Nobody expected AEW to become Planet Jarrett, right?
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00:00 From utterly ridiculous gimmicks that seemingly had to hit a ceiling down the road, to returning
00:05 legends that had to try and meet some pretty high expectations.
00:09 These are those times AEW and its gifted stars eventually smashed it in a way many initially
00:15 didn't imagine was possible.
00:17 Gareth here from WhatCulture Wrestling and here are 10 AEW success stories absolutely
00:22 nobody saw coming.
00:24 10.
00:25 The Unnamed When the clearly charismatic twosome known as Anthony Bowens and Max Caster were
00:30 officially made All Elite back in November 2020, the team were joining an absolutely
00:35 stacked AEW tag division.
00:38 And while their first big Dynamite bout opposite company EVPs The Young Bucks was a promising
00:43 start, it did still feel like the units were a while away from sitting as two of the faces
00:47 of the company.
00:49 But fast forward just under two years, the scissoring lads were AEW World Tag Team Champions
00:54 and arguably the most popular group in the industry at the time of Grand Slam 2022.
01:00 The adding of daddy-ass Billy Gunn to the mix has also grown into another unexpected
01:04 success.
01:05 With the trio displaying a level of chemistry and ability to explode a crowd, few currently
01:10 plying their trade in the land of All Elite can match.
01:13 Yet it's the sheer speed in which they've grown into one of the most important parts
01:17 of the AEW party that has caught many pleasantly off guard.
01:21 9.
01:22 Samoa Joe Samoa Joe's eventual arrival in AEW wasn't
01:26 quite as well received as it perhaps would have been had it gone down at the time of
01:29 the company's creation.
01:31 Despite being one of the most respected and intimidating souls ever to grace a squared
01:36 circle, the Samoan Submission Machine just wasn't quite clicking in the way he once
01:40 did as a bona fide killer in between the ropes.
01:43 In truth it looked as though Joe's best days as an in-ring performer were behind him.
01:47 But then the former TNA and Ring of Honor World Champion dethroned Wardlow at Full Gear
01:51 2022 and kickstarted a shockingly fun run that nobody really saw coming heading into
01:57 that November pay-per-view.
01:58 Vicious battles with Darby Allin and his aforementioned long-time horse rival cemented Joe's reign
02:04 as the undisputed king of television, holding both the TNT and Ring of Honor TV Championships
02:09 as one of the greatest unanticipated AEW success stories of recent times.
02:14 And with the big lad now seemingly being lined up for a potential battle with another one
02:18 of his historic rivals in the returning CM Punk, it looks as though a resurgent Joe could
02:23 further prove his doubters wrong in the not-too-distant future.
02:26 8.
02:27 The Dark Order
02:28 After making their All Elite debuts at Double or Nothing 2019, Evil Uno and Stu Grayson
02:33 would eventually join forces with the likes of John Silver and Alex Reynolds.
02:37 However, instead of striking fear into the hearts of the roster and those watching on
02:41 around the world, The Dark Order and their creepers unintentionally had fans giggling
02:46 at the silly faction and their horrendous worked punches.
02:49 A serious change was needed to salvage what was increasingly feeling like another failed
02:54 All Elite project.
02:55 And said adjustment finally arrived in March 2020, as Mr Brodie Lee was ultimately revealed
03:00 as the mysterious Exalted One.
03:03 Managing to combine the surreal humour that this collection of oddballs naturally exuded
03:07 with a genuine sense of dread as the terrifying Lee went about manipulating and bulldozing
03:12 his way up the rankings, The Dark Order went from laughing stock to genuinely captivating
03:16 and entertaining squad in a matter of months.
03:19 And while the group haven't felt quite as consistently hot in the time since Brodie
03:23 Lee's tragic passing in late 2020, the fact The Dark Order are still a thing after such
03:28 a turbulent start is a surprising success in and of itself.
03:31 What's been your favourite moment that made you want to join The Dark Order?
03:35 Let me know in the comments down below, folks!
03:37 7.
