Some AEW wrestlers feel pressured to wrestle a certain way if they want to get over. The reason is pretty simple—they believe working that style is what gets them more television time.
Speaking during a Self Made Session, Self Made Pro revealed that he has actually talked to people inside AEW about the similarities between how some of the company’s matches are structured. The surprising part is that some of those wrestlers apparently agree with him.
Self Made Pro said talent has told him that even if they understand the criticism, they feel like they’re working within an established framework. In their eyes, wrestling that way is what gets over with the AEW audience, and getting over is what gets them back on television.
“That’s a systematic issue because talent — because I talked to some people in AEW, right, who straight up told me, ‘Hey, I hear what you’re saying. You are right subjectively, but like we operate within a framework where it’s like we have to get over working this way to this audience and that’s what’s going to earn us more TV time.’”
Self Made Pro pushed back on that explanation when he spoke with them. He questioned whether AEW wrestlers really have to follow that formula to get more television time, or whether talent has simply accepted that this is what works and stopped believing there’s another way to approach their matches.
“And I said to them like, ‘Well, is that really the truth or is it just like everyone just is kind of defeatist and they just think, oh, this is just what works?’”
The bigger question now is whether anyone inside AEW will actually break away from that formula. With a roster full of wrestlers capable of working wildly different styles, there’s certainly no shortage of people who could try.
What do you make of AEW wrestlers feeling pressured to work a particular style to earn more TV time? Let us know in the comments below.
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