5 booking mistakes AEW should steer clear from at Winter is Coming - Title changes, major debuts

#2 AEW must strike the balance with debuts

AEW is on the tip of fans' tongues whenever a talent enters the free agency, and even more so given the current pool of talent sat unattached and ready for action. Last year at Winter is Coming we saw the debut of WCW icon and WWE Hall of Famer, Sting, who has become an essential performer on AEW TV.

There is a remarkable amount of talent that could make themselves known at Winter is Coming, and the show could easily be filled with announcements and debuts. But that doesn't mean it should.

AEW has grown exponentially and so too has their roster as a result, and with a larger field of competitors comes the possibility that some exceptional talent will be lost in the shuffle. As a result, any incoming names should find themselves revealed gradually, in order to prevent the roster being overwhelmed so quickly.

AEW have worked really well to integrate their debutants really well with the ongoing roster, making sure to resist the urge to hot-shot the likes of Sting, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk and Adam Cole as they have arrived over the past year. They have to continue their form this year, balancing the fresh excitement of debuts with the sustenance that is storyline and narrative progression.

#1 Bryan Danielson should not defeat Hangman Page for the AEW World Championship

Bryan Danielson even before his arrival to AEW had earned a reputation for his unrivaled work rate and devotion to the craft. It would make sense that one day Bryan will lift the AEW World title to an erupting crowd, much like his eventual ascension as WWE World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 30.

However, this does not appear to be the right time for Bryan to take the throne, nor is it the right time for Hangman Page to give up the dream.

The two-year tale of Adam Page defying doubt from both himself and his peers to take the title from his former championship partner Kenny Omega has been a core plot line for AEW programming.

Having Page lose the belt in his first title defense - despite what he has overcome - would undermine the soul of the story and render the entire endeavor obsolete. Besides that, Bryan Danielson doesn't feel like he is right to take the belt quite yet.

Bryan could not definitively put Kenny Omega away within the time allotted, and as a result will always feel like an interim champion until they have settled the scores. To add to that, Hangman Page could unseat Kenny Omega, and did so at Full Gear. It doesn't feel all too believable that Bryan could take the throne yet, he has unfinished business and doesn't feel ready for a coronation.

It would be by no means a worst-case scenario to see Bryan win the title at Winter is Coming, but it would be a severe mis-step in booking the top babyface in AEW and diminishing the pay-off to a wholesome storyline.

Hangman Page should retain his championship at the first time of asking, in order to cement his pedigree and leave Bryan with narrative freedom to explore his heel character in AEW.

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