Things work differently in AEW compared to many other promotions, and one notable difference it has to the likes of WWE, is that the company’s referees are treated uniquely. The AEW officials are highly respected on and off screen, with more focus on them as individuals, heightening their importance. Whilst this is a good thing, there are glaring issues that AEW have with their referees, which could end up being a huge problem unless changes happen.

Referees Are Held In High Regard, But There Is Potential Damage Being Caused

When it comes to big matches in AEW, the referee’s name is always mentioned and announced alongside the wrestlers, with the likes of Aubrey Edwards even being over with the fans, something unseen with referees in large promotions. Referees aren’t just background noise – they’re pivotal parts of the show and the matches, and they receive the respect and acclaim they deserve in AEW. They appear in interviews, are involved in media events, and have roles in their company’s social media outlets and games division, but all this could be dampened by poor booking.

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AEW has managed to veer away from many poor tropes in the wrestling business, but something which is too heavily used, is distractions. Due to many in the roster being parts of teams, stables, and alliances, with many others having a manager at the very least, it opens the door for shenanigans to occur during matches. Whilst the chaos can be enjoyable, an overuse of anything will be a detriment to it.

Distractions Are Rife Within AEW’s Shows

The referees are distracted incredibly easily during matches, which can sometimes hurt in the important suspending of disbelief that the fans have to go through when watching pro wrestling. The sometimes farcical nature of distractions hurts the credibility of the referees, and the matches as a whole. At least once per show, someone jumps up on the apron, pulling the referee from the match for a significant amount of time, in order for the heel to gain the advantage. This has been used throughout wrestling history, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but it feels like a too often occurrence on Dynamite and Rampage. When it happens so often, it cheapens the moments when it happens in the bigger matches.

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AEW is a company that boasts a lot of logic in its booking and storytelling, so when a wrestler jumps onto the apron, surely the referee should just ignore them, and allow the match to continue until that individual actually interferes in the match. The same should be said for many babyfaces that get distracted by the same thing. Changing the way this works would of course take away the opportunity for heels to cheat, but would also open the door for different, unique, and creative ways of cheating to be thought up.

Tag Team Wrestling Brings Out Incompetency From Officials

Another criticism of AEW’s referees is due to their handling of tag team wrestling. Whilst it’s improved a lot since the start of company, the adherence to the rules during tag team matches is still not perfect. The term of ‘referee’s discretion’ is an easy way to overcome this problem, but that being said, the way tag team matches are assembled are inconsistent in how lenient the referees are. For example, Rick Knox often looks incompetent during matches involving The Elite, with the heels always allowed to pile numerous men in the ring to perform double, triple, and quadruple team manoeuvres on their opponents, without the referee counting or even attempting to stop what is happening.

However, when it comes to the faces, Knox is quick to usher them back into the corner and put them at a disadvantage. This issue was so prevalent that it was explained away in a joke on the 'Being The Elite' YouTube channel, in which The Elite were seen paying off Knox. This was a funny bit on the show, but if this was intended to be the reasoning behind Knox’s favouritism, it hasn’t been translated into a story or told on TV, and remains a large issue during matches, bringing collective sighs from audiences whenever Knox loses control of a contest.

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The referees in AEW are definitely treated better than in many other promotions, but these glaring issues can cause potential damage to the integrity of the product. When nearly every match in which a heel wins includes cheap shots behind the referee's back, whilst someone is up on the apron, with the ref turning around to see the face suddenly injured and downed on the mat, it heightens the risk of fans becoming tired of the same old tropes. This isn’t an issue as large or frustrating as WWE’s reliance on non-finishes, with count-outs and disqualifications becoming beyond a joke at this point, but it should still be addressed and improved before the referee’s look completely foolish.