Wardlow's transformation, former World Champion's resurgence - 5 stars AEW needs to repackage now
AEW has acquired some prominent international stars in recent times. From Kazuchika Okada to Mercedes Mone, Tony Khan has signed several mainstream talents in the last few months, adding more star power to a high-quality AEW roster.
While All Elite Wrestling boasts an incredible talent pool, the Jacksonville-based promotion has let down the fans with their booking of certain stars. Many talents once shining bright in the Tony Khan-led company now find themselves without any clear direction.
A few stars have lost their credibility to an irreparable extent and find themselves in desperate need of a character revamp. The inconsistent booking has significantly hurt certain AEW wrestlers, who may be heading towards a gimmick overhaul in the coming months. In this article, let's look at five stars that All Elite Wrestling must repackage soon.
#5. Wardlow needs a character change to revive his AEW career
Wardlow has had a very strange run in All Elite Wrestling. Following years of being MJF's silent bodyguard, Mr. Mayhem got his breakout moment when he defeated the Salt of the Earth to earn an official AEW contract. Tony Khan acknowledged fans' immense admiration of Wardlow, giving him a monster push right after his feud with MJF.
The 36-year-old defeated Scorpio Sky in July 2022 to become the new TNT Champion. However, what felt like the start of a huge push for Mr. Mayhem ended up destroying all his momentum. Aside from a lack of credible opponents, Wardlow's lackluster run suffered mostly due to the creative team's inconsistent booking.
The hot-potato contest for the TNT Championship with Samoa Joe and Powerhouse Hobbs did not help much either, as Wardlow lost all the credibility he had as a solo performer. At the moment, the 6'2" star is stuck as part of The Undisputed Kingdom, which is one of the most poorly booked factions in the company's history.
The 36-year-old star is in desperate need of a character revamp at the moment. A mentor figure like Paul Wight could certainly help Mr. Mayhem bring his career back on track after years of frustrations.
Tony Khan must try something new with Wardlow's persona to help him stage a turnaround in his career. If the former TNT Champion is not featured in a prominent storyline soon, he might consider taking his talents to WWE.
#4. Hook needs to do away with his current persona
Hook used to be one of the coolest characters in AEW. The Cold-hearted Handsome Devil took only a few matches to impress the AEW audience. Fans were in awe of Hook's hard-hitting wrestling style, which reminded them of his legendary father, Taz.
However, the last few months have been forgettable for the former FTW Champion. Following an underwhelming rivalry against Jack Perry, Hook entered a program with Chris Jericho, which hurt his character to a great extent.
Back-to-back losses against Perry and Jericho intercepted Hook's ascent to the top. The 25-year-old could not recover from his weak booking, which has turned him into an afterthought on a bloated AEW roster.
Hook could do well with a character change at this point. While his alliance with Samoa Joe has been entertaining, the Cold-hearted Handsome Devil may opt for a gimmick change now that The Destroyer is off television. A new persona could help restore the intrigue surrounding Hook's character, which has gotten stale in recent months.
#3. Thunder Rosa returns to winning ways with a new persona
Thunder Rosa has been going through a tough period as of late. The former AEW Women's World Champion seems to have lost her mojo, as she has lost consecutive matches against Deonna Purrazzo on Collision. Rosa is extremely frustrated with her recent shortcomings and believes that she has lost her real self.
With the arrival of mainstream stars like Mercedes Mone and Toni Storm, La Mera Mera has seemingly fallen down the ranks in the AEW women's division. Thunder Rosa is no longer the face of her division, which has significantly affected her self-confidence.
After years of playing a beloved babyface, it is high time that Rosa embraces her dark side. A new heel character could make La Mera Mera regain her lost credibility, helping her storm back into the title picture. A gimmick change could open new opportunities for the 37-year-old, allowing her to butt heads with names like Mercedes Mone and Mariah May.
With her heel persona, Rosa could also settle scores with Deonna Purrazzo, who has caused chaos in her life as of late.
#2. Konosuke Takeshita must turn babyface again
Konosuke Takeshita burst onto the AEW scene in 2021. The former DDT star caught the attention of the fans with his incredible combat style and unmatched athleticism. The Alpha made headlines with his exceptional performances against Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF).
Takeshita was on his way to becoming a top babyface before Tony Khan decided to turn him into a heel. The Japanese star joined forces with Don Callis, who helped him score multiple victories over Kenny Omega. Despite this massive achievement, Takeshita has struggled to advance to the next level in his career.
Although he is still an excellent performer between the ropes, The Alpha needs to cut his ties with the Don Callis Family to move up the ranks in All Elite Wrestling.
The 29-year-old must return to his babyface ways soon. Considering the recent crowd reactions, the fans seem to be firmly behind Konosuke Takeshita. However, it will require him to part ways with the obnoxious manager to capitalize on the fan support.
Takeshita is now a seasoned performer and not the inexperienced rookie he was when he first appeared in AEW. The Alpha will need an entirely different direction for his new babyface gimmick so that he can begin his rise to the top of the card.
#1. MJF must try something different with his heel character
After almost a year-long run as a babyface, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) is back to his evil ways. On a recent episode of Dynamite, the former AEW World Champion showed his true colors by brutally assaulting Daniel Garcia.
While fans have not heard much from MJF since his heel turn, The Salt of the Earth recently cut a promo on Collision, which seemingly shed light on his outdated heel character.
MJF's first run as a heel was generational, as he established himself as a rebellious bad guy who could do anything to punish the world for every wrong thing they did to him. However, MJF is no longer the suppressed victim now that he has won the AEW World Championship.
Interestingly, The Wolf of Wrestling embraced fans during his babyface run, burying the hatchet with the audience. However, the 28-year-old went on a rant against the crowd during his recent Collision promo, which seems like a step backward for his character.
Aside from the generic crowd insults, MJF's constant use of curse words and casual fourth-wall breaks seem to have become very predictable. The Salt of the Earth seems to be following a formulaic promo style, without having any variety in his material.
For someone who calls himself the "Best Wrestler on God's Green Earth," MJF certainly needs to explore a fresh direction for his career. The Wolf of Wrestling must come up with some original material in the coming weeks, otherwise he will continue to draw polarizing reactions from the audience.