I have already written about the number one reason AEW is such a success (which is their collaborative management strategy – I wrote about that earlier this year). Having said that, additional reasons for the success of AEW on top of that are:
- The company continues to keep the bulk of its focus on in-ring competition instead of placing too much focus on segments containing an exorbitant amount of talking and creating ridiculous scenarios that are not very believable. The storylines are instead kept simple and rooted in reality.
- AEW as a company is taking on the characteristics of its biggest star in Chris Jericho. The major thing that Jericho is known for throughout his career is not using nostalgia as part of his appeal. He uses a gimmick for as long as it works and discards it when the gimmick first begins to not elicit as much of a reaction from the audience. AEW is doing the same thing and it is working incredibly well because no one is growing tired of the product the company is putting on week to week.
The presence of a true legend like Jim Ross on commentary has to provide legitimacy to the company as well. He and Excalibur do an excellent job of rotating the play-by-play duties – with JR calling the slower-paced action and Excalibur taking the reins when the pace speeds up (the transitions between these moments on commentary are seamless). Tony Schiavone also adds a great deal of humor, particularly with his somewhat awkward relationship with Britt Baker.