Big Z

Even though I think that Eddie Kingston has been a pretty good heel in AEW, it's real hard to keep him as a heel when you watch his speech in Being The Elite there (and that like Brodie, he's an awesome dude in real life). You could easily spin his current feud with Pac around if you eliminate the secondary parts (cause Lucha Brothers also need to be faces).

I was with you before the leg injury (though the Shida match during the Dynamite mega-tapings era was really good), but think that Britt has improved enough since then to be passable as a champ (and luckily, most of her face opponents like Shida, Thunder Rosa, Serena Deeb, and the joshi girls like Riho when they return are all good workers in their own right). Also, as she incorporates more character work in the ring, you can pull off enough smoke and mirrors for 15 or so minute title matches.

Big roster aside, I'd sign up for every one of the Undisputed Era guys in a heartbeat (though Roddy Strong probably needs to be in the group to bring value). The NXT era from 2015 to the summer of 2019 (predating start of AEW) was a ton of fun, and Undisputed Era were a huge part of the latter half of that. On that note, I'm also badly hoping for Tommy End/Aleister Black to join AEW, and would enjoy many others in AEW from that roster (but understand that there are roster limits, even with a second show). While there are definitely differences from that era of NXT and AEW, I'd argue that a similar mindset of smart. long-term booking, guys actually having fun and mostly being themselves, and not doing shocking things just for shock value have established AEW as a major promotion.

I have been reading that Cole signed an extension through 2022 last summer, but yes, definitely expect him to jump next summer. Stopped following NXT last summer, and it seems like Cole has been booked fairly well there, but I'd guess that he may regret signing that extension. Can understand why guys like him, A.J., and the Good Brothers among others re-signed to stay in WWE, but I'd expect a decent number of the next top round of guys in WWE to jump when their contract is up now that AEW is an established brand. Also, it's a big difference for a fan for me to super pumped and optimistic last summer about AEW and the actual wrestles livelihoods who have only known one major North American brand for their professional lives (and saw the travails of the last company, TNA/Impact, that tried to establish itself). If AEW turned out to be no different then TNA, no professional or financial harm done for a fan like me (though I may have stopped watching wrestling, as I'm not sure if just New Japan would keep my interest). However, now that AEW is more then a proof of concept and is a stable, major company, top names in the WWE do not have to worry about risking leaving a place that is by most accounts a miserable place to work for a place that is just about universally loved by the talents that work there.

I'd guess that Shida wins, as AEW has been pretty by the book in choosing champions (Shida's title win at Double or Nothing 2020 probably one of the most surprising, that or Hangman/Kenny winning the tag titles). Also, not quite sure if Abadon is ready to lead the division. I think that the next women's champion will be Britt Baker, and the division could probably use a hot heel like Britt to spark some personal rivalries/battles (maybe Britt wins a number one contender match against Thunder Rosa through nefarious means to keep that feud warm for an early challenger in Britt's reign). Think that Shida is pretty good in the ring and held up that end of being a champion, but agree that character development has been a bit lacking (Shida has been a formulaic babyface without anything real unique about her). Even though it's been a pretty long championship reign, it has still felt like a pretty transitional reign until someone like Britt can knock her off (and think that the extra seasoning Britt has added in the last year or so has been much needed).

Actually, all of the proceeds from Brodie's shirts will go to benefit his family:

With what ended up happening with the pandemic, going with Mox to dethrone Jericho turned out to be the correct move, as he was much more adept to working matches with smaller/no crowds and is the bigger star to the casual fan. For the first few months of AEW though (from Double or Nothing 2019 to Revolution), Cody was the top face in the company and very worthy of carrying the top title. Also, I generally believe that the top stars should be winning and competing for titles (even guys that were mostly attractions like Andre The Giant and Undertaker went for the title on occasion). I agree that you need stars that can build big matches without titles involved, but the ultimate goal should be to be champion (and want Cody to go after the world title again, but as a heel who breaks his word from the original stipulation).

