Where Are They Now? - EVERY Wrestler On The FIRST EVER AEW Dynamite

What became of AEW Dynamite's very first World Changers, Fuse Lighters and Boom Bringers?

The Elite
AEW

It speaks to the rapid pace of professional wrestling in the 2020s that an article like this can even exist.

When AEW Dynamite launched in October 2019, then-overlord of North American pro wrestling Vince McMahon only deemed it enough of a concern to sacrifice NXT for. He arrogantly assumed that, because the audiences shared some similarities and he had some Network muscle, that his third brand and son-in-law's pet project could diminish and destroy a new project which bigger, better and newer ideas.

Never was the creative and quality gap between the two brands more apparent than during the pandemic, but 2020 and half of 2021's upheaval would have put smaller start-ups out of business. AEW was no Mom-And-Pop shop, and the billionaire behind it had a son who spent decades of his life fantasy booking on forums to prep for the day he got his own televised toy box.

The quality of that product raised expectations though, and sweeping changes and unprecedented and unexpected tumult in 2022 have rendered All Elite Wrestling markedly different than the transcendent start-up three years earlier.

Especially at the very top of the roster...

22. Cody

The Elite
AEW

The first Executive Vice President of All Elite Wrestling to ever appear live on AEW Dynamite was also the first to leave.

In seismic scenes, 'The American Nightmare' sensationally returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38, after just under three years of reclaiming his surname and much of wrestling's rich history for the good of the new alternative.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett