AEW - 2021 v 2024 Crowds: 2021 Dynamite: 2024 Match quality: 2024 PPVs: 2024 Presentation: 2021 Promos: 2021 Ratings (😴): 2021 Roster: 2024 Stories: 2021 Women’s division: 2024 You? - ThreadSky

wrestlingmark.bsky.social • 85 days ago

AEW - 2021 v 2024

Crowds: 2021
Dynamite: 2024
Match quality: 2024
PPVs: 2024
Presentation: 2021
Promos: 2021
Ratings (😴): 2021
Roster: 2024
Stories: 2021
Women’s division: 2024

You?

Comments

chechechechia.bsky.social•85 days ago

I think I’d agree but there are some which are narrow leads and others where it’s vast. Where 2024 is leading it isn’t by much, where 2021 was leading, the gulf is great. I love AEW and hope TK gets some storyline help because that’s the biggest difference.

aewparaiah.bsky.social•85 days ago

Damascus was there in 2021

soylencer.bsky.social•85 days ago

I do miss the Color Explosions, the comment to gimmicks, and watching "nobodies" build a brand.

It really does feel like everyone on the roster who wasn't there by the first 6 months are all ex-WWE. We also get a lot of "WWE"-flavor segments; tone changed.

I *get* why but I just miss the honeymoon

dalemccune.bsky.social•85 days ago

Ive said this before and I’ll keep saying it… Collision has been a big problem for AEW. If you look back on Nitro and RAW’s peaks, they were THE weekly show. Everything was booked for that one show and we waited excitedly a full week for it. Same for Dynamite until 2023.

They need a roster split

nickmarsico.bsky.social•85 days ago

2000 is arguably the WWF's best year (at least Jan thru Oct) and they had consistent programming on RAW and SmackDown using one roster.

For every John Cena that came from the brand split there were 10 Rene Duprees.

Separate Collision/Dynamite rosters was never the answer.

dalemccune.bsky.social•85 days ago

Smackdown was always crap to me & WWE was far better before it when the sole focus was on RAW. Since they had to have Smackdown, creating a dedicated team to focus on it & attempting to make it it’s own brand was the right decision & has paid off.. even if I don’t like how it’s always been done

nickmarsico.bsky.social•85 days ago

Until April 2002, SmackDown was just blue RAW. Literally the only difference was that it was taped instead of live.

They had different identities when the split started in 02, but they both felt like incomplete shows because they didn't have a strong enough roster. Exact same thing happened in 16.

nickmarsico.bsky.social•85 days ago

I think AEW has a strong enough roster to do it, but I hate the idea. It has recently become more of an extension of Dynamite, but I personally enjoy it being a mix of 2003 Velocity and 1999 Sunday Night Heat. Some storyline stuff and some B and C level guys mixing it up.

btodd.bsky.social•85 days ago

Yeah, I feel like we pretty much had a roster split when collision came around to be just people Punk wanted to work with. Now we get the likes of hangman like last week on it. They seem to have put more effort into it lately imo

dalemccune.bsky.social•85 days ago

It has zero identity and little payoff. To create the show, they pull people from different parts of the company working on the other show to quickly slap it together which makes it lack cohesiveness. It should be have a dedicated team, direction and brand. It’s has none of those

nickmarsico.bsky.social•85 days ago

Why? WWE did it in 02 to try to create the illusion of competition, and in 16 to try to create a buzz for a stale product.

AEW could use some buzz, but splitting the roster in half isn't going to do it. They're already struggling with attendance. Separating their stars will only make it worse.

ultracastwrestling.bsky.social•85 days ago

I agree. 2024 AEW is in a great place. If they went back to 2021 presentation and a bigger focus on who the key characters are like 2021 it would be amazing.

joelhaywood.bsky.social•85 days ago

Here's a quick idea of how EASY it would be to get the product hot.

Okada vs Claudio in the Continental. Pre Match MOX and Claudio Destroy Okada. Okada has to "drop out". Claudio wins C2. You Recharge up the fans on the return of the real Okada.

