Following the AEW World Title Match at All Out, champion Bryan Danielson was literally left for dead. In a shocking post-match scene, Jon Moxley placed a bag over his head and attempted to suffocate him. Meanwhile, fans in Chicago’s NOW Arena chanted, “This is murder.”
While the post-match angle was shocking to many viewers, modern fans might be surprised to learn that the incident Saturday night wasn’t a first for professional wrestling. In 1989, Terry Funk attempted to suffocate Ric Flair with a plastic bag following a match on TBS, the current television home for Dynamite. While ownership at TBS has changed since then, the attempt to depict a murder inside a wrestling ring remains as controversial today as it was 35 years ago.
Jim Ross, who serves as a commentator for AEW, was working for WCW at the time. In 2021, he discussed the incident on his podcast. Reflecting on the backlash the Funk-Flair angle received, Ross said, “It should’ve never have happened. But I can tell you on the corporate side, who looked at us as red-headed stepchildren anyway, they were pissed. Irresponsible broadcasting is how I remember that story.”
Ross finished his anecdote by saying, “It wasn’t a good day at the office on that deal.”
Wrestling manager Gary Hart, who was working with Funk at the time, also recounted the immediate backlash WCW faced. In his 2009 autobiography, Playboy Gary Hart: My Life in Wrestling, Hart said, “That angle was way over the top for TBS, and their phone lines lit up moments after we did it.” Hart noted that viewers were so incensed that when the event re-aired two hours later, TBS did not run the “bag angle.”
Since its inception in 2019, AEW has had its share of controversial moments. That includes the use of glass and pizza cutters in matches. A grizzly 2023 encounter between Adam Page and Swerve Strickland featured staple guns and blood drinking. In recent months, AEW also seems to have lifted its earlier ban on unprotected chair shots to the head. Shortly after the Moxley-Danielson angle, Strickland, in a rematch with Page, was “drugged” and hit across the head with what may have been a gimmicked chair.
Meanwhile, as the violence in AEW goes up, ratings and attendance for its shows go down. While that can be attributed to various issues, AEW’s emphasis on extreme content might be a contributing factor.
At a symposium last week in New York, Roman Reigns was asked if fans might see an edgier version of Raw when WWE’s flagship show moves to Netflix in January. Reigns said there would be a range where WWE could push the envelope. But he also expressed the benefit of performing in a PG environment. Said Reigns, “It allows you a broader audience to connect to, which I really feel is always the goal. We want to reach as many people as possible. And I think there’s a fine limit to when you can kind of cross that threshold to where you push people off from the product.”
Naturally, ardent supporters of AEW will argue that since the angle was on pay-per-view and not TV, it shouldn’t hurt AEW’s relationship with fans, who expect more daring content on pay-per-view. They may also argue that because the incident with Danielson and Moxley wasn’t on its networks, there shouldn’t be an issue Warner Bros. Discovery, AEW’s TV partner. Additionally, they may look to mention that WCW wasn’t canceled for a similar issue.
However, the context has changed since 1989. Back then, both TBS and WCW were owned by Ted Turner. Since pro wrestling had been a big ratings success for his network, Turner had a soft spot for WCW, so it wasn’t likely to be canceled. But when his company merged with AOL, the new corporate leaders had no interest in wrestling and shut WCW down, selling it to WWE.
Regarding the fans, indeed, there is an audience that enjoys a more risqué product. But for a mainstream audience and those with children, AEW stands to turn off existing and future customers, a concern Reigns mentioned with WWE.
The cancelation of WCW’s programming is something AEW President Tony Khan should at least consider. It’s certainly food for thought as he has yet to finalize a media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, despite his constant teases, which now border on becoming empty promises. Even if (or when) AEW secures a new deal, such controversies and questionable programming could further diminish its fan base, tarnish its image, and hurt its relationship with the network.
One day, AEW’s reckless behavior may catch up with it. While that would be bad for Khan’s outfit, it’s potentially worse for the wrestling industry, as it may become difficult — if not impossible — for other promotions to secure proper TV deals because of the stain left behind by AEW.
