The Complete Desmantlement and Burial Of Dark Order

[mystermystery]

I always liked the dynamic of them being multi-purpose.

They could all do singles matches, but they could break into multiple tag teams (Uno/Stu, Reynolds/Silver, Five & Dime Alan Angels and Preston Vance), and could become six-mans (Usually with Preston as the muscle with Uno/Stu or Reynolds/Silver unless they wanted an Uno/Preston/Angels combo).

Every match felt built around the fact that they all could work together (At least on Dark, the ever sacrificed show) to outmanuever opponents.

And then that Elite match happened. And then...daggone.

Don't worry. I'm sure Tony just has them on the backburner until Negative One turns 18.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Honestly discounting any issues I have with their booking certain talents at all, or wider societal issues, I think the Dark Order are probably the biggest booking travesty in AEW's short history

They were monstrously over. And post-Brodie, you had a near limitless supply of heat for any purpose. They were super faces due to the tragic real world circumstances. You also could make them super heels by just... turning them heel when they had that much goodwill behind them. You had Stu Grayson and John Silver, two outstanding workers, plus Evil Uno who could cut it on the mic, and then a bunch of serviceable cult member dudes to do the rest of it, and then Colt f***ing Cabana. How did you drop this ball? Honestly as well booked as the eventual ascension to the title for Hangman was, the Dark Order really got screwed over in the crossfire.

[Kalmia]

I'm not anywhere near as high on the Dark Order's potential as most people in this thread. As much as I enjoy the members and their antics on BTE, I never saw them as more than a midcard act but them not even being used as that is baffling. I can understand them never being tag champs but the way the group is structured with no dominating wrestler makes them ideal trios champs, I think. I'd enjoy a DO trios run where they freebird the belts.

[Psicofreak667]

Having the Dark Order look like clowns in the 5 vs 5 match against BTE was the closest I've ever seen AEW come to WWE Vince Misery Booking. Like it was a deliberate attempt to bury something because the fans liked it more than the booker and that made the booker angry.

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

Remember when they got "pushed" in the initial three-man tournament, but the "push" was that Page was on the team and the fact that Page isn't a loser meant he might actually manage to carry them to a win, and then they didn't win? And people were insisting they wouldn't just disappear afterwards, and then they just disappeared afterwards?



Tony clearly dislikes weird, and he dislikes underdogs. Or... let me walk that back. For whatever reason, his booking punishes characters that are too offbeat, and he prefers his winners be winners and his losers be losers, even if that undercuts and limits the stories you can tell. My working theory is that the real problem is that he's overconcerned with pleasing certain types of wrestling fans.

Like, only oddball character to get attention in a long time is who, Toni Storm? And the last big underdog story was Stratlander vs. Cargill? And I assume that's only because Khan blacks out whenever anyone starts talking to him about women wrestlers.

[chrom]

Apr 3, 2024 16:31:45 GMT -5 carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army) said:

Remember when they got "pushed" in the initial three-man tournament, but the "push" was that Page was on the team and the fact that Page isn't a loser meant he might actually manage to carry them to a win, and then they didn't win? And people were insisting they wouldn't just disappear afterwards, and then they just disappeared afterwards?



Tony clearly dislikes weird, and he dislikes underdogs. Or... let me walk that back. For whatever reason, his booking punishes characters that are too offbeat, and he prefers his winners be winners and his losers be losers, even if that undercuts and limits the stories you can tell. My working theory is that the real problem is that he's overconcerned with pleasing certain types of wrestling fans.

Like, only oddball character to get attention in a long time is who, Toni Storm? And the last big underdog story was Stratlander vs. Cargill? And I assume that's only because Khan blacks out whenever anyone starts talking to him about women wrestlers.

And Statlander got the win only after she dropped her Alien gimmick and became just another person on the roster

[mystermystery]

Apr 3, 2024 16:36:09 GMT -5 chrom said:

Apr 3, 2024 16:31:45 GMT -5 carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army) said:

Remember when they got "pushed" in the initial three-man tournament, but the "push" was that Page was on the team and the fact that Page isn't a loser meant he might actually manage to carry them to a win, and then they didn't win? And people were insisting they wouldn't just disappear afterwards, and then they just disappeared afterwards?



