Tiffany’s Take: Why A Second AEW Show Will Help The Roster

Tiffany goes ALL IN on TNT going ALL IN and giving AEW a second show (not named ALL IN).

Back earlier this year, before all hell broke loose with the Coronavirus, it was announced that not only was TNT extending AEW’s contract with the network, but it was also going to create a second show, similar to SmackDown for WWE. That’s a big thing for a barely year old promotion to be handed after only four months on the air.

With that announcement came a lot of questions:

• What would the new show be called?
• Who would be on it?
• How would AEW, with a much smaller roster than WWE, be able to put on second TV show, when its YouTube show, AEW Dark, showed dark matches from Dynamite?

Well, AEW has started answering those questions in the last few weeks, once quarantine restrictions started easing, for better or worse, and were even getting things in place before then. With the shutdown and many states in various stages of lockdown against the Coronavirus, AEW was forced to bring in a lot of indie wrestlers to put one matches, including Lee Johnson, Pres10, who is now part of Dark Order, Christi Jaynes, Dani Jordyn, Anna Jay, and Abadon, and though many of them aren’t officially signed, they are an indication of what the second show is going to look like.

Show Name

Well, most people have assumed that AEW will just take AEW Dark and put it on TNT, and that seems to be what AEW is aiming for by making Dark 90 minutes instead of floating between 20-60 minutes. However, it begs the question if AEW will keep showing dark (unaired) matches on the show once it moves to TNT or if the dark matches will stay on YouTube and will either just be uploaded to YouTube individually or if they’ve got something else in mind.

Lower Card Talent

One of the areas that looks like it’s going to be a big part of the new show is that it’s going to feature lower card guys like Joey Janela, Sonny Kiss, and Shawn Spears. It ‘s also become place for higher tier guys that either don’t have anything going on or there wasn’t time on Dynamite to give them a spot just yet.

Women’s Division

This has been a signature of AEW Dark almost from the start. Once it was clear that the Women’s Division needed a lot more work before being put back on Dynamite, they were put on AEW Dark and have carved out quite a place for themselves. They will still probably have matches on Dynamite, but whatever the second show will be called, will probably be their home.

Tag Teams

The Tag Team Division has a spot on Dynamite, but it’s mostly filled with Elite vs Inner Circle shenanigans, but AEW Dark has been the place for tag teams that don’t seem to be doing anything to grow and thrive. Best Friends cemented their spot on top of the Tag Team Rankings by kicking butt on AEW Dark.

Higher Tier Talent

Obviously, if this second show is going to draw viewers, they need to have the top guys in. I’m going to guess that Cody will probably do his open challenge on the new show and leave the AEW Champ for Dynamite, but that’s just speculation.

Overall, I think AEW using their second show to build the lower card and provide a platform for the Women’s Division is a great move and a way to use all their talent to the best of their ability. Any chance for talent to be seen in the ring, is a good thing.