{"id":108074,"date":"2020-11-13T23:43:38","date_gmt":"2020-11-14T05:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=108074"},"modified":"2020-11-13T23:43:38","modified_gmt":"2020-11-14T05:43:38","slug":"heydorns-take-aew-fans-need-aew-dark-to-be-more-actively-relevant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/11\/13\/heydorns-take-aew-fans-need-aew-dark-to-be-more-actively-relevant\/","title":{"rendered":"HEYDORN&#8217;S TAKE: AEW fans need AEW Dark to be more actively relevant"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2885497753\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>It\u2019s hard to believe, but yes, AEW in fact has two different television shows. AEW Dynamite on TNT every Wednesday night. AEW Dark on YouTube every Tuesday night.<\/p>\n<p>We all know Dynamite well. It\u2019s AEW\u2019s flagship show during primetime and the competitor across the ring from the other Wednesday night wrestling war combatant, NXT. Just as sure as Lana getting put through an announce table on Monday nights, each Wednesday night the battle rages, both brands clash, and we gleefully digest the numbers and debate the merits of each show on Thursday.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/07\/HeadshotHeydorn2020_180.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-102397 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/07\/HeadshotHeydorn2020_180.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"180\" height=\"210\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>What about AEW Dark? Can this show get a little love? A little open relevancy perhaps?<\/p>\n<p>I ask, not because its become a can\u2019t miss product, as its certainly not that. Dark serves as AEW\u2019s performance center and is the breeding ground for potential talent to show off and make a name for themselves in an effort to sign the dotted line on an AEW contract. I ask this for Dark because it\u2019s become a product that drives significant stories that play out on AEW Dynamite. To properly serve the company in that way, the fans need the show to matter infinitely more to them than it does right now.<\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s episode of Dynamite was a perfect example and should serve as the catalyst for more recognition of Dark as a key AEW product.<\/p>\n<p>The Butcher and the Blade took on Dustin and QT Marshall of the Nightmare Family in what turned out to be an entertaining and bloody Bunkhouse Match. Was I the only one uncomfortable, though?<\/p>\n<p>The match was good and it certainly wasn\u2019t my first toe dip into bloody wrestling matches, but as these teams started fighting, it felt like they went from 0-100 on the odometer in a matter of seconds. It was awkward and unsettling. Then, the questions started flowing. Do these guys really hate each other this much? So much that they want to unveil crimson red masks on the other? Why do they hate each other? What did I miss? And on and on and on.<\/p>\n<p>The missing ingredient for that match was AEW Dark. The entire feud between both teams took place on AEW\u2019s secondary show, yet, there wasn\u2019t any relevant mention of it on Dynamite. If there had been, the Bunkhouse match would have mattered more to fans and the audience wouldn\u2019t have been squirming while watching it and attempting to put missing pieces together at the same time.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1958556582\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>In this instance, if the Bunkhouse blow off match is the endgame, show the Dynamite viewer the story of how they got there. That means talking about Dark and making it relevant to the audience. Not only does that strategy set the table and prepare fans for a violent match, but it clues them in on the fact that Dark matters and that they should watch it and take it seriously. Instead, we got a parade of hardcore spots without context and an audience full of people scratching their heads as to why.<\/p>\n<p>Also, on this week\u2019s Dynamite and in their first promo since defeating FTR and becoming the AEW World Tag Team Champions, the Young Bucks called out Top Flight and challenged them to a match on next week\u2019s episode. Now, if you\u2019re an indy wrestling junkie, Top Flight is a name that has meaning. Many of AEW\u2019s million Dynamite viewers aren\u2019t diehard indy fans, though. So, what does that announced match mean to them? Well, unfortunately, not much.<\/p>\n<p>Top Flight is a premiere tag team and one that is sure to make an impact wherever they go. They just aren\u2019t nationally known names yet and in turn the announcement won\u2019t pop the rating in the way that Tony Kahn is dreaming. Mr. Kahn, make AEW Dark relevant and that dream may just become reality.<\/p>\n<p>How? Well, Top Flight competed on Dark just this past week. If the Young Bucks vs. Top Flight is going to be a top match on Dynamite, talk about Top Flight\u2019s performance on Dark. The strategy should be to use their Dark performance to put them over ahead of the match with the Bucks. The goal should be to define them as a big deal with their Dark action as the foundation. It frames them in a way that makes them worthy of facing the AEW Tag Team Champions, but also in a way that makes them appear to be a big deal and a top tier \u201cget\u201d in terms of talent acquisition. This would put over a new tag team on the show, but also begin to cultivate the notion inside the heads of fans that Dark is appointment viewing because it\u2019s the starting point for potential big stars.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re over a year into regular AEW programming now. AEW Dark needs more than a scroll at the bottom of the screen on Wednesday nights in order to serve the company how it wants it to. The fans need it to be more obviously relevant in order for them to take it seriously and so AEW can continue using it as a place where storylines for their company live and grow. Altering the perception of the show pays dividends. It helps Dynamite give perspective on potential matches, it shows off new talent in a brighter light, and it also will inevitably get more interested eyes on the product which is good for the Kahn bank account long term. A win, win, win.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK&#8217;S TAKE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/11\/06\/heydorns-take-dont-hold-me-to-this-aew-full-gear-2020\/\">HEYDORN\u2019S TAKE: Don\u2019t hold me to this \u2013 AEW Full Gear 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1650081424\"><div id=\"pwtor-3650369148\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>It\u2019s hard to believe, but yes, AEW in fact has two different television shows. AEW Dynamite on TNT every Wednesday night. AEW Dark on YouTube every Tuesday night. We all know Dynamite well. It\u2019s AEW\u2019s <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/11\/13\/heydorns-take-aew-fans-need-aew-dark-to-be-more-actively-relevant\/\" title=\"HEYDORN&#8217;S TAKE: AEW fans need AEW Dark to be more actively relevant\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":87359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,6454,53],"tags":[6121,6464,6463,6120],"class_list":["post-108074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-heydorns-take","category-opinion_stafftakes","tag-aew","tag-aew-dark","tag-aew-dynamite","tag-all-elite-wrestling"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2019\/10\/AEWDARKLOGO.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108074"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108076,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108074\/revisions\/108076"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}