Erick Redbeard is passable as a singles wrestler, but fits much better in a tag (and him and Brodie were awesome as a tag team). Depending on how much they value 10/Preston Vance, there's probably still value in bring Erick Redbeard in as a hoss for the Dark Order, but I would not be pushing him to the moon. It will be a bit of a quandary on how to book Dark Order, and find the balance between riding the wave of popularity due to circumstances and what is sustainable over the long-term. I lean towards going with Silver and Reynolds (on back on Silver's popularity) as the real breakout stars, as I think that was in already in motion and they are the right combination of plucky and believable (especially in trios matches with Hangman). Evil Uno and Stu Grayson are a damn good team in their own right, but damn the tag team scene is crowded with awesome teams on both sides of the face/heel spectrum, and for my money Best Friends should be next in line for a tag title run once Trent returns (and think there's plenty for the Young Bucks to do in the meantime with a likely and necessary FTR rematch, and likely match with The Good Brothers as part of the Omega/Impact story and fall out of the Elite).

Just listened to his full AEW Unrestricted podcast, and what a fucking dude. Just seamlessly blended being a guy you'd love have a few beers and shoot the shit with (And showed personality that made him so beloved away from the screen), while believing in himself as a star. He was a massive addition to AEW and really helped lead the way during the pandemic era. The heel run as leader of the Dark Order still had plenty of legs with it (likely having a fun feud with Hangman in the near term), but also would loved to see him as a badass face down the line.

I would be surprised if Cody wins the AEW World Title in 2021, as he will need to win at as a heel at this point and I think Omega holds it until All Out 2021 at a minimum (and if Hangman wins it there like so many of us have fantasy booked, he should hold the title for the rest of 2021). That being said, recently watching DVD's of All Out 2019 and Revolution last year, Cody was the most over face the start of AEW and I'd argue should have dethroned Jericho (and quick side note, AEW DVD's are very well done and well worth purchasing, especially if you have not seen the events). It was a weird 2020 for Cody after the MJF feud, and while I'd wait to gauge an actual live crowd reaction before making the final call to turn Cody, it probably will happen at some point in 2021. Given the tragic circumstances, you have to move up the already inevitable and turn Dark Order face, and agree with the post in the Dynamite thread that Hangman should be the reluctant new face of the group. At some point, we need the ass kicker Hangman of early 2020 back and not sure how that plays with a group like the Dark Order, but for now it's the right fit as he grows back into a main event challenger of Omega. Really want to see the introduction of the trios title in 2021, and The Good, The Bad, and The Hungie absolutely should be the inaugural champions. The roster is deep enough to add another title, especially when they introduce the second television program. And with the awesome groups that they have, the trios titles should be just as compelling as the tag team division. It was amazing to see the overall progress the company made between All Out 2019 and Revolution, and damn were things cooking before the fucking pandemic hit and stemmed the momentum of the company. However, they have chugged along pretty nicely all things considered, and objectively have some wind at their back with how they have handled the awful Brodie tragedy and should be able to create some compelling stories from it. Really hope that live crowds can return by All Out, as the AEW crowds were awesome and really added to the presentation. They have easily been the best North America promotion (and arguably in the world) since its inception, and hope that 2021 starts the charge for them to really push the stale and static WWE as the top dog in the business.

Incredibly well done show, but damn I hope that I do not have to watch another big memorial show again. Really hope that the wrestling community and the AEW family take care of the Huber family, as Brodie's kindness and generosity has been universally highlighted and he would have first in line to help if this had tragically happened to someone else.

While there are likely a small subset of wrestling fans that acted out of turn, I believe that her message was mostly delivered to the former PW Torch columnist and his libelous article and the reaction and subsequent pain that it has caused. I'm not the type to jump into wrestler's mentions, but from what I have seen on that, it has been as respectful as you can be with this type of awful tragedy and the understandable pain and grief that it has caused all of his loved ones, friends, and colleagues.

