AEW’s Playbook
AEW’s 2024 has been a year of trying to recapture “The Feeling”. Plenty of positive changes have happened between Full Gears. Some significant issues remain. Underpinning all creative choices is AEW’s playbook, whether old or newish ideas, like the civil war stories this year. Currently, Jon Moxley again holds the position as champion during a transition period. However, this time as a heel. The Death Riders attack differs in some ways to The Corporate Elite’s hostile takeover. Both sharing noble goals. Grab audience attention. Address criticism. Elevate talent.
AEW’s emphasis on slow burn storytelling can hit ground-breaking peaks. See “Timeless” Toni Storm vs Mariah May, or Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Adam Page. It can also painfully drag. See the Devil storyline needing a conclusion or Chris Jericho’s constant booking sending some fans to the bathroom. Some fans want to see a deviation, a subversion of expectations.
The foreshadowing of the next AEW World champion is one of AEW’s most effective, significant and honoured plays. It’s helped build fan investment in the world championship ascension of Page and Strickland. Arguably, The Death Rider’s storyline is building Darby Allin to become AEW’s Sting.
But some fans want to be shocked at Worlds End.
Some want the takeover storyline, plus its slow burn, out of the main event. Others want fresh unpredictability. Some want a hotter character to catch fire, perhaps become a magic bullet.
Fantasy booking is flawed. Yet as an alternative history fan, pondering what could be reveals a lot. Particularly about current feelings, strengths, weaknesses and possibilities for AEW heading into 2025.
Let’s consider what if…
Jay White Wins
This would likely be a case of the belt making the man rather the man making the belt. For years, White has been compared to Triple H: strong in-ring acumen but debatable if he’s truly a main event player.
First, one way or another, the question gets answered. At best, White proves himself as a worthy champion. Completing White’s rehabilitation after Full Gear 2023 (and Billy Gunn in March) with the right programs, like Triple H in 1999/2000s, could add dimensions to his persona. Or White cracks under the pressure. Either way, question answered.
Second, White as AEW World champion offers more versatility for AEW than the other new champion options. White could remain a face, a tweener or gradually/suddenly turn heel again.
White’s offense is adaptable like Randy Orton’s. White’s liquid, defensive counter-offense can be both satisfying against a Bastard (like PAC) or infuriating when it cuts off a fan-favourite’s momentum.
There are former rivals and fresh opponents who could mesh well and have inherent stories with the Bang Bang Gang leader.
AEW has lots of tweeners or heels fans support, like Page or The Hurt Syndicate. There are few true frustrating heels in the main event. In such a role, The Catalyst could be used to help other characters grow/change.
For example, screwing Page out of the championship in a third match could give the Hangman a definitive reason to become the face fans want him to be.
Orange Cassidy Wins
Orange Cassidy winning would be a feel-good end to the year. Perennially a fan-favourite, Cassidy is able, like at Full Gear, to capture viewers off-guard. Convince us he can do it! Some critics would become apoplectic, but Cassidy epitomizes AEW values. A strong choice representing an alternative. However, there would be issues.
First, plenty of fans want another wrestler as the main character of AEW again. Second, the lack of ready-made heel challengers for the main event. Maybe The Don Callis Family’s Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher at a stretch. Nevertheless, wouldn’t that be that be rushing and risky?
Where is Cassidy’s mind? Character development has happened but not been fully fleshed out. The change to darker clothes. Music changes. A title victory could cause further change.
If Cassidy won, what if his reign, like Lex Luger’s in 1997, was a brief moment of joy? Instantly snatched away by Christian Cage? For Cassidy in 2024 to lose titles, friends and everything he worked hard for, he perhaps falls further into the existentialism Corey Michaels recently highlighted.
Or subverting expectations goes even further… What if a world champion Cassidy went heel? His slacker persona turning to selfishness and self-preservation. His tactics in-ring and characterisation warped to avoidance and cheating. Changed by Jon Moxley even further that would create an anomaly, an unforeseen wrinkle in the AEW civil war.
Hangman Wins
Hangman Adam Page is the anti-hero many fans believe did nothing wrong. Fans are behind him. They want to see Page with the championship again. Many believe AEW was at its best when Page was the company’s main character. Although there must be a conclusion to end the current relapse storyline. Unless Page remained an ambiguous tweener.
Long-term, his current bitter and angry persona will be difficult to maintain. There is a possible quick fix of keep him as a tweener. That’s not new for AEW world champions in 2024.
See Samoa Joe and Strickland. Before then, fans loved MJF even when he threatened to go to WWE. Nevertheless, those shades of grey might work for hardcore AEW fans, but decline in ratings, attendance, fan investment might indicate sticking within the perimeters of faces and heels. While Page could be the exception due to his acting and commitment, it’s a gamble that ignores past trends.
There’s an interesting story to be told. Regaining the championship not fixing the brokenness inside Page could serve two purposes. First, dovetails to Page’s first reign and its post-chase blues and could make sense of that lacklustre reign retrospectively.
Like how subsequent actions mythologized an underwhelming and bizarre house invasion angle into legend. Second, AEW does its best storytelling with wrestler’s broken identities.
The Death Riders and Darby Allin
Subversion means a change to the plans, not necessarily shredding them. With each possibility, Jon Moxley losing the championship wouldn’t have to end The Death Rider storyline or Darby Allin’s ascension. Instead, just diversify the main event spotlight.
In all three scenarios, Allin could still claim Moxley’s scalp and vanquish of The Death Riders before challenging for the world championship. There are stories there for all three. White broke Allin’s ankle. History with Christian Cage. Against a heel Orange Cassidy or a conflicted Hangman Page, Allin could be defeating either return them to the light of AEW.
AEW does its best storylines with fractured individuals. I’ve watched Romper Stomper. The film’s turning point focuses on the neo-Nazi gang’s inabilities and self-destruction. A wounded Jon Moxley could be a more dangerous Moxley. Additionally, few takeover storylines rush the powerful threats destruction.
Instead, seeing AEW rally to over the obstacle and cut off the metaphorical head of the faction could contrast to takeover stories from TNA, WCW and WWE. Where usually the near-invincible faction barely receive their just desserts.
They just fizzle out. AEW does better showing nuance and human failure compared to WWE’s forte for superhero and god narratives. For some lapsed fans, they would rather AEW does what the promotion does best instead of a perceived WWE inspired angle.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – AEW – Stay tuned to the 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 on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube.
