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Many wrestling fans know by now that Brodie Lee is very much part of AEW as The Exalted One. While his arrival in AEW was not unexpected, his reveal as the so-called leader of The Dark Order was a twist that some fans were not even expecting.
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After his debut, Chris Jericho released a podcast he had done with the man f.k.a Luke Harper. On it, Lee discussed his reasons for leaving WWE, his arrival in AEW, and the efforts WWE made to try and re-sign him.
During the podcast, Brodie Lee revealed that after he requested his release, Triple H called him and asked if he was interested in going to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). He claimed:
Hunter called me and said, 'What do you want to do', and I said that I wanna wrestle. He asked if I wanted to go to New Japan. I was like, 'Yes, 100%'. I asked if he can make that happen, and he said yes, that he can make that happen. And of course, it never happened.
Dave Meltzer of the WON (via 411 Mania) had said that Triple H did indeed call Lee when he first asked for his release. He further states that while Triple H didn't necessarily talk about NJPW, he did say that he could make it happen.
As most wrestling fans know, nothing came off it as Brodie is now in AEW. Meltzer also stated that there had been no business discussions between WWE and NJPW, and nothing is suggesting that talent sharing is on the list.
In the meantime, Brodie Lee has become more prominent on AEW Dynamite with his vignettes and also punishing his followers in The Dark Order if they don't follow through. Some have pointed to the sketches as taking too many shots at Vince McMahon. In the last video, Brodie Lee can be seen yelling at subordinates for not following instructions ranging from yawning during his talks or not saying things precisely the way he wants it. Some critics are saying that it's too on the nose.
It'll be interesting to see where The Exalted One's storyline leads. He did punish one of his followers in the ring and had a staredown with Dustin Rhodes. Is there a feud being planned between the two? Only time will tell in the weeks to come on AEW Dynamite.
