10 Biggest AEW Creative Mistakes
6. The First Iteration Of The Dark Order
Decent idea, lame execution.
Horrible execution.
Because wins and losses matter in AEW, the promotion originally built a stable around the latter narrative component; with defeats piling up, and actually affecting the pay, status and mentality of the wrestlers, the Dark Order would prey on and recruit the despondent failures and use them to bolster their ranks and give them "strength in numbers": an inspired, holistic use of the rankings system.
They looked like complete geeks, which rather undermined the idea; each and every one of the "creepers" looked like they weren't even far enough in wrestling to have been connected with a gear maker, and because this was actually true, the act stood no chance of appearing as a threat. An attempt at a soft reboot, with a Scientology-adjacent explanation, provided context without heft or entertainment value. The heavily rumoured twist - that Marty Scurll, left behind, had formed the Dark Order in the shadows before debuting a year after his lapsed friends - was also inspired, but it never happened.
Mercifully.
Mr. Brodie Lee saved the faction with his total riot of a gasket-blowing Mr. McMahon parody x incredible big man worker act, but the original iteration of the stable was so dire that, after December 18, 2019, its failure transformed the very complexion of the company's creative process.