Over the past few months, I get two very different feelings when watching Monday Night RAW or Smackdown as opposed to AEW Dynamite.
With AEW, I feel like I’m watching friends and I’m having a terrific time enjoying great matches and laughing along at their jokes. It feels like a hangout.
When I’m watching Smackdown or RAW, I feel like cattle being herded into pen of thought and being instructed how I should feel about what I’m seeing.
Last week on Dynamite, we enjoyed the Shakespearean MJF and Chris Jericho induction into the Inner Circle. We all probably know what is going to happen but it’s great TV because they’re having fun and quoting Drake. We can’t wait to watch Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley on what will likely be free TV. And we got some great storybuilding between Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin as they prepare to take on Team Tazz. And just this morning, I watched these guys play video games and put on a cooking show.
We have a community here. And it’s a rewarding one to be a part of in the middle of this pandemic when there is no way to go.
In 33 years of watching WWE/WWF, I seldom felt as disconnected from the product as I did last night. We have Survivor Series match ups that don’t feel like they’re going anywhere. Despite, the usually fun branded pay per view, we haven’t had a real invasion. Retribution is being forced on me again. And while I love and respect The Undertaker, I feel like I’m saying goodbye to him for the third time this year.
They fired a superstar for playing video games with her fans. And we’re constantly being told who we’re supposed to like. Boy, I miss the Becky Lynch rise from a couple of years back that felt truly organic and was the perfect lead in to Survivor Series.
Goodness man. There are times when I’m sitting down to watch a WWE broadcast and it feels like I’m clocking into work. And this is the company that has it’s Thunderdome in my hometown.
Ideally, both shows would be great but right now, it’s not even close. I think the key for WWE is to try listening to fans and to avoid thinking they know what’s best for us.
And then we’d have two great organizations benefiting all of it’s athletes and of course all of their fans.