Thursday, March 28, 2024
EditorialAEW Wish List for the Remainder of 2021

AEW Wish List for the Remainder of 2021

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Last week, I dove into the middle of the year wish list for WWE of what I’d like to see happen in the remainder of 2021. Piggybacking off that, it’s time to focus our attention on All Elite Wrestling with the AEW wish list!

Just as before, this is not a “predictions” list of what I think will happen. Rather, it’s a breakdown of things I am hoping will happen. The objective in mind is to toss out your ideas of where you’d like to see AEW go for the rest of the year with certain characters, championships and the company as a whole. Then, by the time 2021 wraps up, we can look back on our thoughts and ponder if we were pleasantly surprised with some better things, or if we’re disappointed our ideas didn’t come to fruition.

With that in mind, let’s get into it!

Page Beats Omega at All Out (or Full Gear)

The most logical next champion after Kenny Omega is absolutely Hangman Adam Page. I don’t care who signs with AEW in the meantime. This is who I want to beat Omega.

Theoretically, let’s say AEW is able to snag Daniel Bryan or work a deal to get Kazuchika Okada for a match or something. I can see why they’d want to do that for All Out. But I think Omega has to retain and then drop it to Page at Full Gear.

Ideally, though, things would come full circle to All Out and that’s where Page will capture the title he failed to win when he fought Chris Jericho at the first event. Not only is he the rightful top challenger once we get past Jungle Boy, but his friendship with Omega is the best storyline and Page is one of the most beloved on the roster.

It makes way too much sense to do anything else.

Future TNT Champion Options

Miro shouldn’t hold that belt for the rest of 2021. Who he drops it to, though, is kind of up in the air. I have a list of about 10 names I’d be game to see as the next TNT champion, including: Jungle Boy, Sammy Guevara, Scorpio Sky, Andrade El Idolo, PAC, Ricky Starks, Shawn Spears and Orange Cassidy.

Quite literally, give me any of them as champion and I’ll be down for it. I want to see all of them hold that title somewhere down the line.

My go-to pick right at this moment would be Jungle Boy, following his inevitable loss to Omega for the world title. Maybe JB could win it at All Out or on a special episode of Dynamite around October.

Andrade Ditches Vickie Guerrero for Thea Trinidad

“But that’s just going back to what he did in WWE!” – Yeah. I know. You see, I liked that pairing of Andrade and Zelina Vega and I happen to think that’s a much better option than what we’re going to get with Vickie Guerrero.

Vickie’s good for her role, but I don’t think she’s a great manager anymore. To me, she had one good run and a decent follow-up with Dolph Ziggler, but since then, she’s not doing it for me. I don’t think she’s been beneficial to Nyla Rose and I can’t imagine she’s going to be cutting the best promos to mask Andrade’s language barrier.

Trinidad not only has a comfortable relationship with Andrade, she also has a proven track record of chemistry. Plus, that would mean she’d join the roster. I think the women’s division could GREATLY benefit from her services and she’d be a huge asset and a natural fit.

On top of that, it would allow for a much smoother ability for her husband, Tommy End/Aleister Black, to join AEW as well. Since we know he’s out of WWE and even if he were to re-sign, it’s doubtful he’d have the same career path he’d have if he were in the AEW environment, I think this is best for all parties.

Other Additions to the Roster

Speaking of those two joining the team, I’d love to see some others join the ranks.

Sign The Varsity Blonds and Julia Hart to official contracts, if they haven’t already. The same goes for some of the regulars we see all the time, like The Wingmen, KiLynn King, Madi Wrenkowski, Fuego Del Sol and Tesha Price, among a few others. Not all need/deserve to be signed, but I think at least a handful do.

Pick up Billie Kay and Peyton Royce. Also, potentially pick up Chelsea Green, if she’s not just going to Impact.

Notice I didn’t say Braun Strowman, Buddy Murphy, Bo Dallas, Mojo Rawley or some others. I don’t think AEW should just sign everyone and there are some people I feel would be better fits in other companies (or, in Strowman’s case, doing some acting and other work before re-signing with WWE in another year or two).

Sting Teams With and Faces Cody Rhodes

Maybe it’s too early and there isn’t a natural transition to it, but when Sting first signed with AEW, I just assumed the most logical course for him was to face Cody Rhodes at All Out. That feels like the biggest match you could put on that would make the most sense and be the most emotional.

I’m still of the camp that should happen, but I’m okay with it not taking place until after 2021. Maybe it should be Sting’s retirement match when he’s finally ready to hang up the boots for good.

Still, in some fashion, I’d like to see Sting and Rhodes together. I think a worthwhile compensation is to see them team up and to tie into a Four Horsemen type of feud with The Pinnacle.

