A number of AEW performers and executives were at the Television Critics Awards.
Freelance journalist Diane Gordon caught up with them to learn more about how their television and pay-per-view shows will differ and what sets apart AEW’s upcoming television show from WWE.
Cody Rhodes says that this is the first time that a major wrestling company is being ran by wrestlers for wrestling fans rather than corporate concerns. As such, they will be listening to the live audience at their weekly shows. They are willing to shift storylines if fans are connecting with certain stars and not others, and aren’t afraid to call an audible despite having arcs planned out.
They also reconfirmed that the pay-per-view events will see the bloodier and more violent matches. The weekly television show won’t focus on blood and any sort of shock value. Brandi Rhodes underlined one important change in how they’ll run shows is that they will only have one show per week. This way wrestlers won’t be driving themselves all across the country and going into shows injured. She stresses that their “well-being” is important to the company. Since they are wrestlers themselves, they know what performers want.
TV Guide, who referred to Chris Jericho as a “WWE defector,” also focused on what was included in the AEW – TNT press release from this morning, about how the company is focused on the athleticism of the matches rather than “soapy storylines” and how they will track statistics for wrestlers, as if they were pro baseball players. TV Guide wrote, “AEW will be more focused on the athleticism of the matches rather than soapy storylines. For the first time, statistics will be tracked for wrestlers, like they are baseball players. Their moves and damage to their opponents will be analyzed on-air to provide insights into their winning streaks. AEW is for hardcore wrestling fans.”
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