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There were many wrestling fans who witnessed the last AEW Dynamite of 2019. The Dark Order decimated The Elite and SCU with their band of creepers. Unfortunately, people turned off their TV sets and decided to watch NXT instead.
It's true. It's damn true. NXT squashed AEW in the ratings by more than a 100,000 viewers and even finished ahead of them in the all-important 18-49 target demo. Then, there was the collection of bad press that the company started getting.
Someone tweeted out close-up footage of the creeper 'punching' Dustin Rhodes, which turned out to be anything but that. Those few seconds of phantom punches were savaged online by fans and even Randy Orton and Mark Henry took to social media to lambaste the segment.
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To top it all, after the show ended and the cameras were turned off, Tony Khan was seen giving a stunner to Shawn Spears. It should be clear that this happened 'after hours,' as the televised show had already ended. It was done in good fun, but fans tore the segment apart online.
Tony Khan explained that he didn't want to do it, but rather that the crowd and Shawn Spears goaded him into it. And perhaps, another casualty in all of this was that The Young Bucks quit Twitter. According to Papa Buck, they did it to escape the toxicity of the Twitter world.
This is rather jarring as some would argue that The Young Bucks built their careers on social media. Matt Jackson clarified that the reason they quit Twitter was because it was important to their mental health and it was stifling their creativity.
This was not the way that AEW wanted to end 2019. But as it was recently suggested, "This Is a marathon, not a one-night sprint." So, the question remains: Where does AEW go from here?
People forget that it's only been 12 weeks of television and AEW has only shown a smidgen of what's to come. There could be plenty of new signings that fans are not aware of, as well as new storylines. Of course, this depends on several factors, but there is a possible stockpile of creative WMDs fans simply haven't anticipated.
Here are 5 secret weapons AEW could have in 2020.
#6 Hangman Page Joins The Dark Order
Hangman Page has not been the same since All Out after losing to Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship. Since then, he has left The Elite and has been wayward ever since. Page has had mixed returns and has appeared intoxicated on Being The Elite.
There is a precedent that a heel turn could be coming and it could include Page joining The Dark Order. Or is he already part of it? It will be a stunning reveal, if that is the case and it could also help legitimize The Dark Order and blunt criticism toward the group.
#5 The in-ring debut of Jake Hager
When Jake Hager debuted on the premiere episode of AEW Dynamite, the reception was overtly positive, but with some trepidation. While Hager looked like a destroyer in the ring, people wrongfully assumed that he would revert to his Jack Swagger character.
On the other hand, AEW saw the potential in Hager being a 'Big Deal' in AEW as they sought to recast him as their very own Brock Lesnar-like figure. AEW was aware that Hager's promo skills were lacking and it was his physical presence and in-ring ability that people appreciated.
It also helps that he currently fights for Bellator and is undefeated. To top it all, he has only served as a personal body guard for Chris Jericho and is the muscle of The Inner Circle. To be fair, Hager has come across as more like Diesel (Kevin Nash) than Lesnar, but that's not a bad thing.
It's unclear who will be his first opponent. He has locked horns (no pun intended) with Luchasaurus in recent weeks and it would make sense that they could go at it at AEW Revolution. On the other hand, Dustin Rhodes needs some payback for Hager breaking his arm, so that is a possibility as well.
Perhaps, Hager's first opponent could be someone that people haven't figured yet into the equation. There could be someone entirely new. Wrestling fans will soon find out in 2020.
#4 Luke Harper aka Brodie Lee
Luke Harper was finally released from his WWE contract and is free to join any other promotion by March 08, 2020. His non-compete clause is still very much in effect. Harper was one of the few people who was constantly associated with AEW, ever since he has asked for his release earlier in the year.
In an interview, Cody Rhodes commented on the possibility of Luke Harper joining AEW, saying that he would be a great fit. He explained,
""He's a name that when you hear they've asked for their release, you definitely think about that and the next steps, for sure. I think he's going to flourish with what he does next, he's very special."
