crew people cluttering up the foreground as the camera zooms is, searching for a close up of the wrestler? AEW is already more naturalistic than WWE, so why not have a visual sensibility that compliments that tone?

Adopting a realistic, docu-style aesthetic would help make the backstage feel alive.

Shoot interviews in different locations in the arena rather than the designated spot backstage, allow brawls to spill into private boxes, or allow us to see wrestlers having natural conversations in the hallways and locker rooms of the arena. This wouldn’t just make Dynamite distinct, it would round out its world in an inviting, inventive fashion.

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind

From Wardlow to Jungle Boy to Thunder Rosa to Ricky Starks to Jamie Hayter, AEW has been rightly criticized for not capitalizing on the organic momentum of certain stars, or allowing that positive energy to flounder. Each of these wrestlers has (or had) a featured spot on the card but each of them, at some point during their push, faded off television for a handful of weeks only to reappear again at a later date with a slightly diminished star.

It’s understandable Tony Khan has a large roster to book and not everyone can get a spot. The difficulty of his juggling act shouldn’t factor into my evaluation of his product, however. He doesn’t get points because it’s hard. His show is either good or it isn’t. It either has stars or it doesn’t.

Jamie Hayter is a perfect example of a hot wrestler pushed somewhat into the background following her crowing moment at Full Gear. Yes, she appeared on Dynamite the week of her victory to wrestle a tag match. Yes, she appeared on the next two episodes in interview segments. Yes, the story is that Britt Baker is hogging her spotlight, but that has become too close to her reality.

Featuring hot acts in brief sit-down interviews or vignettes is not enough. Fans want to connect with wrestlers in a tangible way, especially when that wrestler has momentum.

It’s important to consider the tools of professional wrestling and whether or not they’re right for the actual job. Vignettes, for example, are an affective tool for introducing the concept of a new wrestler or reintroducing a beloved wrestler who’s been away due to injury. They’re not necessarily effective at building a newly “over” (popular) act. Sit-down interviews, often somber affairs, are good for two bitter rivals or warring factions at the peak of their tension, not for an individual star soaring to new heights. Stand-up backstage interviews are good for hyping a match booked for later on in the evening, not booking a match a week in advance (as AEW regularly does).

AEW can use these tools in their proven, most effective forms to maintain the momentum of a wrestler.

Allow the nature of a wrestler to determine their style of push - something AEW has done exceedingly well in the past. Ask questions like, “Does it make sense for character X to have a sit-down interview?” or “Does it make sense for character Y to have vignettes?”

An earnest examination of a character’s priorities and tone will reveal how to present them and, therefore, how to maintain their momentum.

The Women’s Division

AEW has been rightly criticized for under-serving women’s wrestling since the organization began Dynamite in 2019.

At its worst, the division felt like an afterthought, booked out of obligation rather than dedication. There have certainly been some spectacular matches and some shining stars even during those lean times. From Britt Baker to TBS Champion Jade Cargill to recent Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter, the roster is not want of talent. The roster is in need of an earnest booker who cares as deeply about women’s wrestling as he does men’s. He must be reminded that it’s not enough to merely “have women on the show”. The fundamental perspective on women and their role in pro-wrestling needs to be different.

Even now, the women get their designated match, at the same time, every week on Dynamite with little else to speak of.

Why?

I’ve often been completely perplexed by the booking of the women’s division because of the #GiveDivasAChance and #WomensWrestling social media movements, and the subsequent success of WWE’s four horsewomen. All the evidence was there, demonstrating an appetite for women’s wrestling exists and yet this new promotion didn’t seem to take women as a serious concern. Despite slight, positive adjustments since the arrival of Toni Storm and Saraya, women’s wrestling continues to represent a side attraction rather than a significant draw.

It’s time for that to change in AEW in 2023.

Here’s one extremely simple thing AEW can do to improve the status of women’s wrestling in its promotion:

book more than one women’s match on AEW Dynamite.

And book two women’s matches every week for the next eight weeks.

Have ringside post-match interviews with the losers and victors (and have these ringside interviews only for the women to give them something visually distinct). Does this mean less time for male wrestlers on the show? Yes, but that’s a necessary shift in a movement toward parity. Even with just two matches the women would still be getting a fraction of the time their male counterparts receive.

After those eight weeks, reassess. Crunch the numbers. See if those numbers don’t tell the story of there being a healthy appetite for women’s wrestling. See if stars don’t shine a little brighter and offer their best work. This gesture of good faith in the division will create a positive energy around women’s wrestling in AEW, rather than it being that thing we’re obligated to sit through.

Do this, AEW, and you will receive returns on your investment.

Conclusion

AEW Dynamite is my favorite pro-wrestling show today.

It’s fun, funny, silly, serious, and emotionally gratifying. It’s rare that I think an entire episode is bad, and likely that I think at least one thing on an episode is great. AEW’s strengths mostly outweigh its weaknesses and the good thing about the weaknesses outlined in this article is that each of them could be fixed tomorrow. All the company needs to do is double-down on everything that’s good about it and provide creative nourishment to wrestlers who have demonstrated excellence in their craft. I’m not arguing for sweeping creative changes because that’s not what’s needed. I’m arguing for incremental changes in the way the roster is booked and the way the show looks.

All AEW needs is a distinct visual style, a little more consistency when presenting organically rising stars, and more time and effort put into their women’s division.

Do that, and there’s no reason 2023 can’t be the company’s best year yet.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this article check out some others. You should also subscribe to my podcast The Work Of Wrestling (available wherever you get your pods every Monday). If you’d like to support me subscribe to my Patreon and you’ll get two exclusive podcasts every month. If you’re in need of a new wrestling tee-shirt visit my store at Pro-Wrestling Tees. Thank you again. May the Moment of Pop be with you!

Three Ways AEW Can Improve In 2023

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