Tony clearly dislikes weird, and he dislikes underdogs. Or... let me walk that back. For whatever reason, his booking punishes characters that are too offbeat, and he prefers his winners be winners and his losers be losers, even if that undercuts and limits the stories you can tell. My working theory is that the real problem is that he's overconcerned with pleasing certain types of wrestling fans.

Like, only oddball character to get attention in a long time is who, Toni Storm? And the last big underdog story was Stratlander vs. Cargill? And I assume that's only because Khan blacks out whenever anyone starts talking to him about women wrestlers.

And Statlander got the win only after she dropped her Alien gimmick and became just another person on the roster

And Abadon is just "intimidating" people. Of course.

And Danhausen? I don't know if I get the gimmick, but I most assuredly believe that Tony Khan does not.

And how long was daggone Kip Sabian sitting with a box on his head because apparently no one felt like developing the daggone story he wanted to do with it? I mean, he eventually removed the box...and immediately lost a feud without any mentions of the daggone videos he was putting up about him being upset about not being considered a "pillar" when he was in the first match of the first show and beat Sammy Guevara. That's motivation that fuels a character...and then they did nothing. And that was before all the awful events with Penelope which led to their understandable limited use (I'm assuming they're out until they feel comfortable returning. Then again, I guess we'll see how those "talent evaluations" go considering broken jaws are a fireable offense). 

Thank goodness Max Caster could rap and was with an amazing pure athlete as Anthony Bowens because they continuously attempted to cut away from any indication of the scissoring sign until Caster got it over on his own. Then, AEW felt comfortable enough to let that weirdness run (probably because Billy was willing to go along with it and Tony seems more likely to go "Yeah, sure" if you were in the 'big leagues' at some point...which also explains Toni Storm)

[Dave the Dave]

I guess Orange Cassidy is the one case of running with a weird character, but you’d have to be insane to ignore the crowd interest for Orange when he showed up.

[chrom]

Apr 3, 2024 16:51:12 GMT -5 mystermystery said:

Apr 3, 2024 16:36:09 GMT -5 chrom said:

And Statlander got the win only after she dropped her Alien gimmick and became just another person on the roster

And Abadon is just "intimidating" people. Of course.

And Danhausen? I don't know if I get the gimmick, but I most assuredly believe that Tony Khan does not.

And how long was daggone Kip Sabian sitting with a box on his head because apparently no one felt like developing the daggone story he wanted to do with it? I mean, he eventually removed the box...and immediately lost a feud without any mentions of the daggone videos he was putting up about him being upset about not being considered a "pillar" when he was in the first match of the first show and beat Sammy Guevara. That's motivation that fuels a character...and then they did nothing. And that was before all the awful events with Penelope which led to their understandable limited use (I'm assuming they're out until they feel comfortable returning. Then again, I guess we'll see how those "talent evaluations" go considering broken jaws are a fireable offense). 

Thank goodness Max Caster could rap and was with an amazing pure athlete as Anthony Bowens because they continuously attempted to cut away from any indication of the scissoring sign until Caster got it over on his own. Then, AEW felt comfortable enough to let that weirdness run (probably because Billy was willing to go along with it and Tony seems more likely to go "Yeah, sure" if you were in the 'big leagues' at some point...which also explains Toni Storm)

Almost a year, he sat in the crowd with a box on his head until he randomly attacks Pac, loses to Pac on the preshow of a PPV and then vanishes to the enhancement squad.

[Bo Rida]

Might as well ask, do people think that Hangman should have officially joined The Dark Order?

[HIM]

Booking failed em. They had something with them but alas, booking failed them. Sad.

[A Platypus Rave]

Apr 3, 2024 16:57:17 GMT -5 Dave the Dave said:

I guess Orange Cassidy is the one case of running with a weird character, but you’d have to be insane to ignore the crowd interest for Orange when he showed up.

Like he kinda has with Danhausen... dude sells merch like crazy and then never really do anything with him.

[Tenshigure]

Apr 3, 2024 17:14:59 GMT -5 Bo Rida said:

Might as well ask, do people think that Hangman should have officially joined The Dark Order?

No, I think they had perfectly summed it up when Hangman himself said he already did the group thing with the Elite and it didn’t turn out so well for him, but that he didn’t need to join them to know they had his back when needed. That’s how it should have been and how it should have stayed, there was no reason to ruin that dynamic.