How AEW Did The Impossible

But it got old, and the initial presentation of the Mr. Brodie Lee character suffered in contrast to Lance Archer, who debuted just weeks prior and got over big as an awesome revelation of a monster. Still, Lee entered a tremendous performance in a bomb blast opposite Jon Moxley at Double Or Nothing. In one of the best finishes in modern wrestling history, he emerged from the wreckage of the stage, catatonic, as if unable to be killed - only, temporarily, put down. In the aftermath, the Lee character attempted to recruit Colt Cabana, initiating a choice storyline that nailed the elusive emotion of the "recruitment" bit. Nobody wants to see the amiable, luckless veteran fall into the clutches of the cult.

The Dark Order stands now as a dominant - and incredibly entertaining - force. The act was tweaked and perfected, on the expressive BTE platform, when they grasped how exactly to riff on Vince. The latent menace was accurate, but not really effective: Mr. Brodie Lee blowing Vince's trademark, massive gaskets is much funnier and far more terrifying. Every week, the Dark Order stole and made relevant once more a show that had dwindled in quality following AEW's launch by gradually nailing the stable's new dynamic also.

In deft parallel, Tony Khan booked the Dark Order underlings in several Dynamite mini-bangers, establishing them as a worker's collective - crucial in getting over on a show with such high in-ring standards - just before the outrageous flex of 'Saturday Night Dynamite'.

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