When Maxwell Jacob Friedman delivered his "State of the Industry" address on Wednesday night's episode of AEW Dynamite, he wasn't just calling out AEW Champion Jon Moxley -- he was calling out the entire company.
In his new presidential candidate persona, MJF spoke candidly about what he felt were shortcomings in the company. He carved up Moxley, comparing him to a dictator, Hulk Hogan, and a Stone Cold Steve Austin cosplayer, all while raising some interesting points about AEW's tendency to push former WWE superstars. MJF noted how AEW was supposed to be the land of opportunity, and how it promised fresh, new stars to differentiate itself from WWE -- then pointed out how when you look around, it's hard not to notice how AEW originals like MJF, Darby Allin and others are struggling to stand out next to all the former WWE superstars.
MJF masterfully blurred the lines between script and reality in his promo, calling for a new guard within AEW and a change in mindset throughout the company. Fans have been clamoring for an alternative to WWE for years, and now they finally have a legitimate option. But as MJF pointed out, so far, AEW has too often seemed like more of the same.
Over the past few months, ex-WWE guys like Brodie Lee, Matt Hardy, FTR and now Matt Cardona have all shown up in AEW -- and, for the most part, they've all been pushed right into prominent roles, forcing homegrown AEW talent like MJF to the sideline.
Lance Archer and Brian Cage have been two of the biggest victims of this worsening problem. Both came in looking incredibly strong and poised to do some serious damage in the company, only to have that momentum stalled within weeks. Archer progressed through the TNT Championship tournament with ease, only to be quickly dispatched by Cody in the finals and little-used creatively ever since. Cage debuted at Double or Nothing, winning the Casino ladder match and earning a shot at Moxley's title in the process. However, Moxley beat Cage after Taz threw in the towel, fearing for his client's surgically repaired bicep -- and just like Archer, hasn't found a clear new creative direction since.
Other home-grown AEW talents, like Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, Hangman Page and Orange Cassidy, have all seen their pushes culminate in losses to former WWE talent, like Chris Jericho. AEW has also seemed to prioritize past WWE talent in booking championship opportunities, with Jon Moxley's first title defenses coming against Jake Hager and Brodie Lee.
AEW is reaching a point where it now needs to be wary of its roster size and how it balances the talent it pushes. This has become one of the biggest problems within WWE after it went through a phase of trying to sign every independent wrestler in an effort to keep them away from its competition. Before you knew it, there wasn't enough screen time for everyone, and a large amount of that talent ended up sitting in catering before being released in the April roster cuts. With air time already pretty competitive as it is, AEW is going to have to be mindful of its roster size as it continues to grow, with only two hours of Dynamite and one hour of Dark available each week.
An oversized roster, an over-reliance on old talent and trouble developing in-house stars are all issues that plagued WCW and TNA during their respective "wars" with WWE. AEW hasn't had the issues that those companies had yet, but does need to be careful. There's plenty of in-house talent ready to grab the brass ring and carry the company, and they deserve their chance at the spotlight. Perhaps the established stars will provide a little bit more legitimacy and make it that much sweeter when an AEW original finally wins the big one.