Seriously, this fucking year needs to fucking end immediately. Just caught the news after going back on the internet one last time for the night after watching the DVD of Revolution, and was feeling great about imaging what it will be like when AEW can have crowds again. And now, one of the key figures to help AEW carry through this awful period is suddenly dead, and not surprisingly was universally loved by the wrestling industry. People in the AEW forum know much I have grown to love The Dark Order, and Brodie becoming The Exalted One and leading the way really established the group on TV (and their true, awesome selves came out on Being The Elite, with Brodie leading the way there also). I really wish that the report of the ankle injury did not turn out to be a cover, and that we were soon going to start building to a Hangman-Brodie Lee match that would have stolen the show at the next Revolution and helped kick start Hangman's push to the title. I'm sure that almost all of us that watch Wednesday will be a mess for most of the night, and cannot even the imagine his family losing him so fucking young.

This is a great rebound/in-between story for Hangman before he starts down the road of challenging Omega for the title. The Dark Order without Brodie are basically faces, with the exception of Evil Uno (who is more of a face on BTE, but was a total shithead to Dustin Rhodes on a recent episode). When Brodie comes back, you have the natural story of him and Hangman feuding over the direction of the Dark Order (lovable, goofy faces versus creepy cult members). Also, The Good, The Bad, and The Hungie should be the inaugural trios champions assuming they start the trios belt in 2021.

There are a multitude of things that sucked about WCW going out of business when it did, but Callis not getting a big run in a rebooted WCW in 2001 is pretty high up the list (at least for wrestlers/stories, much less the health of the industry). I did not fully appreciate his talent back then (and yes, Vince could fuck up with talented guys back in the 90's also), but he was primed to be a big star on the national level before the carpet was pulled out from under WCW. He's still young enough now though to be a huge star in this program, and I hope that fans are back in the arenas in the spring/summer to boo the everloving shit out of him. Also, while last year's Blood and Guts would have been awesome in his own right, the seeds that are starting to form for Hangman/Bucks on one side and Omega/Good Brothers on the other could rival the best ones of the JCP/WCW era.

This may be the BTE fan in me coming out, but the Dark Order are basically faces in my eyes right now anyway, and you are slowly starting to see that transition to television. Not sure if Hangman becomes a full on member of the group before his pending clash with Brodie (perfect upper midcard match for Revolution), but loving the interactions so far, and is one of the best AEW stories heading into 2021.

I would definitely use past tense with AEW with that goof Meij out, and while Gedo/Okada rightfully still hold a grudge for how TNA bungled Okada, there are a plenty of people in Impact now with good relations with New Japan (And you have Impact guys in upcoming Super J Cup). It will still be a while before we see a major AEW/New Japan crossovers (middle of 2021 at the earliest, and that's with good results with the vaccine), but I am pretty optimistic that it will happen.

Impact looking remotely strong on freaking TNT does a shitload of good for the brand, even when they lose whatever blowoff there would be in an inter-promotional feud. I'd argue that AEW is gambling far more by merely doing any kind of cross-promotion with TNA, as one brand is featured live on TNT weekly (at least when damn pandemic is not messing with things) and has an objectively excellent reputation and the other needed a reputation boost and ties with the owner to make it back onto AXS TV.

This feels like home and a proper send-off for one of my all-time favorites in Sting. Sting, Flair, DDP, Horsemen, Luger, and Steiner Brothers are WCW to me, and AEW is my personal WCW successor, so of course fucking thrilled to see Sting where he belongs (and where we will be treated like the goddamn legend that he is). Like many posters here, he was a childhood favorite and a big reason why I ended up strongly preferring WCW to Vince's product. After a bit of a slow start, felt like the main event really hit a higher gear till the ending shenanigans (and definitely leaves plenty of room for a likely rematch at Revolution). Love the concept of AEW trying to work with every major fed outside of Vince, and I know that was one of the originals goals for the company. A bit ambivalent about the Impact involvement just because they at the lower rung of groups that resemble major wrestling, but admittedly a fair amount of that is the all of the damage done to the company before Callis and D'Amore inherited things (and that they have had to raise profile of the company just to get on freaking AXS TV). Also, Callis on his own is awesome, so he should strongly help this angle along. If this all ends up with a working relating with New Japan in a roundabout way, it will be well worth worth it.

