10 AEW Disappointments We Really Didn't See Coming

5. Malakai Black's Boom & Bust

A victim of the aforementioned Codyverse problems, Malakai Black's incredible debut did so much to arrest some post-release concerns about how much lore (read: b*llocks) he was investing in a character WWE were destined to lose interest in.

Mirroring Cody's shock loss to Brodie Lee, the contest looked like a crime scene in how little 'The American Nightmare' got on his new foe, to the extent that Rhodes teased a retirement before Black axed that too.

It felt amazing to see some untapped potential unleashed like this, but AEW is the place where wins and losses matter and Black ending his feud 2-2 with Cody (and a nagging feeling that the latter kind of won it on away goals) resulted in the gimmick drifting and the promotion indulging in a little too much spooky b*llocks to get it back on track.

Brody King's debut might address much of these worrying trends, but the sooner the House Of Black lays foundations in kicking the f*ck out of people rather than blinding them with toxic juice, the better.