#3 Hope isn't true: AEW star Darby Allin's long-term feud with Billy Gunn
This past week on AEW Rampage, Darby Allin defeated Billy Gunn in what appeared to be a 'one-off' thing. However, the feud could be far from over if the reports circulating are any indication.
Dave Meltzer recently reported that the company is planning to build a long-term feud between Allin and Gunn:
“They are going to build a program around them, but whatever, let’s see how it goes.” Meltzer continued, "Not giving much hope to fans who wanted Allin to move up the rankings, rather than down to Dark or Elevation levels of a feud."
We hope this said rumor doesn't turn out to be true. Darby Allin is amongst the promotion's top four pillars and deserves a high-profile booking instead of being pitted in a long-running rivalry against a star who's well past his prime.
There's no doubt that Billy Gunn is a well-known veteran, but it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that he's not going to elevate Allin at all. All Elite Wrestling could have renewed the feud between MJF and Allin, especially knowing how captivating it was.
#2 Hope is true: AEW could open the forbidden door for Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi
The forbidden door during the pandemic era has turned fantasy warfare into a reality. It looks like Tony Khan's promotion will continue to open its doors for two NJPW stars.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi could end up competing on AEW programming down the road. Meltzer noted that there's a significance behind the company mentioning their names on television quite often these days:
"I mean it's possible. My impression [is that] Okada’s gonna be in AEW soon because they kept mentioning his name. Tanahashi, obviously - they shot the beginning of the angle with Moxley. I mean that was a long term goal to do that match. So I expect it to happen at some point," said Dave Meltzer.
We hope this rumor is true since Okada and Tanahashi are considered two of the best in-ring performers in pro wrestling today. Given how AEW primarily targets die-hard wrestling fans, it would be in their best interest to bring these NJPW stars.
The company initially wanted to book Jon Moxley against Tanahashi, but the latter's working schedule prevented the match from materializing. But the said bout could take place whenever Moxley makes his return.
Moreover, the possibility of seeing a renewed rivalry between Okada and Omega next year would send fans into a frenzy.