Any AEW (wrestling) fans here?
 

For those not in the know, AEW is a new (circa 2018/19) wrestling company founded by a number of young veterans of the business, including Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks.

When it first launched, I was into WWE exclusively, so while I was aware of some cool stuff happening in the industry, it largely passed me by. Over time, in part due to my friend constantly telling me how good it is, and in part due to WWE royally shitting the bed, I started watching AEW regularly. At the time, they had a main show (Dynamite), and a secondary show (Dark) that gave some of the younger and less-known talent the chance to shine. Since then, they've added Elevation (taking Dark's place, as Dark's own stars became more established), and they're soon to add a Friday night shown named Rampage.

All of this has been happening almost exclusively during the audience-free period during the international COVID lockdowns, which to me is an incredible achievement considering a big part of wrestling shows is interactions with the fans. During that time they've continued to hire more talent, including famous names like Sting, The Big Show, and Christian Cage. Their existing roster includes Jon Moxley, Dark Order, Brian Cage, and many more. The only people they've gotten rid of are either retired, unable to work in America, or people named during the #SpeakingOut sexual abuse movement (which affected the whole industry, lest you think it's centralised on AEW).

In addition to the weekly shows, they've also got a number of vlog shows involving members of the roster and backstage staff doing comedy skits and giving an insight into their real lives. Unlike WWE, AEW does not restrict its wrestlers from pursuing paid outside interests such as Twitch streaming and even wrestling on independent shows. All of this gets me more invested in the people, and genuinely care about their success.

Frankly, aside from KATG, AEW is one of my main sources of weekly entertainment, and I look forward to seeing where the stories go each week. If rumours are to be believed, there are going to be some huge announcements in the next couple of weeks. In many people's minds, AEW has gone from being a "dirt show" or "T-shirt company" to a genuine threat to WWE, which is something that's been needed since the demise of WCW.

Let me know if you're a fan of AEW too! It'd be cool to shoot the shit about wrestling on here. Keith, if you haven't seen John Moxley recently, he looks a bit like you nowadays, especially with all that work you're putting in at the gym!