10 AEW Disappointments We Really Didn't See Coming

5. Malakai Black's Boom & Bust

Malakai Black Cody Rhodes
AEW

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.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.