You're kidding yourself if you think this show is truly an "unscripted, peel back the curtain look at places cameras were never allowed to go." It's still very much reliant on characters and storylines just like "normal" pro wrestling programming. But that shouldn't be a turnoff; if you've even heard of this show, let alone are watching it, you probably like characters and storylines in traditional pro wrestling programming.
It's mostly focused on two of AEW's "power couples" - Sammy Guevara/Tay Melo, and Adam Cole/Britt Baker, with some additional appearances by people they wrestle or interact with backstage. Case in point to how this show is still about characters and storylines is the episode involving Ruby Soho. Do I feel the personal animosity between her and Tay is invented from whole cloth? No. I'm sure they genuinely don't get along. But what *is* invented for the show is stuff like Ruby asking her point-blank whether Tay giving her a broken nose was an accident. But even though they don't get along, they still do business with one another. (Do you have to get along with all of your coworkers?)
The best parts of the show are the ones that lean the heaviest into genuine realism, like Adam Cole (alternatively referred to and addressed by his legal name Austin) getting medical clearance to return to the ring, or Sammy getting a visit from his mom at a Dynamite event.
So is it truly an incisive documentary by a filmmaker eager to uncover hidden secrets? Not a chance. But is it fun? Sure it is.