03:38 2.0
03:39 If you've ever had the pleasure of taking in an Ever Rise match or promo explosion during
03:43 their days on NXT, you likely already knew that Matt Minard and Angelo Parker could be
03:48 relied on for some hilarious shenanigans in the time before they made their All Elite
03:52 debuts in August 2021.
03:55 What did probably come as a bit of a surprise, though, was just how quickly the team were
03:59 able to consistently wiggle their way onto AEW programming after said arrival.
04:03 And not just that, the two actually ended up producing instant gold in matches against
04:07 the likes of Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, Sting and Darby Allin within their first month as
04:12 All Elite regulars.
04:14 Surely that would be as good as it got for two comical jobbers who WWE clearly felt weren't
04:18 worth investing in, right?
04:20 But no, 2.0 followed up that surprisingly high-profile initial spell by joining forces
04:25 with Chris Jericho and his Appreciation Society, with both effortlessly charismatic sports
04:30 entertainers then proceeding to pop folks one minute with their hard nipples and ridiculous
04:35 get-ups, and putting it all on the line in Blood & Guts Wars the next.
04:39 Simply put, Daddy Magic and Cool Hand Ang have gone on to become one of the biggest
04:42 unlikely hits in AEW history.
04:47 After spending the majority of his career making a name for himself on the independent
04:50 scene, it was starting to feel as though Eddie Kingston's chances of making a genuine splash
04:54 on national television were slipping away.
04:57 But then something magical happened on the night of July 22nd, 2020.
05:01 Stepping up as TNT Champion Cody Rhodes' latest challenger, the Mad King unleashed
05:06 promo fire before taking it to the American Nightmare.
05:09 That no-disqualification brawl and unfiltered words on the mic gave many their first glimpse
05:14 at the Raw anti-hero.
05:15 And this fiery arrival was enough to convince Tony Khan to offer the independent veteran
05:20 a contract.
05:21 It was clear that Kingston had a powerful connection with the All Elite faithful from
05:24 the get-go, but even the Passionate Badass' biggest supporters likely still had doubts
05:28 whether the combustible Kingston could properly establish himself as a real player for TK's
05:33 company.
05:34 After challenging for AEW World Championship gold, warring with everyone from Bryan Danielson
05:38 to CM Punk, and putting on a more recent masterpiece against long-time rival Claudio Castagnoli
05:43 in Khan's revamped Ring of Honor though, Kingston has more than earned the title of
05:47 All Elite Success Story.
05:51 After parting ways with WWE once again in August 2022, the TNA founder made his shocking
05:56 AEW debut in November, aligning with Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh and Sanjay Dutt after smashing
06:02 Darby Allin in the head with a guitar, naturally.
06:05 Initially Jeff Jarrett's arrival initially had many worried about the concept of the
06:08 former NWA and TNA World Champion stealing the spotlight away from the likes of the pillar
06:13 he'd pulverised on his first night as an All Elite performer.
06:16 However, in the time since that impactful first appearance, a year, Jarrett has actually
06:20 managed to carve out a routinely entertaining place for himself on the AEW product.
06:25 Whether teaming alongside Lethal and the rest of the gang in glorious party tag bouts, or
06:29 threatening to derail Orange Cassidy's run as AEW International Champion, The Last Outlaw
06:34 is quite possibly in the middle of the most enjoyable spell of his career at this moment
06:38 in time.
06:39 4.
06:40 The House of Black During the latter half of 2022, it was looking
06:44 like the once intriguing House of Black had ran its course in the land of All Elite.
06:48 Both Malakai Black and Buddy Matthew's AEW futures appeared uncertain, and the hit and
06:53 miss faction in general hadn't been seen on the likes of Dynamite and Rampage for months
06:57 in the wake of their Grand Slam fight with Darby Allin and Sting.
07:00 But November finally saw the re-emergence of Black, Matthews, Brody King and Julia Hart,
07:05 with the terrifying group targeting the Best Friends and the Factory during their crowd
07:09 popping return.
