AEW: Let’s Talk About a Tough Subject This Week
Why I Think Kindness, Fairness and Respect Are Always The Best Way Forward
Image courtesy of Inside the Ropes
Normally, I would be bringing you my views on the AEW match I’ve watched in the week. However, this week I’ve felt the need to talk about something bigger than just what goes on in the ring. As I’m sure you’re aware, there are some really awful things happening in Israel and Gaza at the moment, and while it may seem strange to talk about it in a wrestling blog, it’s actually very connected in light of recent events. I think it’s important as a fan and reviewer of anything (whether that is a sport, a business, a person, or whatever) to talk about the tough things that can come up as well as the enjoyable things. Before I begin, I want to say that these aren’t criticisms, but ways I would like to see AEW especially move forward and how I believe they can make sure it stays enjoyable for everyone.
I have been following the news on the current conflict overseas, and I’ve found it really upsetting, as I’m sure a lot of other people have too. To be honest, the political situation is a really complicated one, and it’s been really hard to understand what the best outcome is in all of this. From a personal perspective, I just don’t like to see anyone sad or hurting. So, even though I am not sure how to navigate the politics of it all, I do know that it’s heartbreaking to see so many innocent people, regardless of their location or background, experiencing such terrible things. Because this conflict has a lot of very important and serious subjects tied to it (like politics, religion, and history), I think we should all do our best to be as considerate and as sensitive as possible to people’s emotions as this all unfolds. Even if we don’t see eye to eye with others, I believe we should always be kind, fair, and respectful to each other, especially when times are tough.
What does this have to do with AEW? Well, I’ll explain. This week I struggled with something shared by the company given the way it related to the current crisis. In a promo for Dynamite, it showed the storyline for the match between MJF and Jay White, and featured an appearance by Jay’s tag team mate Juice Robinson. For a bit of back story, MJF is Jewish and has experienced lot of antisemitism in his life. In high school, he experienced an awful incident where people threw quarters (25 cent coins in the US) at him because of his religion and identity. I won’t go into the history here, but the fact that it was money made the incident so much worse. Fast forward to the Dynamite promo, and it shows Robinson holding a roll of quarters with MJF’s last name (Friedman) written on it, apparently showing how he might replicate MJF’s bullying experience when they next come face-to-face. Understandably, this caused a lot of backlash from fans due to it happening while the Israel/Gaza situation is unfolding. I think for me personally, I felt disappointed, because, with a lot of tension going around at the moment, it just seems a bit inappropriate coming from AEW specifically. MJF has mentioned that this is a cathartic storyline of his creation, and while I understand that, I do wonder if now is the right time or way to do it given the current circumstances. I don’t want to take away from MJF’s experience at all, because it’s really important that victims of prejudice get to share their story, but the way that AEW has handled it makes me worry that it might not be sending the message that they have hoped it would. They may have just gone one step too far this time. Wrestling is naturally a sport about conflict, and so adding more stories about conflict or persecution in an already tense world makes me think it might add to further division at this time. Because people watch AEW for entertainment, in times of conflict I think it’s better to focus on uniting people and supporting people instead. What I think could have been better was showing a way to support all of the victims in this complicated situation. For example, they could do a disaster relief charity tournament or for one match only have certain enemies work together for the sake of promoting peace. Lots of people are struggling right now, so the more we focus on supporting each other and coming together, I think, the better.
This situation has made me reflect on another area I think AEW could also improve on in terms of fairness and respect. I’ve noticed that the women’s division doesn’t receive anywhere near as much attention as the men’s division, whether it comes to matches, promotions, or air time in general. AEW has some of the best female wrestlers in the world and thankfully pays them the same as male wrestlers (which is something often rare in the world of sport), but they don’t showcase the female talent anywhere near as much as they should. They also don’t debut female wrestlers anywhere near as much as they do male wrestlers. I would really love to see more inclusion by AEW. Not only would it mean that these awesome women get the air time that they deserve, but I also think it would send a really good message from AEW to the world, including to young females around the world that they are welcome in this sport. Strangely enough, WWE seems to be getting better in this way, especially when I would have thought AEW would set the trend in this regard. Overall, I think this is a good opportunity for AEW to pause and reflect on the messages they’re sending, both as a part of the sporting community and in the big picture of the world.
When tough subjects come up, it can take a lot of thinking to make sure everyone feels respected, included and is treated with kindness. I think this applies to AEW also, and so I would like to see them continue to entertain their fans while also considering the bigger picture a bit more. We are all learning constantly, and when we take time to consider different points of view, we have a good chance of helping to build a better world for everyone.
