At this point we can’t really refer to AEW as fledging competition to WWE’s multi-decade ownership of wrestling in the United States. AEW might still be the smaller company, but it is quickly building up its roster with a mix of world talent and former WWE Superstars. WWE may still be number one, however, there are things WWE could learn from AEW which is starting to outperform big brother in several ways.
One of the biggest problems WWE has currently is its need to force a 20-minute opening mic segment on the audience regardless of circumstance or talent involved. The show opens, a WWE Superstar walks slowly to the ring. They stand in the ring. Eventually they start talking to the camera, fans, someone backstage, etc. And this goes on forever. If you start your average AEW Rampage or Dynamite at the same time as either SmackDown or RAW, you’re likely to be into your second AEW (possibly even third) match before any wrestling has taken place on WWE.
Since the premiere of CM Punk to AEW on September 5th of this year, only twice has AEW opened with a lengthy talk segment on their weekly shows. The first was Punk’s premiere, and the first time wrestling fans got to hear the wrestler drop an in-ring pipe bomb in 7 years. And that segment was only half as long as WWE’s weekly diatribes which too often have nothing to say. Let that sink in. He only took half the time WWE wastes on a regular basis.
The second was this past week when AEW put two of its best in the ring together and let Punk verbally spar with MJF. The segment worked both because of the talent involved and because AEW hadn’t been doing the exact same thing every week. It was special. It was memorable. Too much of WWE programming has been neither of those things for far too long.
The opening 20-minute monologue deserves to be retired and only brought back on special occasions when circumstances demand it. When you see how rarely, but effectively, AEW uses the concept WWE has made one of its staples, it offers the first of many examples of things AEW is now doing better than WWE.