Don’t ask me how to get there or the specifics, but since we never got Cody being the head of this new Four Horsemen-esque group, I just feel like he’s the natural opposition and Sting should be on his side. You’ve got Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, so let’s do it. Maybe it’s MJF, Wardlow, Spears and FTR with Tully against Rhodes, Sting, Darby Allin, Kazarian and Christopher Daniels (part of Fortune; just ignore the whole “Daniels might be retired thing” or replace him with someone else) with Arn. I’m cool with booking that for All Out, aren’t you?

Legends vs The Pinnacle

Paul Wight, Christian Cage, Mark Henry, Sting (although I wouldn’t necessarily lump him in here based on the previous section) and even Matt Hardy, Billy Gunn and possibly others are all part of the old regime. At some point, The Pinnacle should take exception to them being around and want to take them out.

While I do want to see someone like Henry in a singles match, I don’t think I’d want to see these guys taking up spots on the big pay-per-views that could go to other guys who are more of the true branded team players AEW will depend on for the future. For instance, I’d rather Rey Fenix have a spot on the card instead of Hardy, if there isn’t room for both.

This isn’t something I feel needs to happen, but more so, it’s a means to get a “big match feel” and lots of people on the card without just having another battle royal.

Heel Turn for Jon Moxley to Set Up Feud with Adam Page

Sooner or later, Moxley is going to grow stale with his current gimmick. When fans are fully back in attendance on a regular basis, he’s still going to be super popular, but I think that’s a perfect reason to turn him heel by the end of the year.

That way, you know the crowd will be hot for the turn. They’ll be upset he’s attacked some beloved babyface or done something despicable to whoever he turns on.

The two main goals with this in mind are to keep Moxley fresh for some new opponents and to specifically give Page (who will be AEW champion in my mind, based on beating Omega at All Out/Full Gear) a tough obstacle to overcome. Page vs. Moxley feels like a major headlining title match for Revolution or Double or Nothing that people would go nuts for.

Santana and Ortiz Win Tag Team Championship

If and when The Young Bucks drop the titles, I don’t think there’s a better choice for the next champions than Santana and Ortiz. Maybe down the road, if this happens past the current horizon, there will be a better team for the role, but I don’t see that happening any time soon.

Santana and Ortiz came in with a lot of fire and could have won the titles from the onset. Instead, they’ve been just shy of it and others have started calling them out for not getting the job done. Eventually, they’ll have to win the belts or it’ll seem like there’s a reason why they aren’t trusted with that responsibility.

Now that they’re babyfaces, there’s all the more reason for them to beat Matt and Nick Jackson. Who’s going to get a bigger pop in comparison?

Bye Bye FTW Championship

I don’t see the point in this. I’ve never seen the point in it being in AEW, to be honest. Not only do I not like it as a focal point for Brian Cage, I just don’t think it serves much of a purpose overall.

Cage has to split from Team Taz. When he does, he should be stripped of the title and it should just go away, rather than get passed on to someone else.

AEW has enough titles and if they create a Trios Tag Team Championship, that’ll be another one to keep track of and focus on. Considering they’ve also had the NWA Women’s Championship, IWGP United States Championship and other belts in the mix, I think it’s fair to say the FTW Championship isn’t needed and it should only be around if they have a legitimate use for it—of which I see none.

The only way I can imagine this being justified is if they created some sort of hardcore division and used this belt to represent it, but I don’t think that’s a smart idea.

AEW Flat Out Buys Impact Wrestling…and Maybe NWA

Right now, you’re thinking two things: 1) this is blasphemy, and 2) this is not going to happen. But hey, that’s why this is a wish list and not predictions, and as far as the blasphemy part goes, that’s why it’s my wish list.

I don’t have the time to watch Impact or NWA, nor do I feel like it’s must-see television that I’m missing out on. I’ve given both chances here and there, but I’ve never been connected to either product, ever. I’m perfectly fine with them going away entirely and merging into AEW to strengthen Tony Khan’s brand.

While yes, I agree that it’s good to have more promotions as options for people to work, I also think the business is a mess in a lot of ways. I’m someone who prefers more organization and I instinctively want to merge things that I feel are taking up more space than what they’re offering, which I feel is the case with these two brands.

Impact already has a working relationship with AEW. I’d love to see Don Callis help the transition to just fading the former TNA out entirely. I can’t imagine the fan base for NWA is particularly huge and I think Cody Rhodes probably is the best guy to have some control over a portion of that branding, considering Dusty’s history.

Frankly, I’d like to see the men and women in these companies go to AEW or WWE, or be bigger fish in a smaller pond like ROH or MLW, or flat out go over to NJPW. Nobody needs to beat Kenny Omega to win the Impact Championship back as far as I’m concerned.

What is on your wish list for AEW for the rest of the year? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!