A vital period is approaching for AEW (All Elite Wrestling) as Tony Khan looks to shift the company’s television output towards some improvement. The PPV portion of the business has consistently been a high point for the AEW, but how can that be transferred to their weekly shows so that interest remains high and ratings significantly improve?
Here, we look at several things that AEW must get right as it prepares for a busy winter season.
Jon Moxley’s Crew Have To Hit Regular Home Runs
Despite ending Bryan Danielson’s full-time run as a professional wrestler at WrestleDream at the beginning of October, Moxley’s run has been a mixed bag since then. Feuding with Darby Allin, Top Flight, Orange Cassidy, The Dark Order, and the amount of time being provided to Moxley’s multiple rivalries isn’t justifying what a top-tier, main-event feud should look like.
Small hints have been dropped that The Elite will eventually rescue AEW from what’s left of the Blackpool Combat Club, but haven’t we already been there before?
It’s obvious that Moxley’s reign of terror is important to those writing the stories in AEW, but until they’re matched against equal counterparts, or layers are attached to the meaning of their crusade, this weekly routine of beating up Rampage performers isn’t going to impress people.
Bobby Lashley & The Hurt Syndicate Could Target Moxley
It appears that Bobby Lashley could be focusing on Swerve Strickland, but could he switch his eyes to a future world title showdown with Moxley? Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and potentially a returning Will Hobbs could be the guys to put a stop to Moxley’s gang’s dominance, and that could open up a ton of huge matches, pitting members of both factions against each other before an eventual squad warfare match.
The Hurt Syndicate are sure to be major players in AEW, and by fighting it out with the company’s most barbaric faction, could that be the way of inserting themselves in the main event picture?
Let The Outrunners Front A New Era For Tag Team Wrestling
For so long, one could be forgiven for believing that the only tag teams on AEW’s roster were FTR and The Young Bucks.
With Private Party now the new champions, it looks like Khan has realized there’s a need for fresh faces and The Outrunners have done everything asked of them so far to prove that they are worthy of TV time on Wednesday nights. As well as Private Party and The Outrunners, a heel turn for The Acclaimed could breathe life into them. How about a sustained push for The Righteous and the new team of Brian Cage and Lance Archer?
Some of this might now work, but AEW has plenty of talent and is currently not doing anything at all, so a surprise pairing may be all they need to reignite an area where they once excelled.
Mariah May Desperately Needs Toni Storm
Mariah May has been one of the breakout performers of 2024, but without Toni Storm alongside her or against her, the championship run she’s currently on is lacking the same spark that existed when the manic Aussie was present. That can sometimes happen following a red-hot feud, and the obvious return date for Storm could be when AEW hits Australia for Grand Slam in February.
That gives Mariah May over three months to prove that she can carry the women’s division by herself before the return of Storm, and the certain push of Mercedes Mone threatens to derail her incredible momentum.
Resist More Former WWE talent, But Roll The Dice On Shane McMahon
AEW simply must take Shane McMahon if the opportunity presents itself. Countless possibilities exist for the man so ingrained in WWE that nailing down the right storyline from so many potentially brilliant ones could be a huge headache for Khan. McMahon will excel as an authority figure, a takeover character, and in muti-man matches where better performers can take the lead, he can still have a big impact with his high action style.
Will McMahon ever become “All Elite?” That remains the big question, but after holding at least one meeting with Tony Khan, it appears that it’s an idea he could be open to.
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