Why This Hidden Gem Is The REAL Best Storyline In Wrestling

A great wrestling story isn't necessarily a three-month programme with promo battles and beat-downs.

Daniel Garcia
AEW

Now that the Bloodline saga has faded, with WWE opting not to strap up the hottest, ticket-selling babyface in years in favour of having Jey Uso stare at his feet for the next several months, the topic can be re-ignited: what is the best ongoing story in pro wrestling?

There are a couple of mentions. The Elite Vs. Blackpool Combat Club saga is a densely layered episodic story premised on mystery and violence. It's a very promising return to form for an Elite saga that had threatened to die off in the wake of Brawl Out. Great as it is, and as great as Anarchy In The Arena promises to be at Double Or Nothing, the promotion did this "war for AEW's soul" deal last year, and the BCC's motive feels too much like a riff on CM Punk's legitimate gripes with the Elite to scan to truly convince. It's an excellent compromise, but a compromise nonetheless.

Whisper it, because he's too unfashionable to praise these days, but Chris Jericho's programme with Adam Cole is a very creative and over storyline crammed with a renewed level of effort on the part of Tony Khan. Cole hasn't run through the Jericho Appreciation Society gauntlet; sensing that this device has tumbled into cliché, Jericho instead, with his ugly and hypocritical actions, pissed off Cole so much that he's not allowed to enter an arena. This is a far better take on the real-life Punk Vs. the Elite feud. Jericho engineering a beat-down of Dr. Britt Baker at the hands of the Outcasts was a much-needed, fresh approach to Khan's favoured creative philosophy: he likes to keep his biggest stars away from one another as often as possible before the big PPV showdown, and Jericho playing the litigation-happy coward is a great, in-character choice.

The best story in wrestling however is the slow-burn character arc of Daniel Garcia.

Daniel Garcia debuted for All Elite Wrestling on Dark in September 2020 as one of many budding independent talents given the chance to impress. In the summer of 2021, he was aligned with the incoming 2point0 unit of Matt Lee and Jeff Parker. Enterprising, trash-talking irritants who wormed their way into matches, watching them get thrashed by a supergroup of babyfaces was a very fun midcard bit. The first rung.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!