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AEW has had quite a tumultuous year in 2022. From surprising defections to backstage fights, AEW President Tony Khan has had to contend with several negative news stories written about his company.
Having only started in 2019, it's inevitable that the promotion will go through some growing pains, but no one expected the upheaval that AEW went through this year. It's clear that the honeymoon period for All Elite Wrestling is very much over.
Not everything has been perfect, and not every professional wrestler on the roster has had a great time of things. When looking at 2022, certain individuals and tag teams have had an underwhelming year thus far. Some of them are perhaps not in the position they should be, with a few memorable matches, moments, or stories. It will be interesting to see how Tony Khan plans to bounce back in the coming year.
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In the meantime, here are five reasons why 2022 will go down as the worst year in AEW history.
#5. Cody Rhodes leaving AEW for WWE
The wrestling world was shocked and speechless when AEW EVP Cody Rhodes decided to leave the company he helped build and return to WWE.
The American Nightmare was with All Elite Wrestling for three years before he decided to call it quits back in January. What was even more shocking was that Cody Rhodes would make his WWE return against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38, just three months later, marking his first return to the sports entertainment juggernaut in six years.
Cody Rhodes recently clarified why he left AEW in a Twitter exchange with a fan. Responding to a fan tweet after being asked why he left his former promotion, the former TNT Champion sent a heartfelt message to his former Elite stablemate and shot down rumors that he had any issues with CM Punk:
"I didn’t leave because of the Bucks/Kenny. I’m forever bonded to those men over what we created and I remain very proud of it, and I didn’t leave because of/or have issues with Punk. We got along. Not money, not booking, just a personal issue and my wanting to go for the big one," wrote Cody Rhodes.
It is evident that Rhodes' absence from AEW has been a huge loss for the company. He was a great ambassador for the budding brand and was the perfect representative to perform media duties and get the company noticed in the mainstream.
He also came across as the most professional among the EVPs and could be counted upon to promote young talent on the roster. Wrestlers such as Darby Allin, MJF, Rick Starks, and Sammy Guevara have Cody Rhodes to thank for giving them the platform to showcase their skills to the world.
While his babyface run might have soured towards the end of his AEW run, no one can deny Cody's importance to the company's early success. Since his departure, there hasn't been anyone who has stepped up to fill his role, and that is a testament to Cody Rhodes' abilities in and out of the ring.
#4. Wasting opportunities with prominent names
AEW has long since received criticism from fans and even wrestlers for underutilizing certain talents that they have on their roster. The likes of Miro, Andrade, and Brian Cage barely appeared on television despite their obvious abilities.
While television time is at a premium, and it makes sense to rotate the roster regularly, Tony Khan is doing these wrestlers a disservice by not featuring them more prominently.
During an appearance on Barstool Rasslin' earlier this year, Khan explained that he has been stacking the roster to make the company even stronger.
"We’ve been stacking the roster up just in recent weeks, Samoa Joe, Toni Storm, Jeff Hardy, Swerve Strickland have all come in," said Khan. "Keith Lee right before that! So our show is getting deeper and stronger and that’s only a few months after we added the 'big batch' with CM Punk, Adam Cole, Ruby Soho, and Bryan Danielson. And that followed by another wave of wrestlers with Andrade El Idolo and Malakai Black." [From 34:30 Onwards]
It seems like there is a case of Tony Khan buying a shiny new toy and getting bored of them before eventually moving on to the next shiny new signing. We've seen the likes of Ruby Soho and Ember Moon fall by the wayside after their initial burst of momentum coming into the company.
Even the wrestlers that did well initially, such as Malakai Black and Bryan Danielson, have lost steam in recent months due to the mismanagement of their character.
The American Dragon, for example, should have easily been the number one heel in the company after his excellent min-feud with Hangman Page over the AEW World Championship a year ago. He's now been relegated to merely a bit-player in the Blackpool Combat Club faction. Tony Khan clearly needs to do a better job in terms of booking his talent.
#3. CM Punk's potential departure
There are major doubts over CM Punk's future with AEW following his post-All Out altercation with The Elite back in September. While Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks have since returned to television, the Straight Edge Superstar is nowhere to be seen.
While it's public knowledge that Punk suffered an injury during his match with Jon Moxley and will be on the sidelines for the foreseeable future, it doesn't seem likely that he will return to AEW once he's all healed up. For now, his fate seems to be pending AEW's internal investigation.
Wade Keller gave a recap of the events during a recent PWTorch.com show and shared his thoughts on Punk's future with AEW:
"I'm almost willing to say [Punk is] probably done with the company. But I'm not super confident on that, because I just think there are many moving parts in this story. But that's certainly where their leaning is right now, as opposed to he's totally forgiven and the others are gone. I think it's more likely Punk is gone for a variety of reasons. And I don't know if that includes insubordination in that Q & A or if it has to do with other aspects or if it has to do with Punk just wanting out now." [H/T WrestlingNews.co]
It's quite the fall from grace for the 44-year-old who returned to a hero's welcome a year ago at AEW Rampage. CM Punk was easily the biggest star that Tony Khan ever had, and this has been reflected in the ratings and pay-per-view buys.
Since Punk is suspended and possibly leaving the company, AEW programming has suffered greatly. What's clear is that the star power that he possesses and losing him will be a massive blow to AEW.
#2. Too many signings
WWE was accused of hoarding talent before the pandemic to keep them from signing with AEW. But it's evident that Tony Khan is doing the same thing as well right now. Fans get excited at first, then forget about them later. Tony Nese and Jay Lethal are the perfect examples.
With the arrival of major names like Punk and Danielson, finding TV time for guys like Kip Sabian and Brian Cage has become difficult. Despite their bloated roster, AEW is still bringing in more talent. Simply put, there are just too many people on the roster, and it's impossible for Tony Khan to keep everyone happy.
The roster is currently filled with over 100 stars. Tony Khan would do well to start cutting out talent that hasn't contributed much to the product later and let their contracts expire without renewal.
#1. Injury bug scrapping pay-per-view plans for Forbidden Door and All Out
Several AEW talents have suffered from either nagging injuries or potentially career-ending ones. In 2022 alone, we have seen major stars such as Adam Cole, Kenny Omega, and Hangman Page spend considerable time on the sidelines, with the former reportedly being 'severely concussed.'
Could it be a case of the wrestlers' highly dangerous and risky style finally catching up to the wrestlers? Modern wrestling features incredible athleticism, but it's clear that this high-risk style will hurt the wrestlers in the long run. Perhaps going balls to the wall all the time might not be such a good idea.
With the company facing an injury bug at the moment, it's a lesson to be learnt that you don't need to deliberately put their bodies on the line for the sake of having 5-star matches. If Tony Khan wants to avoid his stars dropping like flies, he needs to ensure they don't risk their bodies and careers unnecessarily and space out those big, high-flying moments.
