5 promising AEW angles that bizarrely lost steam

AEW has always tried to present itself as an alternative to WWE. The Jacksonville-based promotion has a very different method of storytelling that allows it to cater to various audiences.

Over the years, Tony Khan has hit home runs with numerous exciting storylines. The redemption arc of Eddie Kingston, the conflict between Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland, and the iconic feud between Toni Storm and Mariah May are some of the best content TK has produced in his booking career.

However, the AEW President does not have a 100 percent record when it comes to executing his vision. In the past six years, AEW has witnessed several angles that started off hot, before eventually losing their entertainment value.

In this article, let's look at five promising AEW angles that bizarrely lost steam.

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#5. Deonna Purrazzo's Vendetta faction did not find any momentum

Deonna Purrazzo arrived in AEW with a lot of promise in 2024. After losing two great feuds against Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa, The Virtuosa was in danger of getting lost in the shuffle.

In November 2024, Purrazzo joined forces with Taya Valkyrie to form The Vendetta. The faction seemed promising, as it felt like the duo finally had a proper creative direction in a star-studded women's division.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. Purrazzo and Valkyrie barely got featured on television consistently, making it difficult for them to develop a connection with the audience.

The lack of wins further prevented The Vendetta from developing any momentum. It is quite unfortunate that TK did not give a consistent push to the duo, as they could have easily been an entertaining act on Dynamite for a long time.

The Virtuosa had teased adding a new member to her faction, but that angle was also dropped. After her loss to Harley Cameron on the February 27, 2025 edition of Dynamite, Valkyrie had a tense backstage confrontation with Purrazzo, where the latter declared that she was going home.

#4. Chris Jericho's "embracing the hate" gimmick has not been compelling

Chris Jericho has always been hailed for his ability to reinvent himself with changing times. However, The Lionheart's latest gimmick has failed to leave its mark on the audience.

In April 2024, Mr. Y2J introduced the "Learning Tree" character to the world. It was a clever attempt by Jericho to acknowledge his recent criticism and voluntarily present himself as an annoying, self-proclaimed visionary.

Chris Jericho launched a "TV Time" talk show, mocking the fans who accused the veteran of stealing the spotlight from the young stars. While the premise of the storyline was decent, the execution failed to impress the AEW audience.

Chris Jericho's over-the-top expressions as a delusional heel failed to grab the attention of the fans. While he was consistently featured on television, Jericho's underwhelming feuds with Hook and Marc Briscoe drew backlash from the viewers.

The declining quality of Jericho's in-ring performances has further made matters worse. It doesn't seem that Mr. Y2J had any solid plans for his character, as his recent gimmick feels one-dimensional and without any substance.

While it could have been a great gimmick, Tony Khan made a big mistake by overexposing The Learning Tree persona. Bryan Keith and Big Bill could have become top stars under Jericho's leadership if the latter had capitalized on the genuine heat his character initially had.

#3. The New Elite vs. AEW story could have been a massive success

The first half of 2024 witnessed the emergence of a new dominant faction in AEW. After returning to television as heels in January 2024, The Young Bucks soon aligned themselves with Kazuchika Okada and Jack Perry to form The New Elite.

The duo of Matthew and Nicholas Jackson decided to abuse the powers they had as Executive Vice Presidents of AEW to teach a lesson to the rest of the roster. The duo set out to destroy all the top babyfaces on the roster, including Bryan Danielson, Eddie Kingston, and Kenny Omega.

The group was quite vicious in their execution, as they annihilated every star that stepped in their way. The faction felt similar to the Triple H-led Authority, which was the central focus of the WWE programming between 2013-2016.

Fans were quite excited about The Bucks' plan to reshape All Elite Wrestling as per their own vision. Controversial decisions like sharing the CM Punk-Jack Perry All In brawl footage also caught the attention of the fans.

Unfortunately, AEW failed to conclude the storyline in a convincing manner. After losing to Team AEW at AEW Dynamite: Blood & Guts in July 2024, The New Elite seemingly lost the plot.

The faction was no longer the top heel act in the company, as they were replaced by The Death Riders a month later. The Young Bucks-led faction started off as a disruptive force, before turning into yet another generic heel faction.

The lackluster title reigns of Jack Perry and The Bucks further made it difficult for the fans to stay invested. Tony Khan could have hit a home run with this storyline if a heroic babyface had been chosen to put an end to The New Elite's tyranny.

However, fans never got a convincing payoff to this ambitious storyline.

#2. MJF's run as a babyface was quite underwhelming

MJF is arguably the most despicable heel in All Elite Wrestling. However, The Salt of the Earth turned babyface a few months after winning the AEW World Championship at Full Gear 2022.

The Devil's "Better Than You, Bay Bay" partnership with Adam Cole helped bring him to the good side. The partnership was a huge commercial success, which led both stars to the main event of All In 2023.

However, TK lost the plot with this storyline after the Wembley pay-per-view. The CEO of the Jacksonville-based promotion seemingly had plans to run a heel CM Punk vs. babyface MJF storyline, but The Best in the World's exit prompted him to change the plans.

After All In 2023, MJF was booked like an invincible entity, that rarely looked vulnerable against his opponents. At Full Gear 2023, The Long Island native took down Jay White quite convincingly despite being severely injured.

Fans did not like The Devil being presented as a superhero entity on television. To make matters worse, MJF could not come up with interesting promo material as a babyface. The Fake Devil angle and the subsequent revelation of the Undisputed Kingdom also received backlash from the majority of the viewers.

At Worlds End 2023, MJF finally lost the title against Samoa Joe, much to the delight of the crowd. What started as a hot babyface run ended up being one of Tony Khan's biggest blunders as a booker.

#1. Christian Cage no longer feels as important in AEW

Christian Cage hit the peak of his wrestling career after turning heel in AEW. The Patriarch emerged as a diabolical villain in the Jacksonville-based promotion, who never backed down from crossing any limits to psychologically dismantle his opponents.

Captain Charisma's run as the TNT Champion helped restore the prestige of the title. After being a popular mid-card act for over two years, Cage seemed ready to get a well-deserved reign with the World Championship.

At All In 2024, the former WWE Intercontinental Champion emerged victorious in the Casino Gauntlet match and earned himself a guaranteed shot at the AEW World Title. It is a similar concept to WWE's Money in the Bank, which allowed Christian to get a title shot at any time and place of his choosing.

After winning the valuable contract, the former TNT Champion immediately took a backseat. Christian Cage's feud with Hook was far from compelling, and it derailed his momentum to a great extent.

The 51-year-old veteran looked far from threatening every time he tried to cash-in his contract. At Revolution 2025, Christian Cage finally capitalized on his title shot, only to be choked out by Jon Moxley.

The Patriarch's credibility has taken a huge hit after he failed to secure the AEW World Championship at Revolution. Captain Charisma is no longer as important as he once was, courtesy of his underwhelming run as the contract holder.

The AEW fanbase would have been delighted if Cage had finally gotten his moment of glory at Revolution. Sadly, the veteran did not get the reward for being a cornerstone of All Elite Wrestling at the California pay-per-view.