5 Ways AEW Has Changed Since May 2019 (& 5 How It's Exactly The Same)

AEW has officially been around for a full year since its first ever event of Double or Nothing in 2019. Tony Khan’s vision with the Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega at the forefront has seen a new promotion on TNT every week with the quarterly PPV events. AEW had a goal to become a major promotion and it has found success with TNT re-signing them for three more years.

Fans have been relatively happy with AEW with a fun year of memories, but the beloved AEW formula is about to change. Like any budding wrestling promotion, AEW had to adjust to some unforeseen circumstances and curveballs and will do so in the coming years. So far, they have also done a good job sticking to what works while tweaking what needed to be fixed. Here are 5 things that changed in the AEW since its conception in 2019, and 5 more things that stayed the same.

10 IT CHANGED: Wrestling Legends as managers

One thing AEW has established to differentiate itself from WWE was hiring a few legends to manage active wrestlers. WWE has generally strayed away from older wrestlers having a managing role on television, with limited opportunities for managers at all.

Meanwhile, AEW has utilized major names like Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, Jake "The Snake" Roberts and now Taz as managers. Each legend has a relevant connection to the talents they manage and adds more depth to the overall show.

9 IT STAYED THE SAME: The tag division is as strong as ever

AEW made it known that tag team wrestling was going to be a major part of the company. Teams like the Young Bucks, SCU and Best Friends are still being used as top duos in the division. Other teams like current champs Adam Page and Kenny Omega, Private Party and a few others have stepped up as well.

The tag division is a huge strength of AEW, which the promotion actually promised at the start of their game plan. Rumors are circulating that The Revival will also be joining AEW after WWE finally granted them their releases, giving the AEW's tag division even more credibility and star power.

8 IT CHANGED: Tony Schiavone's presence

AEW hired Tony Schiavone ahead of the company’s debut on TNT as the third man in the booth along with Jim Ross and Excalibur. Schiavone has added a lot to the AEW product by contributing in various ways.

The commentary team has great chemistry with Schiavone, as he serves as a bridge between the old school approach and the excitement of new school fun. AEW also uses Schiavone for successful interviews, as seen with Britt Baker’s rise, and hosting a weekly podcast with referee Aubrey Edwards.

7 IT STAYED THE SAME: Big time presentation

Tony Khan wanted to make it clear that AEW would be a real mainstream promotion instead of a smaller brand, like Impact Wrestling or Ring of Honor. The bigger venues provided the first big step, but AEW also invested more into the presentation.

Pyro and elaborate sets were two things wrestling fans missed when WWE cut costs before bringing them back. AEW has had a great set unique for each PPV and still uses pyro even for the era of empty arena shows.

6 IT CHANGED: Making struggling acts adapt

AEW has made a few major changes for the struggling acts that they still believe in. For example, the Dark Order was initially a huge miss but instead of quitting on them, Brodie Lee was added as the leader to give them more importance. This was a gamble that paid off spectacularly.

Character changes to Adam Page and Britt Baker turned their careers around for the better, after they struggled with generic face shticks at the start. Additionally, the Nightmare Collective with Brandi Rhodes was the most criticized part of AEW, but the group disbanded with Brandi now as a face manager again.

5 IT STAYED THE SAME: Faction warfare

The factions of AEW became a noteworthy part of the show at the start. Members of The Elite stayed together to keep their stable building as an important part of the company, while AEW also made the wrestlers of SoCal Uncensored (SCU) among the first signings to have another strong stable. Similarly, Chris Jericho creating the Inner Circle saw them become a top act and huge draw as well.

AEW’s Stadium Stampede masterpiece saw The Elite and the Inner Circle square off in a spectacle that fans loved. The faction warfare is still going strong today, and will probably continue to do so for the near future.

4 IT CHANGED: New rising stars

A huge positive for AEW is the growth and progression of the many rising stars in the company. No one thought Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara and a few others would have such pivotal roles this early in AEW’s history, but they did.

The booking team does a great job highlighting the strengths of their talent and it leads to fans connecting with them. Even a comedic character like Orange Cassidy comes off as a major star thanks to the execution.

3 IT STAYED THE SAME: Match quality is still important

AEW put a higher emphasis on match quality than WWE, since names like Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks have a reputation of performing at a high level. Most wrestlers who get pushed on AEW have the potential to have classics matches, and the promotion does its best to maximize this.

In contrast, WWE putting limited workers like Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin and Elias in noteworthy spots often leads to inconsistent match quality. AEW started with the opposite approach and still keeps this practice going today.

2 IT CHANGED: The women's division is stronger

The biggest struggle for AEW at the start was its women’s division. None of the top talents pushed had much of a connection with the audience from the start, since they were relatively unknown to the average wrestling fan.

AEW has worked hard to get the characters and personalities of Riho, Nyla Rose, Britt Baker and Kris Statlander across to audiences, and for the most part it worked in the best ways possible. Now, the AEW women’s division has become an invaluable strength. In fact, an argument can be made that Hikaru Shida vs Nyla was the best match on Double or Nothing.

1 IT STAYED THE SAME: Chris Jericho & Jon Moxley are the biggest names

The biggest constants from AEW’s first Double or Nothing show today are the two biggest stars in the company. Chris Jericho signing a contract with AEW put the company on the map and he was a great choice for the first-ever AEW World Champion.

Jon Moxley, meanwhile, debuted at the end of Double or Nothing to add another game changer to the roster. The momentum of Moxley saw him defeating Jericho to win the AEW World Championship. Both Jericho and Moxley often get the highest ratings and most social media views of AEW’s roster, and it's hard not to see why.a

NEXT: 5 Ways That Chris Jericho Is Best In AEW (& 5 Ways He Is In WWE)