These Brilliant AEW Success Stories Should Have SUCKED
3. The All-Atlantic/International Title
The social media groans were loud enough to be heard through the screens when AEW launched yet another new title that wasn't a Trios one in June 2022.
Long removed from the era where the name itself would have carried the nostalgic warmth of a time Tony Khan was keen to ape, the All-Atlantic Championship was felt to be the latest in a series of misfires from a challenger brand about to lose more ground against the market leader.
Whilst it didn't turn around financial fortunes, the belt became a beacon of hope when second winner Orange Cassidy defeated PAC in October 2022. He held it for just short of a year, elevating it beyond the status of the much-maligned TNT strap to the point where it credibly headlined a pay-per-view. The All Out 2023 loss to Jon Moxley was heartbreaking in kayfabe but vindicating for the company's unlikeliest workhorse, and served as a reality check for any of 'Freshly Squeezed's last remaining critics.