10 Awesome Ideas That Were Cut From AEW
3. The Elite Vs. The Inner Circle WASN'T The First Idea For AEW's First Stable War
The Elite Vs. The Inner Circle was a fantastic programme.
Its brilliance launched AEW Dynamite as the destination for long-term storytelling. It was fantastic when all 10 men interacted in brawls perfectly arranged to build the heat and deliver the catharsis; Matt Jackson on the Full Gear go-home show at once leapt over the dreaded WWE invisible wall and echoed the Nitro glory years when he broke up the stable stare-down and accelerated into the Inner Circle as a hyped-up Tony Schiavone despaired at the fact that they were "out of time".
It was also fantastic when it was splintered; Cody Vs. Chris Jericho was a phenomenal story, as wildly entertaining as it was monumental, given the high stakes involved. Every sub-feud was tremendous, too, and the deft booking dovetailed to keep the heels at an all-important advantage; Kenny Omega was distracted by Jon Moxley, Hangman Page distracted by both PAC and the nagging sense that his friends didn't believe in him.
It almost didn't happen - but the original plan held major potential too.
This plan was far more tentative than many of those listed; it relied on AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows jumping ship and warring with the Elite trio of Omega and the Young Bucks.
This of course never happened.
Styles negotiated a significant salary increase with WWE, where Gallows and Anderson were allegedly convinced to stay put by Triple H expressing doubt over the viability of a start-up. WWE meanwhile would "always be there". Oof!
Styles and the boys inviting themselves to the party and claiming they started it had serious potential as both a continuation of the Bullet Club saga and a sort of quasi-AEW Vs. WWE programme.