HavokTitan

It is entirely fair that you don't think AEW is booked like a traditional show from the 70's. I think that when the word "traditional" is used, it needs to be explained what that specific person thinks as "traditional," so miscommunication is easy. Whether it was traditional or not was not really my argument, I was more concerned with the way you phrased and represented the match - angle - match - angle thing, because that is so surface level that nothing can really be argued in that case. But I don't think we disagree that AEW isn't really a traditional wrestling show. You also say "They actually allow wrestlers to grow and build their characters outside of feuds," which is what I meant by story arcs. Using your Jungle Boy example, they established what he is, and the fact he is slowly growing and getting better, and that doesn't require a feud, but is the story arc for Jungle Boy. I guess for more clarity I could have said a character arc, but I think you got the idea. In terms of the Mox-Kenny thing, I think this has been very deliberate. To me, it seems inevitable, with the way they booked both men through 2020, Kenny in the dominant tag team, and Mox as the dominate single champion, that they were building to the rematch from their feud in 2019. They had their match at Winter is Coming, and Omega "stole" the belt from Mox. Not for one second did I see the next serious challenger being anyone else but Mox, that would have been a disservice to the narrative they have set up. I also feel like if they wanted to build up someone for this next opportunity, they have people that are waiting in the wings. They could have given Hangman a win streak and fast-tracked that story. They could have pushed PAC, Lance Archer or Fenix into a prominent position. The fact they didn't isn't because of the fact that they were short-sighted, but because none of those matches can compare both in the ring and from a story-perspective with Omega-Mox, in my opinion at least.

That match - angle - match - angle is such a surface level examination of a product and is completely skipping over the storytelling structure that both promotions use that are completely different. WWE books around feuds, where two people will fight each other for three months, there will be a blowoff, and then both men will get thrown into another feud. This style is not better or worse inherently than what AEW does, but because of the way WWE currently is, it is disjointing and often leads to narrative dissonance. While AEW books generally around story arcs. When two people get into a feud, they are not necessarily fighting for 3 months, although it does happen because sometimes the feud demands it. But AEW also has one off feuds that they will come back to later. Look at Moxley vs. Omega, who started off feuding in late 2019, and now in late 2020 - 2021, a full year later, are once again feuding, and calling back to their feud from a year ago. Again, this system is not better or worse than WWE's, and could have the same problems that WWE is experiencing. The difference right now, is that WWE simply is either lazy or incompetent with their booking. AEW is an alternative to WWE at a time when WWE is at its worse, but to say that the shows are basically the same due to the fact they both have matches and angles is a gross under analysis of what makes each show itself.

Pat Patterson died in early December but is still listed as alive and employed in the WWE.