That 100% nails it. People wanted it to be all the things WWE wasnt' during the real bad Vince periods, and they provided it for a bit, but have not maintained it.
They have a great roster. They had a really unique brand and more "pro wrestling" and less "sports entertainment" focus out the gate.
And they've really misused the roster, and have lost their initial vision to the point where I do think the current product resembles more bad WWE/WCW than the unique vision they had initially.
Most of my complaining about AEW stems from a place where I really wanted them to be a better alternative, and for a period of time they probably were, but really they peaked that night at All Out 2021 when Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole debuted (Actually maybe the actual peak was the next PPV when Page beat Omega but it's around there), things really started to spiral after All Out 2022 (MJF as champion really carried them for a bit as they battled some injuries), and haven't been able to find that magic again IMO.
Last edited by SuperMatt18; 01-30-2025 at 02:09 PM.
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