Has AEW Already Messed Up Faction?
Ava Bailey Highlights
- The introduction of the Undisputed Kingdom in AEW was poorly executed, with Adam Cole's explanation lacking clarity and leaving fans with more questions than answers.
- The storytelling for Adam Cole's new faction felt lazy and unoriginal, resembling a carbon copy of past heel factions in AEW.
- Without MJF, the Undisputed Kingdom lacks direction and solid rivals at the top of the card, making them a midcard act instead of a main event stable. The other members of the group also lack momentum and fan interest.
At the 2023 Worlds End PPV, AEW’s biggest mystery was solved when Adam Cole revealed himself to be “The Devil”, the man who was leading a gang of masked individuals to make MJF’s life a misery. The group emerged following this reveal on Dynamite and donned the faction name of “Undisputed Kingdom”. Adam Cole, backed by Wardlow, Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett, set his sights on getting a whole load of gold for the group. It has been a few weeks now, but it could already be argued that AEW have gone in the wrong direction with booking this act, and they may have already been ruined.
The Introduction To The Undisputed Kingdom Was Poor
AEW’s Storytelling Felt Lazy For Adam Cole’s New Faction
Undisputed Kingdom Members |
|---|
Adam Cole (leader) |
Wardlow |
Roderick Strong |
Matt Taven |
Mike Bennett |
The “Devil” angle was presented as a pretty big deal, closing out AEW’s last PPV of 2023 and putting MJF on the shelf for the foreseeable future. This should have been followed up with something impactful, dominant, and era-changing to try and make up for the months of lackluster storylines. Instead, their introduction fell flat. Adam Cole’s explanation of why he betrayed MJF had quite a few holes, it wasn’t really explained when and where Cole decided to turn to evil, and it left fans with more questions than answers - in a negative way.
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Hook will be Samoa Joe's first challenger for the AEW World Championship. There is only one way for that match to go.Cole would then run through each member of the group as though fans had never met them before, delivering a speech which felt all too familiar. It was explained how each man wanted to bring gold to the group, and would each be targeting a different championship. This is exactly how The Firm was introduced to AEW in 2022, an act which failed miserably. The promo Cole delivered felt like a carbon copy of that one, making the whole thing quite lazily written. The biggest point of criticism of this promo, though, was that there was nothing to set them apart from any other heel faction in AEW. There is no distinct quirk now that the “Devil” mystery has ended, and it may lead to them getting lost in the shuffle quickly.
The Undisputed Kingdom Needs MJF To Make Them A Big Deal
MJF’s Injuries Have Not Been Kind To The Undisputed Kingdom’s Birth
- The Undisputed Kingdom is feuding with The Acclaimed and Bullet Club Gold
- The Undisputeed Kingdom is a midcard act rather than a main event stable
A big hurdle that the Undisputed Kingdom has is that MJF is out injured. In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was reported that MJF could be out for up to a year if he gets surgery. Without their biggest rival, the Undisputed Kingdom doesn’t have a solid direction at the top of the card. Adam Cole vs. MJF is money, but that cannot happen until both men are healthy. Instead, the Undisputed Kingdom has been handed some rather underwhelming first rivals.
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Tony Khan made the right call when he signed these wrestlers to AEW!Jay White, who is on the back of a heavily criticized world title feud with MJF and a loss in the Continental Classic, is seeking revenge for himself and Bullet Club Gold. The Acclaimed are looking for revenge too after being attacked by the group, and both trios came out to successfully chase away the UK on their very first night on Dynamite. With BCG having little momentum and The Acclaimed losing all their steam in recent months, this isn’t the most exciting scenario. To make matters worse, the Undisputed Kingdom was driven away quickly with a numbers disadvantage, making them look weak and outnumbered already. This is not a good sign for the future for Cole’s faction. Additionally, Adam Page seems to not care too much about his own issues with Cole, briefly mentioning him in a promo recently before turning his sights to Swerve Strickland and Samoa Joe. This made Cole look completely unimportant.
The Members Of The Undisputed Kingdom Don’t Have A Lot Of Momentum
Adam Cole Cannot Wrestle, And The Other Members Of The United Kingdom Aren’t Over
- Wardlow has struggled for momentum in AEW for a long time
- Roderick Strong & The Kingdom got over on their comedic work
There is still time to make things work for the Undisputed Kingdom, but when looking at the current landscape, it isn’t positive. Roderick Strong could make a solid International Champion, but The Kingdom tag team isn't very over with fans, and Wardlow does not look like a viable world title contender right now. The narrative they look to be running with is that Wardlow will go for the AEW World Title and then hand the gold to Cole. The parallels between this dynamic and Wardlow’s relationship with MJF are obviously intentional, but it is making Wardlow look a little foolish for going along with it. If it is some sort of elaborate ruse by Wardlow, it is quite convoluted and messy from a storyline perspective.
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While these wrestlers had the muscles and the look, they ultimately weren't as successful as they could have been in AEW.All in all, the Undisputed Kingdom is a bit messy right now, especially with their leader, Adam Cole, unable to compete. He can be the mouthpiece for the group, but he is by far the most interesting member, and when anyone else appears, the audience are already seeming to be a bit indifferent to the act.