At 6'5", Harper/Brodie Lee would be a much needed attraction on the AEW Roster. While Luchasaurus and Jake Hager are great, there is no harm in handing another 'Hoff' to work with the other wrestlers.
Moreover, Brodie was never given the right kind of run he deserved while with WWE. Alhough he is a former Intercontinental Champion, there is still a lot of untapped potential. It will be interesting, if he does indeed join the promotion.
#3 Marty Scurll
Marty Scurll is done with ROH. His contract finished last month and he's now in a short term program with NWA, where he will most likely challenge Nick Aldis for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. At the moment, Scurll's destination is unknown.
He even told Stu Bennett on NWA Powerrr that he wants to keep people guessing about his future plans. During an interview, Cody Rhodes commented on Scurll's status with AEW and said that he's testing the waters and it probably won't be permanent. He also said,
"Marty is going to do what Marty is going to do. We all love Marty. Anything he does in the next few weeks or months, I wouldn't look at as permanent for him. He's very much testing the waters here and there and that's pretty much all I can say on Marty."
In all honesty, it makes perfect sense for Scurll to come to AEW. Simply put, the seeds for a future storyline have been teased in interviews for the past year, with Scurll claiming that his friends were dead and that he has no idea what AEW is.
The only reason Scurll is still not part of AEW was that his ROH contract wasn't up at the time. If Scurll does come to AEW, don't be surprised if it is as a heel to take revenge on those who left him behind to wallow.
It's already a compelling storyline and at this point it's all about Scurll signing on the dotted line.
#2 Tessa Blanchard and the AEW Women's Division
If there is any female wrestler who is winning over the hearts and minds of wrestling fans, it's Tessa Blanchard. Her recent run in Impact Wrestling has been stellar and her feud with Sami Callihan is one of the best in wrestling right now. Her match with Callihan at Slammiversary XVII was ground breaking.
It's no wonder that the two will be headlining the upcoming Hard to Kill PPV when Blanchard will be taking on Sami Callihan for the Impact World Championship. The push for Blanchard is justified as her rise in professional wrestling is similar to that of Chyna's.
On the other hand, Tessa Blanchard's contract with Impact Wrestling will be up in the Summer of 2020. It's likely that both AEW and WWE will pursue her with great interest. There's no doubting Blanchard's star power and the only thing that could tip the scales in AEW's favor would be that they could actually build a division around her.
The Women's Division in AEW is non-existent and she could be the spark that ignites it to be at the forefront of All Elite Wrestling. WWE currently has the best women's wrestling, especially on NXT, thanks to their abundance of resources.
The one thing AEW has in their favor when it comes to signing Blanchard is that her father already works for the company and she would become the promotion's top star immediately. On the other hand, WWE has Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and others that she could have multiple dream matches with.
It does come down to her decision. Expect AEW to offer her a huge contract because they need Blanchard in order to truly amp up their Women's Division.
#1 Jon Moxley vs Kenny Omega for the AEW Championship
When All Elite Wrestling started, it was understood that Kenny Omega would be the company's top guy as he was in NJPW. So far, that hasn't happened and it's because the audience still doesn't know who Omega is. And that's the long term story that AEW has been telling.
Omega tried to beat Jon Moxley in his own backyard at Full Gear and failed. He hasn't lit the world on fire. And he wasn't beaten up by The Dark Order. How the mighty have fallen. On the other hand, it's looking more likely that Moxley will take on Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship.
It's highly plausible that Moxley will win the AEW Title and the man in line to take it off him will be Kenny Omega. It could be at Double or Nothing or All Out in 2020. There's no telling where they could go with this.
Kenny Omega wasn't one of the best wrestlers in NJPW for nothing. The man is brilliant in his ability to thrill crowds and connect with audiences. 2020 should see the rebirth of Kenny Omega as his story is set to come full circle.
