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Is An AEW Four Horsemen Revival Imminent?

Four Horsemen Logo

It has been heavily teased since the arrival of FTR that AEW may be looking at a Four Horsemen revival. Some hints have been subtle; others, not so much. After the Fight for the Fallen episode of Dynamite on Wednesday, July 15th, it looks like things are fully in motion to switch up a lot of big names on the AEW roster.  While there is excitement about a potential Horsemen faction, it looks likely it will come at the expense of killing The Elite.

Whatever form this new version of The Horsemen takes they will not be under the moniker of The Four Horsemen.  It will likely be along the lines of the TNA angle with Fortune (or Fourtune) where they flash the four sign and do everything the original Horsemen did, just not under the same name.  Let’s run down the likely members of this new faction and what it could mean for The Elite.

FTR – Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood

FTR seems a lock since the minute they made their debut.  Other than the comparisons in style with original Horsemen tag team Arn and Ole Anderson, they wasted no time in getting a picture taken with Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson holding up the four sign after their debut.  They are the perfect fit for a faction and are one of the world’s top tag teams.

At Fight for the Fallen, the trigger seemed to have been pulled. Blanchard was seen scouting the duo from the crowd.  There have also been rising tensions with FTR and Kenny Omega of late, which should set up a title match in the near future.

https://twitter.com/Perfec10n/status/1283181582359105536?s=20

Shawn Spears

Already under the tutelage of Blanchard with a solo record of 8-2 in 2020, again, Shawn Spears seems a lock. He was gifted a black glove by Tully as part of his push into a new, more heartless character. The significance of this was not lost on many old school wrestling fans.  The glove was first made famous by Blackjack Mulligan and then picked up by his son Barry Windham when he joined the Four Horsemen all the way back in 1988.  This would be an excellent character evolution for him as many fans have been keen to see him get a major push since his departure from WWE.

Cody

This is the one that will lead to a wider restructuring. Cody will undoubtedly fill out the leader role and result in Cody making a push for the AEW Heavyweight Championship.  After all, the Horsemen are all about all the gold!  He has made it known in recent weeks he is feeling isolated from both The Elite and The Nightmare Family as they go about their own business.  In his most recent TNT Championship defence against Sonny Kiss, he was also scouted by Tully and seemed off his game throughout the fight.  There were a few occasions where it looked like he was ready to turn heel but refrained at the last minute. Cody continues to show good sportsmanship, embracing his opponents at the end of each match.

Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard

Arn Anderson had previous stints managing The Horsemen in WCW and is one of their most recognised members.  Recently, we have seen Cody being more and more reliant on Arn for guidance and support. This could be used to pull him away from The Elite.

While it seems Tully will be the overall manager of the team, they may try and slot both men in. Anderson may serve as a coach in a similar format to how he is working with Cody now. Perhaps he will continue to be Cody’s dedicated coach or it may be a way to transition him off-screen.

Now while these four seem almost certain to unite in the near future, they are not just limited to four core members.  While The Horsemen traditionally kept to the format of four active wrestlers and a manager with various female valets, this is a modern incarnation of them and they may go a similar path to Fortune and recruit beyond their initial four.

“Hangman” Adam Page

Perhaps one many didn’t see coming until Fight for the Fallen. We have seen “Hangman” Adam Page sharing a drink with FTR moments after they doused his tag team partner Kenny Omega in beer. This may have been done in an effort to tease a split of Omega and Page further. We have seen Kenny become more volatile as evidenced by his post-match beatdown of Marko Stunt, leading to The Young Bucks having to restrain him. Page previously considered leaving the group back in November 2019 and confirmed he was done with them in March 2020. Nonetheless, continues to team with Omega and appear on Being the Elite.

Page would slot beautifully into a faction with FTR and Blanchard. He’s an established name around the globe and would easily fill the slot of the mid-card champion.  If they are dedicated to the four-man crew, it may even be possible that Blanchard would tire of his efforts with Spears and drop him in favour of Page.  If the faction was to expand to five, he should certainly be the first pick.

Brian Pillman Jr.

This one is a long shot but stranger things have happened. Brian Pilman Jr.’s late father “Flyin” Brian Pillman was a member of The Four Horsemen in WCW from 1998-99.  However, The Horsemen formula does not generally lend itself to rookies; with Pillman just over two years into his pro wrestling career, a move like this may be too soon. It’s worth noting that one of the extended Horsemen incarnations in WWE, Evolution, brought in a young Randy Orton, so it is possible.

Given Pillman Jr. has only had two matches on AEW Dark so far, this may be one to keep an eye on down the line. The thing to remember is those matches have, so far, been against Shawn Spears and Brian Cage; these are not just jobber run-outs.  He has gained an incredible amount of support on social media with many hoping he becomes a permanent fixture in AEW. With MJF against a mystery opponent next week, he would be a logical choice of opposition for his main roster debut. This is especially true if the spot isn’t taken by a new acquisition from the WWE releases now that the no-compete clauses have expired.

The Elite

With Omega becoming increasingly agitated and Cody looking likely to jump ship, The Elite’s days seem numbered.  There has been a lot of questions asked since the inception of AEW regarding the usage of Kenny Omega. He recently stated that his year one was to focus on building talent through the tag division and enjoy working with Adam Page with whom he has great chemistry.

There will be an inevitable match with FTR taking on Omega and Page for the AEW World Tag Team Titles. If FTR were to come out victorious, this could lead to Omega turning on Page. This would put the two on the path for a rivalry that would certainly pique interest far and wide. This would ultimately disband the faction and also free up The Young Bucks to take on a more intensive role within the tag division without conflicting with fellow faction members.

Who else would make up a modern-day Horsemen within AEW? Let me know your take in the comments.

Stay tuned to Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW DARK Tuesday nights at 7 PM ET on YouTube.

Gary Kean

Gary Kean

Wrestling fan for the best part of 30 years based out of Glasgow, Scotland. Father of three mental kids spending the Covid lockdown seriously considering my life choices.

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