10 Wrestling Nightmares That Almost Came True
1. AEW Flirted With The Idea Of Introducing A General Manager
F*ck authority figures in wrestling.
The device has made sense twice and ceased working literally 21 years ago. The idea of Adam Pearce as a narratively convenient, selectively corrupt "official" - who has also bemoaned Sonya Deville's nefarious behaviour (!) - is brutally stupid. The authority figure exists only to make contrived and often contradictory bullsh*t happen. The authority figure is a device that ruins suspension of disbelief - what is the planned main event of any given TV show? - and exists only to further plot developments in a promotion that has no sporting element to it whatsoever.
Which makes it all the more mind-boggling that AEW once flirted with the concept. The promotion faced a situation that was rather desperate at the end of 2019. They squandered a great deal of good will with the infamously dire "Dark Order angle" of December 18, 2019.
Voices of Wrestling, who have sources within the promotion, tweeted on December 27 that "the "on screen authority figure" in AEW has been discussed, but there are people in the room vehemently opposed to it". "So far, those people have won the arguments."
Mercifully, Tony Khan took full control of the book, and his soft reboot of the promotion on January 1 led to what was arguably its peak.
The seminal build to Revolution 2020
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"Your lame and contrived promo train squabbling gives me a great idea: this match, between various acts who have conveniently gathered in the ring, will happen next!"