9 Predictions For Chris Jericho's AEW Mystery Partners
7. PAC
As inevitable as it is welcome, the barrier to PAC's AEW debut has since been broken.
The semi-official reason for his cancelled match with Hangman Page at Double Or Nothing was cited as "creative differences": PAC, out of loyalty to the Dragon Gate promotion that made him, refused to job in his capacity as Open The Dream Gate Champion. Forcing a huge rewrite of AEW's debut show, Dave Meltzer reported at the time, on Wrestling Observer Radio, that "I don’t wanna say there’s no negativity around it."
He has since suggested that this was an "it is what it is" scenario - an embarrassing but necessary test of murky wrestling politick, more miscommunication than animosity. Moreover, this is business, and there is a reason why AEW were so keen to sign PAC in the first instance: the flier is a phenomenal pro wrestler with evident but untapped potential to star as an engaging character in the episodic TV realm.
PAC dropped that title to Ben-K in July, freeing him of f*ck finishes and the duty to protect its integrity - and there's a real sense of discord with which to put him in opposition against the trio of Executive Vice Presidents.
Likelihood: 80%