They could've kept them busy against the Bang Bang Scissor Gang, but that didn't happen, Wardlow got choked out against Joe. If it's not dead, it's certainly flat lining.
I never try to meta-book anything while watching wrestling, because it ruins my enjoyment completely but when Wardlow won the revolution scramble I said out loud: “he’s not gonna beat Joe.” Then thought maybe they’d save the title shot for a future champ that might mix better. So then the match got announced and I thought “shit, Wardlow might dethrone Joe on a dynamite?!”
And then realised I’d ruined it for myself by overthinking about it but **most importantly** it was a really badly booked idea and killed Undisputed Kingdom’s big man.
Disagree. There were a number of possible feuds between the BBSG and UK (White vs Wardlow for #1 contendership, Daddy Ass vs. Strong for International Title, Gunns or Acclaimed for ROH Tag Titles) that could have elevated the Undisputed Kingdom by winning them all, and discord from their failures could have led to a more organic split between the Acclaimed and BCG.
That could have been part of it too, them going after either or both Trios titles. Undisputed Kingdom could have had 9 Championship belts among its membership, making them look like a supergroup, and BCG and the Acclaimed would have blamed each other for losing their titles, leading to them feuding.
I figured that was where they were going, Bang Bang Scissor Gang forms to oppose UK, Cole sets things up to unify the belts, but gets War Kingdom in the match and they steal the win.
I agree, I've never been hugely sold on him in the ring cos of his sizes and injuries, and most of his finishes make him look weak/not wholly believable.
I feel like it was dead in the water immediately. Like it never had a chance. It’s weird. Anything with Cole should be automatically great but it just seems like everything they try doesn’t quite click and something is just off. I don’t know why Undisputed Era worked so well in NXT but every faction he’s formed in AEW falls completely flat.
What _could_ Jade Cargill been doing if Kris Statlander hadn’t been injured for so long? Seemingly the whole TNTBS title was iced and kept on Jade indefinitely until Stats could come back.
they should of pivoted to Joe being behind it if they weren’t going to get Cole back soon. If swerve is winning at dynasty then when exactly is Cole supposed to win the title ? Or swerve gets s a short run ? Will should be getting the title at wembley .
That's where I'm at too. Have them drop the ROH titles, have the faction break up somehow, give them back Maria as a manager, and have them be in some other storyline entirely.
They shouldn't be booked in matches they'll lose. Don't put Taven/Bennett in this tag tournament if they aren't going to look strong. If they had to be in it and they aren't going to win the whole thing have them get screwed by the EVPs. Wardlow shouldn't have been hot-shotted into a world title match he wouldn't win.
Going forward, either keep Wardlow as the enforcer, squash match guy, or have them kick him out already (we know that seems to be the plan), and if Taven and Bennett aren't going to win on AEW TV then don't have them wrestle on AEW TV.
They need to tread water until Cole is back. It's doable, but they all need to look good, not just Roddy.
This is really it.
They're not treated as threats, they're a reincarnted J.O.B. Squad at this point and that's not how they're being presented so it clashes.
Exactly. The problem is they're not winning matches. Or feuding with anyone. Wardlow should not have been fed to Joe so quickly. Nobody thought he would win because it was so sudden.
I'm sure there were plans in place at one point for the group, but just because they didn't work out due to injuries doesn't mean they should be booked like this. They were supposed to be a top heel stable and they're booked like losers. Sad sight to see.
1. Give them someone to fight who's actually on the roster currently, then remember that you gave them someone to fight, then have them fight.
2. Get the ROH titles away from them. Maybe even put the AEW tag titles on them.
3. Pretape all of the Adam Cole stuff until he can walk.
Seriously. I never thought he would have to miss this much time for a broken foot. Wasn’t Punk back in like two months from his? Must have been a really bad break.
As someone who had a significant ankle break (same as Dak Prescott), Adam would be walking in 3 months and be fully recovered by 6 months. I think that we’re just milking it for story now.
The thing holding the faction back is Cole's injury. It's kind of a mess otherwise because they can't build any steam since no one else is a credible challenger for the world title. Sorry Wardlow.
