Controversy creates money is a quote wrestling pundits like to use when they say that wrestling should always have that vibe. AEW He’s only four years old, but his higher profile with a national television deal and PPV led to some controversial moments unfolding. However, the results that follow this style of story can be quite unpredictable.
AEW witnessed increased interest and fans were treated to the best controversy cases coming from the company. However, there are opposite scenarios of the same type of storytelling that lead to terrible results. Each side will be put on display to see how things played out. The following controversial storylines either worked or failed for AEW.
10 Worked: Completion of the MJF reference contract
MJF’s current AEW World Championship reign is the result of his wild promotion calling out Tony Khan and leaving TV for a while to pay for it. MJF referencing his AEW contract ending in 2024 and having an interest in WWE was a shocking breakthrough.
The controversy of an AEW star referencing the contemplation of going to WWE really worked, as people were talking about MJF more than ever before. MJF’s return and his victory at the AEW World Championship captivated the audience to help him become a bigger star.
9 He didn’t: Brandi Rhodes feuding with Dan Lambert
Brandi Rhodes originally had a large presence in AEW as an early signing and as a brand director. AEW tried a few storylines for Brandi that always seemed to disconnect from the audience and had to be scrapped.
Dan Lambert, leader of the American Top Team faction, had a knack for basically saying offensive things in promos and started targeting Brandi. The promotional exchanges felt like two people saying shocking things to force conflict. Both characters were reaching the end of the road after this failed angle.
8 Worked: The tension of Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa
The real life tension that plays out on screen is always an important aspect of wrestling when the heat is on. Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa clearly don’t like each other with years of hostility after working together. The duo had great chemistry to break out after an epic match together, but they can’t get along outside of the ring.
AEW tried to use that in the second chapter of their feud and it led to some personal promotions. There were some flaws from AEW waiting too long to win the Thunder title, but the overall angle felt like a real deal of two enemies facing off in the ring.
7 He Didn’t: Wardlow Cutting His Hair
Wardlow’s drive in AEW has been polarizing, with fans mixed over his future. The moment Wardlow won the TNT Championship could have started an ascension to a leading role, but the inconsistent momentum fell apart.
Samoa Joe cutting Wardlow’s hair was meant to be a way to get the fans behind him, but many were disappointed when Joe lost to Wardlow. Even following Wardlow with a new look has affected his momentum and fans see his new look as a downgrade.
6 It Worked: CM Punk & MJF Trading Pipebombs
The feud between CM Punk and MJF was something fans wanted since the beginning of the rumors that Punk was coming to AEW. MJF and Punk got right into the controversial side when they had their first major promotional exchange of vicious insults.
Punk calling MJF a weaker version of Miz and MJF calling out Punk’s previous failures got the wrestling world talking. Even the personal stories of MJF’s background growing up as a punk and having his fights add to the story of the fans feeling more connected.
5 He didn’t: the hostile promotions of CM Punk and Adam Page
AEW tried to find more success in CM Punk’s tense promotional battles during his feud with Hangman Adam Page. The slow burn culminated in them having to cut promos stating why they would be better champions than each other.
Page’s promo saying he wanted to save AEW from Punk played into his previous feuds with MJF and Eddie Kingston. However, Punk felt this was more personal since Hangman and the Young Bucks were friends with Colt Cabana, adding to that hostility to start the chaotic real-life issues that followed.
4 Worked: Kenny Omega’s losing streak
One of the criticized stories about AEW in the early months featured Kenny Omega going on a losing streak in his first big matches. The first three traditional pay-per-views saw Omega lose each time to Chris Jericho, Pac, and Jon Moxley.
All three of those names benefited from big wins. Omega recaptured the wins from him after that time and built momentum to establish his eventual AEW World Championship reign. The whole evolution made sense why Kenny became ruthlessly obsessed with winning every big game and every world title.
3 He didn’t do it: the romantic angle of Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo
AEW using the real life relationship between Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo led fans to bitter against them. Guevara made his love life such a part of his character that it forced fans to react one way or another when he proposed to his long-time in-ring girlfriend before splitting and dating Tay Fair. after.
Tony Khan made a serious mistake by having them play a couple of faces when the audience started to turn on them. Tay and Sammy had a terrible run of playing the controversial heels couple which hurt their momentum. Guevara initially feeling out of place in the four pillar world title fight is a result of that negative audience rejection that never turns around.
2 Worked: Chris Jericho setting up an attack on Britt Baker
One of the most recent controversial segments on AEW featured Chris Jericho orchestrating an attack for Saraya to destroy Britt Baker in front of Adam Cole. The segment felt like something one would watch in a movie or TV show instead of wrestling in terms of Jericho’s mental attack on Cole.
This ended up making the Cole vs. Jericho and Britt vs. Outcasts fights feel more important. The four main characters involved were in dire need of a segment like this. Cole and Baker were much better faces after getting a likable moment, and Jericho and Saraya felt like more believable heels.
1 He didn’t: Cody Rhodes lost the opportunity to compete for the AEW World Championship
Cody Rhodes came up with the idea of losing his chance to challenge for the AEW World Championship, and it turned out to be a huge mistake. The idea of not wanting to be the leader while in a managerial position caused Rhodes to put that stipulation up to challenge Chris Jericho.
A loss when MJF threw in the towel for Cody saw him never able to challenge for that title again. Rhodes’ character felt aimlessly always in the TNT Championship image or trying to outdo others. This played into Cody’s desire for more when he left AEW for WWE.