I think you need to separate success from future growth here, cause AEW is already an objective success. Their solid base has made them profitable, and they will be a strong, financially sustainable promotion even if the current TV/PPV numbers remain static (especially when they can tour and perform in front of live crowds again). Any kind of bold chance that the company takes needs to keep this is mind, as you do not want to risk a successful formula solely just to chase future growth (and honestly, building a solid, sustainable base is the most difficult part for a new company). That said, I would love for AEW to continue to grow, but I would focus more on organic growth (with in house future big stars like Hangman and Ricky Starks) and continue to make strategic acquisitions when possible (Tommy End, Rush, Ryu/Dragon Lee among the current and potential future free agents), but not go for any potential big name. Moxley was the right guy to build first year-plus around, and he will have a big role post-title run, but I think that Hangman as the top singles star has even greater potential (ticks all of the traditional boxes, with a very modern backstory/character both in story and real life). To give a quick example of a bad, short sighted move for AEW, it would be signing Brock Lesnar. While they would garner some short-term mainstream buzz, I think Lesnar actually turns away educated fans (his Money in the Bank win was my final straw for following the WWE big shows). Where AEW is now, they do not need to take huge risks to chase greater glory.

The first three stages of hell match is one of HHH's best matches of his career, and it is not a terrible concept for Mox-Kenny (especially when there's a contrast between the two characters). I have thought of a traditional two out of three falls match between them at Revolution, but throwing a gimmick match or two in the mix likely helps Mox. I will say that no matter the outcome on December 2nd, there will be a re-match at Revolution. Even though AEW has not done it yet, and I like the first big singles match to be on a PPV and not TV, it makes sense here as a rubber match in the series (assuming Omega wins the title).

The Hobbs one is tough, cause I agree with your basic point about needing a big face (still some potential there with Luchasaurus, but he's kind of been lost in the crowd lately), but they spent too long teasing the Hobbs's turn without delivering on it. If Hobbs would have strongly turned down Taz from the beginning, he could have been a strong face, but it was a decently executed if not very prolonged and telegraphed turn. I will say, I think at least one of Archer, Wardlow, or Miro will turn face in 2021, probably in the first part of the year.

One other point in this thread that I want to address is Death Triangle as the faces in the feud with Kingston family. While Pac is probably better as a heel, he was a pretty good face in NXT and briefly during his WWE run (before he went down as another talent Vince squandered prior to his reinvention as a dominant cruiserweight). However, Lucha Brothers have been miscast as heels during their entire AEW run. You can pull off doing awesome moves as heel (see Pac, El Phantasmo, and Omega's early Bullet Club run), but when Fenix's entire character is basically being an awesome wrestler, it works much better as a face. Also, Penta's work with the crowd is much better as a face (Cero Miedo, the glove coming off gimmick). I think that Penta could be a nasty heel down the road, but not ready for Lucha Brothers to be broken up yet, as I want them to get a tag title run at some point.

On rare wrestling issue that JR is seemingly progressive on, I'm with him that DQ's are basically lazy booking. In the main event, it told two key parts of the story: it will take something incredible to beat Darby (drillclaw off the top), and that he is in new world now as the hunted champion. I think both guys came out of that match just fine, and it contributed to the goal that it makes me more interested in seeing the Cage-Darby title match. I swear that people almost need to de-program themselves from dumbass WWE booking this century, as their laziness does not need to be a template for AEW (and for whatever flaws Gedo's New Japan booking has, it mostly makes sense in the end and has drawn a great deal of money for them and is a much better template to work off of).

Darby eating the fall in the tag match to set up a future title match is very much New Japan booking (generally very good, though a bit off the rails in 2020). I think that New Japan relies on it as a crutch a bit too much, but it's still not the worst thing in the world. And far better then the WWE crutch of losing in singles non-title matches to set up the title match. Also, I would be STUNNED if Hangman attacked Mox, as AEW would not do something that stupid (too many people have WWE booking scar tissue there). Do not think that it was the Bucks either. Think it was Omega himself, if not then agree with FTR thought.