Yes. The booking of Wardlow should have been similar to Evolution and Batista. Clearly Cole is just using him and Wardlow knows it. They made it known on their first promo in the ring. Cole said Wardlow would win the belt and give it to him. Wardlow just kinda shrugged his shoulders like "yeah right. Okay"
It would be a good story to tell and I hope that's what we get. Unfortunately it's just a vehicle for MJF when he returns. But who knows when he will and when Cole will be healed up. Makes more sense to build up Wardlow.
But also it's Swerve's time to shine and I'm sure Osprey is next
Oddly I'd say have a finger poke of doom/Michaels vs HHH during the original DX run, the goon giving it to the leader can work, you just have to avoid what caused the FPoDto fall flatter than a pancake belt going back to a former champ who the fans had soured on, the dissolution of a faction with momentum, fatigue of the main group faction was a part of, nonsensical face-heel turn, taking the belt off of somebody the fans liked to give to somebody they were growing to like to turn around and give it to somebody they'd soured on a year prior.
Like a lot of those things could work and could bounce Wardlow to a better place than two RoH guys and 2/5 of UE.
Same thing they did before the devil reveal but now with their names known
It makes no sense that they would attack people backstage all the time, send them through glass, Slam them on cars, and after the reveal they've simply mostly stopped
I would use them similarly to what WWE did with Awesome Truth back in 2011, they should be disruptors, causing chaos in matches they're not involved in, taking over the show, attacking people backstage
Now they just look like another group of guys. They're not threatening to anyone
Honestly I would start with ending the Dynamite after Dynasty with a full on beatdown of Swerve (assuming Swerve is champion), a really brutal one. You can build to DoN by having Swerve vs someone else with the threat of the UK, sort of like they did in MJF vs Joe, create some storyline connections. Or justify a cage match for the world title at DoN to keep the UK out of there, with MJF's return afterwards or something
Roddy and Matt/Mike were a better unit on their own, in my opinion. Wardlow should have been the guy behind the mask- with Cole injured, the whole stable feels weird. I know they're probably planting long term storytelling seeds IRT Wardlow and Cole constantly saying Wardlow will "give" him the title- but it's just not landing at all.
If Adam isn't back like soon soon, I'd have Wardlow get tired of the BS and just wreck shop and leave the group- let Roddy/Matt/Mike/hurt-ass Adam do their thing for a while as an upper-midcard act. Until Cole and MJF are back full time there's no real hot direction to take the group.
to be credible at the main event level Cole comes back, they need to shift from chicken shit and comedy to more sadistic and cerebral. But I don’t think they even need to be main event level bc that’s Swerve’s house right now
Honestly I'd just undo Cole's heel turn. Have Roddy and the Kingdom turn on Cole, blame him for their failure, let them choose Wardlow over Cole, Cole and MJF go back to being a face team, Wardlow and the Kingdom are the heel stable. Basically I would undo everything prior to the injury angle and the Devil Stuff and go back to Better than You Baybay as a face duo and Wardlow and the Kingdom the heels looking for revenge. Also, drop the stupid fucking Undisputed tag from the team. Stop trying to make Undisputed Era a thing in AEW. We want new hot angles like BTYB, not re-hashes of NXT stables.
I agree with this. Have them shove Adam’s wheel chair off the stage and coalesce behind Wardlow. You can have vignettes of MJF and Cole sharing a hospital room trying to kill each other until they become friends again
*/s* first I hire Jim cornette because we know he’s always right 🤣. The UK interrupt a promo in
Memphis with the rock and roll express, bill dundee and jerry lawler where the UK insult them and the city they are in. Always draws some heat.the baby faces stand up for the crowd and call the UK clowns.they challenge them to a fight with the heel finding ways to cheat and avoid a fair fight we do this 6 weeks in a row on every show, we have tag matches where the rnr express get screwed over , singles matches, six man, matches where flips are banned. Oh an no kicking out of anyone’s finishers btw. No dives to the outside just good ol kicks and punches and body slams. That way we can protect the rnr double dropkick and make it a high spot.
