Fans Have Discovered AEW’s Biggest Problem, Has the Company?
Ever since the departure of CM Punk, AEW has been on a ratings and fan decline that has resulted in them becoming nowhere near competition for WWE. The product has been described as “cold” as of late, and there are multiple reasons for that. However, it has recently become evident what AEW’s main problem is. Despite having stars in the company, the reason AEW has had a massive decline in viewership is because they have an age problem, the company has become too reliant on aging stars and has struggled to create its own.
AEW’s main feud for the AEW World Championship is currently between 39-year-old champion Jon Moxley and 51-year-old challenger Adam Copeland, two wrestlers who are massive stars purely because of their time in WWE. It continues, though, as 57-year-old Jeff Jarrett recently cut a promo stating that he wants a shot at the AEW World Championship before his inevitable retirement. He has been feuding with Moxley’s faction, the Deathriders, and will likely get a shot at the champ soon. It doesn’t help that the man who currently holds the AEW World Championship contract is 51-year-old Christian Cage.
None of these wrestlers are homegrown names and it’s clear that AEW has put these four into the world title scene because they were already legends when they joined the company. Both Jarrett and Copeland are in the WWE Hall of Fame, and the same will be said for Moxley and Cage one day. These are wrestlers who are years past their prime and Moxley is the only one of the four who should even be considered for a world title feud. They also have multiple other former WWE legends in their 40s who have been booked as main eventers on the AEW roster, such as Bobby Lashley, Samoa Joe, and Bryan Danielson. AEW has a young roster consisting of wrestlers who have massive potential, but they don’t seem to realize that.
Out of the nine total AEW World Champions, only three of them were under the age of 34 when they won the title, those being Swerve Strickland, MJF, and Hangman Page, and even then they were all one-time champions. There are many other wrestlers who AEW has built from the ground up such as Ricky Starks, Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, and Darby Allin who are more than capable of achieving that feat. Even if they wanted to use stars who came from other companies, the likes of Will Ospreay and Jay White would be much better options considering that both of them are in their prime. It’s clear that AEW doesn’t realize fans don’t want to see aging wrestlers in the main event scene, as it makes the company look old and unappealing.
Many have referred to AEW as a “WWE retirement home,” and they are continuing to prove that statement right. They have a core young roster who should be elevated to the main event scene, but they are continuing to rely on aging legends. Even wrestlers such as Swerve and MJF who have previously won the world title have now been relegated to the mid-card scene, despite being arguably the two best wrestlers in the company. If AEW wants to be considered a competitive threat to the WWE once again, they have to look away from stars that were made elsewhere.
