The One Massive Thing AEW Have NEVER Done...UNTIL NOW

The one massive thing AEW has never done until now is book a World Heavyweight Title match that's this tough to call.

The prestige of the belt has been protected to such an extent that it's fairly easy to go back and revisit the near-misses but there are none to speak of. Hangman Page and Chris Jericho's inaugural brawl for the belt was unpredictable to a point, but there was so much common sense in giving the first reign to a) an established front-facing star and b) a heel, that Page's fairly tepid run at the title in 2019 almost felt like it was unravelling on purpose.

The run itself had some fun and dramatic moments, but the only time Jericho's position felt under threat was as he prepared to actually lose it against Jon Moxley at Revolution 2020. Moxley's awesome tenure will forever be as important for when it took place as much as the quality of his work, but the pandemic World Heavyweight Champion simply wasn't the babyface that could be booked to lose against the likes of Mr Brodie Lee, Jake Hager, Brian Cage and a not-quite-ready-yet MJF. Eddie Kingston's unlikely ascent to the main event in time for Full Gear 2020 was the most suspenseful, if only because 'The Mad King' was such an unlikely challenger that the impossible was briefly made simply improbable.

Having despatched all the rest, Moxley was left to face the best, but Kenny Omega's aforementioned grand plan became the talking point instead of a result that simply had to happen at 2020's Winter Is Coming. Now delicately poised to turn heel, Omega was undeniable as the next logical champion, even if the opening of the Forbidden Door and alliance with Don Callis were both (keenly foreshadowed) unexpected ways of him getting it done.

From the moment he got the gold, there was only one person that could have dethroned him. It simply had to be Hangman Page, and since his anointment, the fact that his road was so tough meant the loss would have to bruise as much.

Truthfully, this immense pressure has hindered his reign as much it's helped.

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