07:10 What once looked like the disappointing end ultimately grew into a new beginning for this
07:14 corrupted unit, as the trio of lads went about unleashing glorious hell during their comeback
07:19 performances in between the ropes, en route to lifting Trio's gold at Revolution 2023.
07:24 3.
07:25 Orange Cassidy An apparent layabout ultimately becoming one
07:28 of AEW's most popular and reliable stars in the coming years initially seemed rather
07:33 unlikely back in 2019.
07:35 Orange Cassidy's half-arsed mind games and sudden bursts of breathless offense were fun,
07:40 sure, but could this schtick really fire freshly squeezed up the car to the point of being
07:44 seen as a genuine force to be reckoned with in Tony Khan's promotion?
07:47 The answer to that question has become increasingly clearer by the year, with OC more than holding
07:52 his own in AEW World Championship programs, and even managing to turn the All-Atlantic
07:57 turned International Championship into one of the most sought-after prizes in the business.
08:02 Even the aforementioned Le Champion openly admitted that he originally thought his eventual
08:05 rivals gimmick surked.
08:07 But as with many of Cassidy's other doubters over the years, Jericho soon realised AEW
08:12 were onto something with this laid-back lad, and joined the rest of the world in getting
08:16 behind a truly unique personality that keeps defying expectations with every passing year.
08:21 2.
08:22 CM Punk Returns For a time, it looked as though the best-in-the-world
08:26 days in the wrestling business were very much done.
08:29 Punk's horrendous time as part of the WWE machine had left scars that had seemingly
08:33 still not entirely healed, and even the chipmagnet's appearances on WWE backstage didn't feel
08:38 as though they were paving the way for any real sort of in-ring comeback.
08:42 Seeing Punk finally strut down a wrestling ramp and cut a promo in the middle of a ring
08:46 for the first time in seven years then was about as unbelievable and surreal a moment
08:50 as it gets, but even that long-awaited AEW first dance brought with it questions over
08:54 whether Punk could deliver the sort of numbers needed to justify his no-doubt monster deal
08:59 with TK's promotion.
09:00 Could he also go with the best this modern generation had to offer after such a long
09:04 time away from the spotlight?
09:06 Within one of the most captivating years in modern wrestling history, Punk answered all
09:10 of the above with death performances inside of the squared circle and out of it, along
09:14 with leading the company to some of its most successful ratings and pay-per-view numbers
09:18 to date.
09:19 Punk didn't just match expectations and silence his few doubters; he massively helped
09:23 take AEW to a level most didn't anticipate the company reaching within its first three
09:27 years.
09:28 And you wouldn't bet against the brawl-out participant doing the same thing again in
09:31 the coming months.
09:33 1.
09:34 All in 2023
09:35 When AEW announced they'd be finally heading across the pond to treat European fans to
09:39 the All Elite experience in London at some point in 2023, most anticipated the company
09:45 putting on a super show within Fulham's Craven Cottage.
09:48 After all, that stadium was the home ground of the football club owned by Khan's father.
09:52 But in one of the biggest All Elite shocks of recent times, not only did TK opt to bring
09:56 his promotion to Wembley instead of Fulham, he also decided to book the 90,000-seater
10:01 stadium rather than the 12,500-seat arena.
10:04 That looks like one hell of a gamble on paper.
10:07 But within a matter of weeks of the upcoming second ever All In tickets going on sale,
10:11 not only had AEW utterly obliterated their attendance record, they'd actually managed
10:16 to shift over 60,000 tickets before a single match was even announced for the massive show.
10:21 Quite simply, what once looked like a gamble too far, is now shaping up to be one of the
10:26 most important and smartest moves in All Elite history.
10:29 And that's our list of any other AEW success stories absolutely nobody saw coming.
10:34 Let us know all about them in the comments section right down below and don't forget
10:37 to like, share and click on that subscribe button while you're down there.
10:40 I've been Gareth from WhatCulture Wrestling, thank you for tapping on this particular vid
10:44 of AEW goodness today.
10:46 Now go and click on some other WhatCulture gold and have yourself a jolly good day.
10:50 Bye!