#crowded roster

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Top 20 Worst Things About All Elite Pro Wrestling (Part 3) Description: Even though AEW has been mostly enjoyable since 2019 when it launched, no product is without it's flaws. With this being a new company there are going to be some growing pains as well as some flaws in the booking philosophy that come naturally with difference in opinions and views on how wrestling should be presented, here are few things on the downside of AEW.... 16. The Neglect of "Absolute" Ricky Starks-Starks is a guy whose name I heard blowing up a lot when he was on the NWA roster which is saying something because outside of Nick Aldis it was rare that I would see any conversation about anyone who was on that roster. He comes to AEW and he does well, both in competition and on commentary but somewhere along the line he's kind of gotten lost. Now MJF, Darby Allin, Jungle Boy & Sammy Guevara have been declared as the "Four Pillars" of AEW even to the point where there has been merch made out of that concept. These are supposed to be the guys to carry the new era into the future, the question is, where does that leave Starks and the current AEW Champion, Hangman Page? They are just as talented if not more so than these 4 and Starks specifically hasn't been treated with anywhere near the respect, they have despite that. They made him a part of Team Taz, a place I never thought he fit because he's a pretty boy in a stable with a bunch of Brawlers and Meatheads, they all kind of have a similar vibe and he sticks out like a sore thumb. Hopefully in the future they can figure out where he actually fits and use him more tactically because I think he could be a big star for them and put some asses in seats.

15. Over-reliance on Surprises-It seems like almost every PPV and for their special episodes of Dynamite there some sort of big reveal and a new title is unveiled or there is a big signing. Sometimes those signings are a big deal like when CM Punk finally debuted and other times they are disappointing like when Paul Wight said they had just acquired a big star and it turned out to be Christian Cage. This can't turn into a gimmick. As you can see from their ratings, they pop big for this and then the numbers go back down when all they can showcase is the talent they already have. Danielson vs. Page in both instances didn't move the needle much and that sucks because not only where they really good matches, but I feel like they've been doing a good job building Hangman. They need to figure out a way to get people to show up for their storylines and their top talent as opposed to the moment of revealing something or someone new.

14. Crowded Roster-AEW has signed a lot of talent in a short time, and they don't really need to officially sign jobbers like Peter Avalon or Michael Nakazawa anymore. They seem to have a system going with the way they handle AEW Dark & AEW Dark Elevation. It might be time to start cutting off the bottom half of the roster every year the way WWE does. The roster isn't crowded in the general sense, they have plenty of room and camera time for everyone with 4 shows but they are moving dangerously close to "talent hoarding" territory.

13. Jim Ross on Commentary-Not only is Jim Ross way past his prime as far as commentary is concerned, but he also just flat out doesn't fit on this product. He's a fish out of water here. Schiavone having an AEW based podcast and being an interviewer allows him to connect with the talent and Excalibur already knows a lot of these people from working with them on the indies, so they work very well for this product. When you add guys like Taz or Jericho or any of the guest commentators like Ogogo and Starks, it really puts things into perspective as to where good ol' J.R. stands today. Aside from all that there was a period where he insisted on getting his old man opinions over about work rate and other things that kind of buried a product, he's supposed to be selling to us. If he was a heel commentator, I would understand that it was a work, but it wasn't a work, it was a shoot and it's not a good look. Vince would never let a commentator bury his product while actively sitting at his announce table.

12. Random Tag Team Matches-AEW's tag division is entirely too stacked for them to put together so many pointless tag team matches. I don't need to watch Jericho & Hager or Jericho & Sammy when Santana & Ortiz are the actual tag team in the Inner Circle, that makes no sense. I also don't need to see people who are in stables work with people outside of their stable for tag matches or big ass 10-man tags with two stables working together unless it actually leads somewhere or adds to a story.