5 AEW Feuds For Brodie Lee

For weeks, Evil Uno and The Dark Order have teased the upcoming arrival of their Exalted One, the suspected mystical overseer of chaos in All Elite Wrestling. We recently speculated on the likes of Matt Hardy, Raven and even SCU’s Christopher Daniels, as recent storylines have suggested, but as last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite confirmed, it was in fact the former Wyatt Family henchmen, Brodie Lee.

Best known for his stint as WWE’s Luke Harper, Brodie Lee is widely acclaimed as one of the most versatile big men in all of professional wrestling. In the past, Lee has taken the likes of Daniel Bryan, Cesaro and Jon Moxley to the absolute limit, putting on instant classics in the least expected of venues and promotions. It’s great to see Brodie Lee return to the semi-mainstream scene as part of AEW, where hopefully he’ll receive the stardom he deserves.

The Exalted One gimmick could honestly go either way at this point, depending on how far AEW want to take The Dark Order as a team. Cult-like gimmicks have often failed in the long run, see the devolution of The Wyatt Family, Raven’s Flock and SAnitY. Hopefully Brodie Lee’s value might propel the rest of the faction to a higher place in the tag team division, further than just being a generic heel tag team used to generate some momentum for upcoming babyface tandems like Jurassic Express.

With Lee’s in-ring debut yet to come on Dynamite, let’s run down 5 potential feuds for The Exalted One as he starts to carve out his AEW legacy. Make sure you leave your own dream matches in the comments section below.

 

1. Joey Janela

An underrated aspect of Brodie Lee’s past was his ability to produce insane hardcore matches. His bloody battles inside steel cages and extreme rules bouts were often cited as some of his best, a part of his wrestling resume that I’d like to see return as part of his AEW career.

With several deathmatch wrestlers already signed to the AEW roster, it’d be great to see the likes of Jimmy Havoc, Darby Allin and the man that I think should be first in line tangle with big Brodie in amongst barbed wire and all sorts of horrific implements; Joey Janela.

‘The Bad Boy’ has been meandering about in a feud with ‘Superbad’ Kip Sabian over the affections of former lover Penelope Ford. Once the dust settles between the two, they should both move onto bigger things, competing in the respective styles that they are best known for. Janela could pick up a feud with The Dark Order, acting as the babyface and eventually challenging The Exalted One to a huge hardcore match down the line.

With the AEW Blood and Guts event seemingly postponed due to the worldwide pandemic, perhaps they could shoe-horn this match in over the coming weeks, allowing them to live up to the event’s title. Even if these two were to meet in a standard one-on-one exhibition, their styles would compliment each other nicely and lead to a really fun match.

 

2. Lance Archer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuPe4JfLnLo

Another recent debut on AEW Dynamite was that of Lance Archer, the menacing new client of wrestling legend Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. Archer’s fame from NJPW has helped him develop a following as he begins his career in AEW, with many fans anticipating his eventual in-ring debut against his targeted opponent; Cody Rhodes.

AEW have done a great job so far of building Lance Archer up as a monstrous presence, most recently airing a vignette of Archer demolishing a bunch of backyard ‘rasslers. The aesthetic they’ve pitched for Archer really suits his image and wrestling style, meaning he’s going to become one to watch in the coming months.

After Archer and Roberts settle their grudge with Cody, it would be great to see Lance mix it up with another hoss wrestler, proving to the often cynical wrestling fanbase that he can go with a man who matches his immense size and stature. Brodie Lee is a great candidate to ensure both men look like a superstar.

Brodie and Archer could honestly tear the roof off in a singles match together, and would probably make for some really creepy promos and backstage skits when the forces of The Dark Order meet Jake Roberts and his ‘dark side’.

 

3. The Young Bucks

I include both Matt and Nick Jackson in this entry, purely because Brodie Lee has worked wonders in tag team competition in the past. His work with Erick Rowan as part of both The Wyatt Family and The Bludgeon Brothers was wondrous. I don’t think anyone in the WWE Universe expected to see the two big men gel so naturally and put on fantastic matches with the likes of The Usos, The New Day and The Shield.

This side of Lee should certainly be exploited as much as his singles stardom. With him now aligning with The Dark Order, there’s nothing holding them back as a trio. Trios divisions in wrestling are not uncommon, meaning if AEW were to eventually debut a Trios title down the line, then Brodie Lee could very well be one third of the inaugural champions.

The Young Bucks are also extremely well-versed in tag team wrestling, meaning we could certainly see The Dark Order mix it up with the Bucks in the near future. Whether this be for the AEW Tag Team titles or not is a different matter entirely, but either way, they should definitely find a way to book this match soon.

Lee could display his knowledge of tag psychology, while also putting on mat classics with both of the Jackson brothers respectively.

 

4. Cody

Cody has met with WWE’s Harper in the past, and even though they were both extremely talented at that time, they might not have been performing at their peak. Brodie Lee and AEW’s head-honcho could very well push the boundaries of their recent matches and put on a broadway special on a future AEW special.

I’d personally love to see The Dark Order infect every corner of AEW over the next year, eventually leading to their cult becoming too big of a force for AEW officials to negate. The Exalted One could look to usurp Rhodes as AEW’s leader, leading to a battle for supremacy between the two down the line.

In order for The Dark Order and Brodie Lee to be taken seriously, they need to pose a threat to the biggest stars in the company. Cody has been laying it all on the line in his matches with Chris Jericho, MJF, Shawn Spears and Dustin Rhodes since AEW’s debut, meaning his involvement with Brodie Lee and The Dark Order could easily elevate them to the next level.

Also it would probably be an insanely gory fight.

 

5. Jon Moxley

As previously mentioned, Brodie Lee has put on incredible matches with Jon Moxley in his past indie life. Now both men have evolved into ring generals, a singles match between them in AEW could very well shake the foundations of the wrestling world.

Jon Moxley is now competing as the AEW champion, having defeated Chris Jericho at Revolution. He’s kind of gone under the radar since, with factions wars starting to take over the main event scene leading up to Blood and Guts. Surprisingly, AEW aren’t building towards a championship match anytime soon, meaning that Mox has either self-isolated for the foreseeable future or they’re waiting for another star to build some credibility.

Perhaps that star is Brodie Lee?

With the Exalted One storyline now capturing the hearts and minds of the AEW crowd, maybe once the feud with SCU has passed us all by, he could gun straight for Moxley’s title. Brodie Lee is a star that might not have that much left in him, depending on his physical wellbeing and how much stock there is in the Dark Order gimmick. He might not be the next AEW champion, but there’s enough reason to put him in a big-time main event as soon as possible.

Running with the status he’s picked up since leaving WWE, he could draw a lot of eyes to the AEW product. Of course the naysayers will criticise AEW for once again putting the spotlight on former WWE stars, but quite frankly, when they’re this damn good in the ring, you can’t blame them.

Give us Brodie vs. Mox, give us blood.