WWE Royal Rumble 2022 was lackluster, to say the least. Even though the night was full of legends, surprise return, and one incredible match, the pay-per-view did not live up to its hype. Ronda Rousey’s win is debatable as to whether it was the correct decision and Brock Lesnar’s win was predictable once he lost his WWE Championship to Lashley.
#TheBeast punches his ticket to #WrestleMania!#RoyalRumble @BrockLesnar pic.twitter.com/mYX6h0pPyP
— WWE (@WWE) January 30, 2022
The marquee event that kickstarts the WrestleMania season only proved why AEW is better. Here are 3 reasons why:
1. AEW invests in its talent pool and builds new stars
Every wrestling promotion needs its megastars. Larger-than-life people who the fanbase adore and when these megastars move on or retire, the promotion must build new ones for the future. AEW in this regard has been brilliant. Even with the signings of Punk, Bryan, Jericho, Moxley, etc. AEW has ensured they have given enough exposure to young stars like Darby Allin and Sammy Guevera.
.@SammyGuevara launches himself into Cody from that insane height!#CodyRhodes vs. @SammyGuevara for the Undisputed TNT Championship at #AEWDynamite: #BeachBreak LIVE on @TBSNetwork right now! pic.twitter.com/C2H3jbBNco
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 27, 2022
WWE on the other hand has failed miserably. Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar will be main eventing WrestleMania for the 3rd time in the last 7 years. Apart from them, WWE has used Goldberg, John Cena, Randy Orton, and the likes to headline their marquee pay-per-views in recent memory. The WWE Universe is clamoring for new stars and WWE is not responding.
2. AEW’s product is fresh and full of quality
One of the major advantages AEW has is that they offer creative freedom to their wrestlers. Several stars who have left WWE have complained about zero creative freedom while working for the company. When wrestlers are allowed to express themselves, the result is fantastic. Just look at how miserable Cody Rhodes was when he was known as Stardust.
Apart from this, AEW’s ranking system based on the win-loss record is their USP. This system ensures their champions are never short of challenges and it does not force AEW to create meaningless storylines. Along with this AEW is willing to work with other wrestling promotions to bring in new faces and create an exciting slew of storylines from time to time.
3. AEW uses its legends and part-timers better than WWE
WWE Royal Rumble saw many legends of the past return and perform one more time inside the ring. However, almost all of them botched their moves leading to poor match quality and injuries. One criticism of WWE is that it focuses too much on the positioning of its past stars and as a result, the current crop suffers.
It’s over! The Icon @Sting and @DarbyAllin end the #GunnClub‘s undefeated streak. Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE everywhere on @tntdrama NOW! pic.twitter.com/9bOVtCuMGk
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 2, 2021
AEW on the other hand, asks its legends to push their younger stars. Often pitting new talent against or with industry legends gives them some much-needed exposure and introduces them to the fanbase in a good way. AEW is using star power to build new stars while WWE is just using star power.
What’s your take on this? Do you think WWE’s strategy to use past stars to generate cheap pops is a good one?
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