How 'Syndrome' from the Incredibles exposes a major issue in AEW.

In the few years of AEW’s existence, they have quickly proven themselves to be a viable competitor to the goliath that is WWE. It’s been amazing to see stars like Penta, Malachi Black and Britt Baker finally get showcased on a major TV show but I’ve recently noticed something strange about the booking/feel of a lot of big names in AEW and Syndrome, yes the antagonist from Pixar’s The Incredibles, will help me explain it.

Now it’s no secret that AEW’s roster is STACKED. Bryan Danielson, Adam Paige, The Bucks, Jade Cargill to name a few and at face value this is not a bad thing. AEW is rarely short of great matches so you know that you’re going to see some amazing wrestling no matter what show you tune into. This has also allowed wrestlers such as Wardlow, Orange Cassidy and Jade Cargill to receive an amazing push because there are many big names to put them over and make them look strong. However, as my guy Syndrome says, ‘When everyone is super… no one is’.

Having so many big names on one roster means that they will all need TV time and of course good enough booking that they still feel like a big deal. But AEW have shot themselves in the foot because there’s too many people who need to feel like a big deal and it’s affecting the fan perception of their wrestlers.

Jericho, Mox, Danielson, The Young Bucks are all MASSIVE names in the industry and I could honestly name another 15 big names. But having so many big names means the debut and presence of another big name is simply just that… another big name. An example of this is Kyle O’Riley. Once set to be the next big thing in NXT, he felt special because there wasn’t really any other big names on NXT that could rival him with the exception of Gargano or Ciampa. This made him feel special and untouchable until he went to AEW. It really feels like he’s been downgraded to Adam Cole’s lackey again because after his debut he was just another great wrestler who should be punished to the moon alongside other great wrestlers who should be pushed to the moon.

Say what you want about NXT 2.0 but at least Carmello Hayes feels like a big deal. In comparison to O’Riley, they’re both insanely talented and charismatic; embodying everything a modern wrestler should be but O’Riley feels like an after though due to the environment he’s in. Hayes feels untouchable because there’s no one else on his level, AEW suffers because the majority of their top guys, both male and female, have had storied indies careers so we know how much of a big deal everyone is. Thai removes space for one star to feel special. The Undisputed era once felt like the greatest faction in modern wrestling but now they’re just another great tag team amongst other great tag teams. How can they feasibly get a push when FTR, The Bucks, Private Party, Dark Order and any other of the 50 billion factions in AEW exist on that level?

It gets especially sad in the women’s division where talent like Riho, Shida and Soho don’t get the spotlight we know they deserve because AEW do not book women outside of championship matches.

Adam Cole has gone from one of the greatest wrestlers to just another great wrestler. I love my mum’s lasagna 1) because it’s delicious and 2) she only makes it on special occasions. If she made it for breakfast lunch and dinner it would no longer feel special. The more you have of a good thing the less good it is and this is what happened to Cole. He doesn’t have the space to feel like a big deal if everyone feels like a big deal.

I’m not just here to criticise so I’d like to offer a solution… a brand split. AEW now has ROH and Rampage. If they introduce a brand split, each roster now has the job of creating it’s own hierarchy of wrestlers and gives every wrestler more time and space to be themselves on a show without feeling that they will be seen as average in comparison. Andrade El Idolo hasn’t really had that chance to shine yet and his booking on NXT shows he can carry a show. If They split the roster, sprinkling their big stars across the shows, every star will start to feel special again as their will be more room for the wrestlers to get apush without having to worry about TV and and booking for the plethora of other great stars on the other show. Because in AEW everyone feels super… so no one feels super anymore.