The extreme reality check
Tommy Dreamer is out here telling anyone with a microphone that AEW is currently hotter than a fresh tray of hot wings at a Buffalo Wild Wings. I love the guy. He’s a legend of the hardcore scene, a man who once got hit with enough light tubes to power a small city block, but his take on the current state of All Elite Wrestling has me checking his head for concussions.
As reported by WrestlingNews.co, the ECW original insists the promotion is firing on all cylinders. It is a bold stance to take when the show often feels like a collection of cold segments duct-taped together with high-level workrate.
The disconnect between workrate and interest
There is a massive gulf between a good match and a hot product. You can have a 25-minute technical masterpiece with 45 near-falls, but if the audience in the building is sitting on their hands during the entrance music, the thermometer isn't actually moving.
Dreamer knows better than anyone that the business is about heat. You need the crowd to scream, you need the merchandise lines, and most importantly, you need storylines that don't evaporate the second a bell rings. Watching high-flying sequences is fun, sure. But when those sequences serve no purpose in a coherent, long-term story, it’s just gymnastics in spandex.
Missing the point of 'hot'
Calling the product hot right now feels like a reach that would make even the longest-tenured referee wince. AEW has the roster talent to be untouchable. If you look at the raw athleticism of their top guys, it’s impressive. Yet, somehow, the booking often trends toward the frantic.
You can’t just rely on surprise debuts or random tournament brackets to carry a promotion. When the weekly television becomes a collection of random encounters without the gravity of a real feud, the stakes drop to zero. Tommy might be looking at the quality of the wrestling moves, but the casual viewer is looking for a reason to care.
Even the most dedicated wrestling sickos need a reason to tune in other than seeing a clean high-crossbody. If the momentum is supposed to be surging, it sure isn't echoing in the discourse surrounding the ratings. Being hot requires a buzz that transcends the internet message boards. Right now, the company is coasting on cool gear and high-end stunts, which is fine, but let’s stop pretending it’s the second coming of the boom period.
