AEW: A Fan's Thoughts

Those of you that share my passion for professional wrestling have doubtless heard of "All Elite Wrestling", or AEW.  

For the past three years, the Florida-based promotion has given World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) a run for their money.  Subsequently, AEW has succeeded in a way that perhaps no competing company has; at least not since the "Monday Night Wars".  

Nevertheless, AEW seems to be going through some growing pains as of late.  Consider what happened at the company's latest pay-per-view event, "All Out".  The show itself went well; the ensuing press conference, not so much (1).   

With various media representatives in attendance, AEW's CM Punk had a few things to say about fellow talent "Hangman" Adam Page:   

"When somebody who hasn't done a damn thing in this business jeopardizes the first million-dollar house that this company has ever drawn...it's a disgrace to this company".  

Punk also unloaded on some of AEW's top brass, saying:

"I have to sit up here because we have irresponsible people who call themselves EVPs (Executive Vice Presidents), yet they couldn't (expletive) manage a Target.  They spread lies and (expletive), and put into the media that I got someone fired, when I have (expletive) all to do with him" (2).   

What happened after the press conference is a bit unclear.  Apparently, a legitimate fight broke out between Punk and other talent.  As is often the case in pro wrestling, there are a lot of rumors going around regarding this; here's what's known at the moment (3). 

After the press conference concluded, several AEW officials attempted to talk to an upset Punk.  These officials included fellow wrestlers Kenny Omega, as well as Matt and Nick Jackson (the team collectively known as the "Young Bucks").  This broke down into a physical altercation, during which it is said that Omega was bitten by a backstage employee of the company (4).  

It is thought that Punk started the brawl, doing so by throwing a chair as well as punches at the Jacksons.  However, this account has not been confirmed as fact.  

Having described the general mayhem that took place in the immediate aftermath of "All Out", allow me to share my thoughts about what's going on. 

Let's go back a couple of years in the timeline of professional wrestling.  At the beginning of the 2000s, all the major competitors to WWE had met their demise.  Unfortunately, this resulted in a kind of identity crisis, as many shows became predictable in their nature.  

Wrestling needed not only a facelift, but a revolution.  AEW brought this revolution to pass, ushering in a new era for the industry.  Yet the continued success of this new era seems to have come into question.  

The issue, as this fan sees it, is that the egos of certain talents have become too big.  A modest ego is somewhat acceptable, but when you start to have a unchecked version of such, well...then you run into problems.  

To paraphrase a certain Connecticut-based promoter, no one person is bigger than the company that he or she works for.  Knowing that the average major era of competitors to WWE lasts about five years, I believe that the AEW locker room would be wise to keep this in mind (see note).  

A note to those in charge of AEW; you have given rise to a new age in pro wrestling.  

Don't let that age end before its time.  

Note: The major (that is, pay-per-view) era of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was from 1997 to 2001.  "WCW Monday Nitro" ran from 1995 to 2001.  The total number of years cited per company is ten; divide this by two, and the result is an average of five years (5, 6).  

Sources:

1. Wikipedia contributors. “All Out (2022).” Wikipedia, 9 Sept. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Out_(2022). Accessed 9 Sept. 2022.  

2. Schneider, Phil. “CM Punk’s AEW All Out Media Scrum Comments, Explained.” The Ringer, 6 Sept. 2022, www.theringer.com/2022/9/5/23338456/cm-punk-aew-all-out-2022-media-scrum-young-bucks-adam-page-explainer. Accessed 9 Sept. 2022.  

3. Barrasso, Justin. “Report: AEW Members Suspended After ‘All Out’ Altercation.” Sports Illustrated, 7 Sept. 2022, www.si.com/wrestling/2022/09/07/aew-members-receive-suspensions-altercation-cm-punk-kenny-omega. Accessed 9 Sept. 2022.  

4. Ortman, Randall. “Rumor Roundup: Punk’s Backstage Fight, Omega Bite, AEW Meeting, More!” Cageside Seats, 9 Sept. 2022, www.cagesideseats.com/2022/9/9/23343898/rumor-roundup-cm-punk-elite-backstage-fight-ace-steel-bites-omega-aew-rah-rah-meeting-bobby-fish-hbk. Accessed 9 Sept. 2022.  

5. “Extreme Championship Wrestling.” Wikipedia, 31 Aug. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_Championship_Wrestling. Accessed 9 Sept. 2022.

6. “WCW Monday Nitro.” Wikipedia, 20 Aug. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCW_Monday_Nitro. Accessed 9 Sept. 2022.