10 Unusual Demands Made By Wrestlers
2. The Elite Refuse To Be Elite
Historically, something very coincidental when a pro wrestler gets the book; it just so happens that they are the top star, and must be protected at all costs, often to the detriment of the acts that fans audibly want to see pushed.
But, alas, they are marks. The wrestler booker knows more than they do. Twice as much, when you think about it, since they have two jobs.
Those marks barely have one!
It was for this reason that the Elite, who initially formed AEW's creative committee alongside Tony Khan, were wary of booking themselves strongly. They didn't wish for it to appear that AEW was their vanity project, and so, for too long, they willingly performed jobs. As Kenny Omega took on an upper midcard role, allowing Chris Jericho's mainstream credibility to tempt curious viewers, he penned a storyline in which he had "left his wrestling heart in Japan". His subsequent slow-burn rift with Hangman Page was a better fit the for the episodic TV platform. The Bucks meanwhile gifted pals and mentors SCU with the Tag Titles and put over Private Party. The former team were better at the chase; the latter regressed.
For those reasons - and the debacle of December 18, 2019 - Tony Khan resisted their unusual demand to lose even more than they ultimately did.
Wins and losses matter - to both fan investment and the aura of top stars.