10 Ups & 10 Downs For AEW In 2019

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Chris Jericho is an obnoxious, arrogant, flashy piece of sh*t with a big, beefy bodyguard to hide behind. MJF is an obnoxious, arrogant, flashy piece of sh*t with a big, beefy bodyguard to hide behind. These are parallels: parallels that will form the basis of the day they finally cross paths in a feud that AEW is already laying the groundwork for.

Speaking of Jericho, his Inner Circle is just that. It’s a perfect stable name in that this group is all about ‘Le Champion,’ who has surrounded himself with an army of meatshields who’ll stand up to their boss one day, sick and tired of taking his bullets for him, leading to all kinds of storytelling possibilities.

Kenny Omega’s “road to retribution" isn’t close to completion. Yes, he has shaken the PAC-shaped monkey from his back, but he was dealt one of his career’s most crushing losses vs. Jon Moxley. He’s still very much trying to rediscover the wrestling genius he was in Japan.

Cody wants a piece of MJF, but MJF doesn’t want a piece of Cody. Hurdles are guaranteed. The Butcher and the Blade, Wardlow, and others will be thrown at ‘The American Nightmare’ as he charges towards his former best friend, setting him up with programmes within programmes before finally laying hands on young Maxwell.

These are just a few examples of AEW’s storytelling skills. Their shared universe is full of exciting narratives, some of which require short-term gratification, while others won’t be paid off until much later down the line. Not everything hits, of course, but they’re playing the long and short games well, particularly towards the card’s upper reaches.