Two Massive PPV matches with build guaranteed.

joelhaywood.bsky.social•85 days ago

Obviously it would need more intricate detailing but AEW's growth will come from repackaging OVER wrestlers into must see gimmicks. That's how you get your Austin, Rock, Cody, or Roman Reigns.

dragonfc1.bsky.social•85 days ago

That's

2021 - 5
2024 - 5

#aew

wrestlingmark.bsky.social•85 days ago

The highs were higher in 2021, but when things weren’t high, they were kinda crap, and that gets easily forgotten

enuffadotcom.bsky.social•85 days ago

That's about right.

kuzu5993.bsky.social•85 days ago

Well only thing I can say is that I gave more of a fuck in 2021.

bolbolthegoat.bsky.social•85 days ago

The booking of the women’s division is still similar sadly

andylaparka.bsky.social•85 days ago

It has been since All Out. Pre All Out it was fantastic, with the best storyline of the year being the staple.

almostodiena.bsky.social•85 days ago

But that fact does suggest the actual problem hasn’t been addressed, it was just that one juggernaut was impossible to deny…

andylaparka.bsky.social•85 days ago

It felt like it had been. But its been dogshit since, so you are probably right that it hadn't. 1 match per show (5 mins at best) mostly and no care for the builds imo. Anna Jay getting a title shot, Stat suddenly good etc. You cant have good builds with 1 match per card, its madness.

btodd.bsky.social•85 days ago

Unfortunately they've somewhat underplayed Mariah as champ. I don't know why she's having title defences on TV yet not on ppv while mone is the opposite. The anna jay rubber match should have been on full gear and mina should be worlds end sadly.

andylaparka.bsky.social•85 days ago

She should never have even been in an angle with Anna Jay. Not as world champ, never mind losing one. The lack of more than 1 match per card makes it impossible to build these women up to the level they would be a realistic challenger.

btodd.bsky.social•85 days ago

That's very true, although I think a longer rivalry (and not dropping a match) would have made the anna jay feud feel like a bigger event. I wouldn't even mind the feud to just get through 1 ppv cycle if they'd have had it stipped up at full gear. Everything with her reign sadly feels rushed

joshlions.bsky.social•85 days ago

Longer fueds/stories would help the division tremendously. It feels like we get 2 weeks of build then the PPV match and then boom its over

tomdanks.bsky.social•85 days ago

the discourse is tiresome bc it only takes a shred of critical thinking to see why viewers and attendance aren't the same as they were in 2020/2021.

1) novelty of a new promotion
2) CM Punk's return to professional wrestling

both artificially inflated numbers to heights that won't be seen again.

tomdanks.bsky.social•85 days ago

they were historic *moments* in wrestling history. WWE fans tuned in then swiftly went back to WWE when it began to improve, and even more when CM Punk went back. It's really that simple, the remaining fans are the one's who have always just wanted a true alternative. That has remained mostly steady

tomdanks.bsky.social•85 days ago

could also go on about how the average AEW viewer is older than that of WWE and has other shit going on. I don't watch every week for one reason or another, it's more of a wrestling-focused show that I don't necessarily have to obsess over every storyline detail. Imo that's a major reason I enjoy it

tomdanks.bsky.social•85 days ago

anyways, that's all I got lol your list is pretty much spot on.

samuelhilder5.bsky.social•85 days ago

2024 AEW has restored the feeling ❤️‍🩹

snapgrapplepop.wrestling.chat•85 days ago

People also keep arguing for 2019 AEW. I think if that was also in consideration it’d still be only 2021 & 2024 that would be winning those categories

malcolmsearcyvo.bsky.social•85 days ago

I’m an AEW shill but in my personal opinion, I’d go with 2019-2024 for each category. 🥰🥰🥰 I can’t wait for 2025. 😆😆😆

wrestlingmark.bsky.social•85 days ago

Mr positivity as always, love it ❤️

wrestlingmark.bsky.social•85 days ago

FWIW:

Dynamite average Cagematch rating in 2021 was 7.28, and in 2024 it’s 7.44

In 2021, they had 12 shows rated 8 or higher and 6 shows rated under 6

In 2024, they’ve had 12 shows rated 8 or higher and 2 shows rated under 6

ringhaven.bsky.social•85 days ago

This is legitimately unexpected.

dimitarmalamov.bsky.social•85 days ago

Prefer 2024 honestly, although the ratings have decreased. Less "let's do puns to WWE to get viral moments" promos and stupid ideas like Nightmare Collective, as in the early AEW moments.

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