10 AEW Wrestlers Who Have Been Booked Terribly In 2022
When the booking is usually spot on, it sticks out when the wrestlers are let down.
Tony Khan, quite rightly, has been the Wrestling Observer's "Booker of the Year" since AEW's inception. Sure, he was going up against Vince McMahon at the time, but it was well deserved.
The two year story arc of Hangman Page from drunk, self hating loser to heroic champion was carefully and meticulously plotted and whilst the aftermath kind of fell flat, the journey was undeniably excellent. There have been other examples of superb story telling too.
How about FTR's conniving separation of Page and Omega before stealing the belts? For all his indulgences, Cody Rhodes' rivalry with Lance Archer was super hot in the pandemic era, as was the brave booking of Brodie Lee's destruction of the American Nightmare. Britt Baker's ascension to the top of the women's division, MJF's rivalry with Chris Jericho and his unbelievably personal feud with CM Punk, the rise of Wardlow and others. Moxley vs Kingston. Kingston vs CM Punk.
There is so much evidence to back up Khan's awards, but considering he has spoken of his desire to win it again, especially during probably AEW's weakest year to date and during the time of Triple H's critically acclaimed WWE, it seemed bold. For the majority of this year, barring a few home run angles, AEW has felt sloppy and certainly not a year that Tony Khan should feel as confident about.
And there may be a few wrestlers who wouldn't exactly be voting for their boss if they had a say in it...
10. FTR
'Erm...FTR are having their most successful run ever.'
Yes, they are. But don't conflate their rise to the top of tag team wrestling with good booking, because that most certainly hasn't been the case. It wasn't that long ago that they were nothing more than stooges for MJF in the failed Pinnacle, and then dressing up as frogs to try and trick the Lucha Bros.
When an act is so special, it rises to the top. This has been evident for years in wrestling and there are countless examples. Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingston, Becky Lynch to name a few. In 2022, wrestling fans are more clued up than ever and they can separate the performer from the booking.
In the ring, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler have been proving for years that they are in the conversation for the best in the world and this year, they began to back that up. But not really with anything in AEW.
Their stellar match with the Briscoes in April is one of the greatest tag bouts of all time, and they have been collecting titles across wrestling. The fans have bought into them as the premier team in wrestling, but in AEW, they are an after thought.
Back up to Wardlow in his pointless feud with Jay Lethal, and now mixing it up with The Embassy. FTR have become the best tag team in wrestling in spite of Tony Khan's booking.