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One year ago, AEW officially kicked off their company in Jacksonville, Fl and everything changed. No longer just a T-Shirt company and employees for other promotions, Cody and the Young Bucks were out to change the business.
In the process, they promised to deliver high-quality content and to allow "the boys" more power. AEW has been built on being a diverse company and to bring prominence back to things they feel have been lost in the business.
In 2019, they have created an extremely passionate, dedicated and loyal fan base that wants nothing more than for the company to succeed as they provide content for their fans.
Through BTE and social media The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Cody and Brandi have been some of the most accessible people to reach in the industry. Not only do they listen to their fans and make changes as we saw at the end of the year but have also attempted to create new ways to discuss the product and created importance of their shows.
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#5 Pyro and PPV Specific Sets
Something missing from the wrestling business over the last decade has been pyro and specific sets for PPVs. These are things that people not only look forward to but also feel create a more important feeling for events.
Gone have been the days of pyro during entrances that elevated wrestler's appearance and special sets that make PPVs feel different month over month. One promise AEW made to their fans would be to bring these things back and did they ever.
One of the things most loved about the company are the separate entrance tunnels for "heels and faces" and the raised ramp. Also, the Double or Nothing set was something that people instantly fell in love with and also featured the debut of Jon Moxley.
#4 Allowing Flexibility To Work Other Promotions
One thing that has been discussed heavily on social media by fans and wrestlers alike is the lack of flexibility when working for major promotions. Sure, you have been able to work for ROH and NJPW at the same time. However, both are not on a major cable network and have never been seen as a major United States promotion.
AEW flipped that upside down by not only allowing some stars to work in NJPW as we've seen with Jericho and Moxley, but also working with MLW with a star like MJF. They are not only allowing flexibility but also letting these wrestlers to have prominent roles elsewhere and vice-versa.
This is currently working for AEW and should continue as the performers like the option as well as the fans being able to see cross-promotional dream matches, such as Tanahashi and Chris Jericho.
#3 Creating new stars
From the beginning, AEW has maintained that they weren't just looking for rejected WWE stars or stars of the past. Instead the company wanted to look to the future and build new stars from within the company.
While they haven't created a "superstar" yet it can be debated that they have created some new household names that people have invested in. Guys like Darby Allin, who has burst onto the scene, had an entire arena cheering their hearts out in a match vs. Le Champion.
MJF has taken social media by storm as being one of the best talkers in the business and isn't even 25 yet. Private Party has stood out as a team that people believe could be the next big thing in AEW's tag team division that has the likes of Young Bucks and Lucha Bros.
AEW has done a great job of positioning some people in a way where fans can create some new favorites of their own.
#2 Focus on Tag Team Wrestling
Wrestling fans have been so far removed from the glory days of tag wrestling in the 90's. Kids like myself grew up watching The Rockers, The Hart Foundation, Demolition, The Legion of Doom, Harlem Heat, The Steiner Brothers, The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian and The Dudley Boyz.
That is until AEW became a promotion, they decided to not only put an emphasis on tag team wrestling but to build its show on the back of the tag team division. It's simply the deepest portion of the roster and they are brilliant when putting together matches that fans will connect with.
This has caused other promotions to take another look at their divisions and reinvest in it as well. This sets them apart from everyone else and AEW has also emphasize factions once again to help talent grow.
#1 Being a real alternative
This is quite possibly the biggest way the company has delivered to their fans. It was one thing to create a one-off event and rely on other companies for talent, but now they are their stand-alone company.
They don't need other promotions for air time, talent or to sell PPVs. Once the deal with TNT was announced and became official, there was finally a real alternative.
NJPW can't be watched as easily for people in the United States as is the case with ROH and Impact wrestling.
AEW has solidified itself as the No.2 promotion in the United States is just a year old.
While they still battle with NXT every week for viewers, AEW has maintained a great status in cable rankings. The show has become a top 20 cable show on Wednesday nights in less than six months.
