u/AnonymousChicken

There was a long moment in the early 2020s coming out of COVID where AEW genuinely felt like a real alternative or even possibly competition for WWE.

They were hot, different, momentum was on their side. They had CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. They had lapsed fans checking wrestling out again for the first time in years. Dynamite felt important. Stories were building. Things were happening. Feelings were felt. It seemed like AEW had a chance to be something much bigger than just "the Internet wrestling company of indy guys".

And then... it pivoted.

Instead of exploding outward, AEW started imploding inward. The product became increasingly built around Meltzer star discourse, sicko validation, inside references, and a niche audience that treated criticism of Tony Khan like a personal attack.

Over time, AEW stopped feeling like a true national competitor to WWE. It started coming off like a lower rent alternative that proudly embraced being for the hardcores. Tony Khan even went so far as to embrace the sickos in press scrums.

Which brings me to the question: would losing the TNT and TBS slots actually be the worst thing for AEW right now?

Because honestly, moving to something like MyAEW or a smaller platform might actually reset the expectations for the company. Less pressure, less WWE comparisons, less directives from Standards & Practices, and less of everyone pretending this is still 2021.

Maybe AEW would just work better as a cult wrestling product for the hardcores, instead of trying to position itself like a mainstream appointment television company, while they and their network partner also see sliding ratings.

At a certain point, maybe "restore the feeling" means accepting what the company actually is, instead of what people keep hoping and insisting it still could become.

What's your take about it, Midcarders?

Forget workrate, Meltzer stars, and who had a banger in Korakuen Hall in front of 147 polite clappers. We gotta talk about the real main event.

If Mason Rook and Eddie Kingston got locked in at a Golden Corral and had to engage in shoot fisticuffs... who actually walks away the winner?

On one side: a man who looks like he manages a vape kiosk at the mall and says "actually, in Japan..."

On the other: a man built like a half-deflated couch who fights like he's trying to defend his Subway footlong.

No weapons, no run-ins, no bleeding Moxley interference, no Grado cameos. Just big fight feel and pure combat sports energy, between two dudes who look like they'd get winded carrying a PS5 upstairs.

Restore the feeling, Midcarders. Who takes the last of the prime rib in this meat madness?