10 Unthinkable Masterminds Behind Legendary Wrestling Ideas

2. The Elite Helped Shape Britt Baker's Character

Kevin Kelly Triple H Stephanie McMahon
AEW

This one is unthinkable because the rumour mill suggests that, as soon as AEW formed, the Elite fell out and pursued their own creative interests to the detriment of a product that sometimes felt disjointed.

The Elite wanted to lose a rather silly supernatural-leaning programme with the Dark Order as Cody Rhodes sought to bring back the halcyon days of 1980s territory in parallel. AEW stated all along that the range of the promotion was its core appeal, but it felt like two different companies between Full Gear and the end of 2019, particularly when the Elite continued to interact. The idea that Cody was tormented by MJF and a Dark Order creeper at the same time just wasn't convincing (or particularly compelling).

The booking committee that comprised Tony Khan, Cody, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks was disbanded by Khan across the 2019 holiday season. Demonstrably, they didn't collaborate effectively.

Except they did, after the fact; when Dr. Britt Baker was struggling to connect as a babyface, because holding two jobs was almost too impressive a thing for a babyface to do, it was Omega's idea to turn her heel. The incredible "I'm seeing a lot of confusion on these chubby Whataburger faces" line delivered in February 2020 was Cody's idea.

Baker used these suggestions and soon shaped the character herself to a remarkable extent; she is the success story of an uneven women's division to this day.

The idea that the Elite couldn't collaborate, and that they had zero input after January 2020, is incorrect.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!