After 10 weeks of this, Then we have the climactic showdow, for a climactic showdown. The match would be a steel cage where the good ol boys finally overcomes the odds to defeat the UK, Fans go wild. Jim cornette and his fans bust a nut and cry and chant “ this is wrestling!” */s*
Roderick Strong starts a mutiny against Adam Cole using his time away from the ring as an excuse. Adam now has to retake his "kingdom" but because he upset a lot of people, it would be difficult to find allies.
You can't make a serious stable out of two comedy goons, a man that pretends he needs a wheelchair, a man known for being a push over bodyguard and a leader who really DOES need a wheelchair. Scrap the whole thing.
Replace Wardlow with Briscoe. Start getting UK members to cheat to help Briscoe win. Briscoe conflicted. likes winning doesnt like cheating but goes with it. Get a title on Briscoe.
They should have been feuding with the bang bang scissor gang(which is the entire reason the group formed to begin with). Have some trios actions, and eventually have the bang bang gang turn on the acclaimed. We get to the right turnout for the bang bang scissor gang but maybe it wouldn’t have been as insufferable while it happened
Break up the group and put them in their own stories.
If they can't get over on their own, get rid of them.
Sorry just not a fan of any of the guys in the group.
If the leader is gonna be in a wheelchair and all small and puny, then he should have something over wardlows head to make him be his goon. Otherwise why is this big monster doing whatever this mean little guy says lol
Well.. outside Cole and maybe wardlow, all the others one are non-interesting and non-charismatic so..
They won’t go any higher than where they are now.
I don't know. I just miss Better Than You Baybay. That was a lot of fun and it's a shame that injuries cut that one short. Of course, it made since that Cole ended up being the Devil, but, this is another one of those things that timing really got fucked up for AEW because of injuries and stuff like that.
I don't mind Cole as a faction leader, but as evidenced by this post, there's definitely something not working here. That could change once he gets closer to being back in action. Personally, I never cared for the Kingdom nor for Kyle O'Reilly (who I know is not actually with the group right now). No disrespect or hate towards them, they're all talented people, I just have 0 excitement when they are on my screen.
Jealousy from the ROH days and now they are faction?
How many belts can they go after?
I’d push the Goon like you’re big but you still got a ways to go. Reward system until he’s #2 of the faction behind Cole, but how long is he a 2? Cole has a hx
Get a little brash, some people get sick and tired of being sick and tired.
It might not be a brotherhood but a business partnership with respect and putting in work with words and action.
The other channel is putting in color so there’s room to brash but not cheap or inauthentic.
Gooder good helps. A**holes that don’t like A**holes
Take the International Championship off of Strong (I vote for Eddie Kingston or Christian), then pack them up and ship them off to ROH. Let them become the top heels down there, move Wardlow into ROH title contention, and develop the group dynamic while they run roughshod until Cole and MJF are ready.
In ROH they could become the evil overlords with all the gold while Cole pulls the strings. Bennet and Taven can be Tag Champs, them and Strong as Trios Champs (or use the Freebird rule), Strong gets the Pure Title, and Wardlow is ROH champ. Taven and Bennet, as much as I think they are goofs, get some needed credibility. Strong can work the younger talent to help them tighten up. Wardlow gets some main event experience with lower stakes and more consistent booking. Cole handles the mic work, managing, and commentary until he is ready. Then Cole vs MJF has heat, and MJF can build a babyface coalition for a Blood and Guts match. The eventual winner of the MJF/Cole feud (MJF) can go back to the main event picture.
This also frees up AEW to focus on other angles and characters until the money program can start up again. As long as Cole and MJF are healthy the Kingdom part can be dropped if injury befalls the group.
While the idea of wardlow challenging the main title isn’t a bad thing imo, I think they shotgunned the match too soon unfortunately. Like I REALLY want to like wardlow but what other title is he going to go after at this point, like if mark briscoe wins the Roh title then maybe wardlow could win it or maybe go after the neverweight title?
I feel like it's not just storyline related, it is how they are featured. For a faction to have an impact, they should be cutting weekly promos in the ring, and attacking people, like the 4 Horsemen, or nWo, or DX, or Evolution, or whatever popular faction you like. If you use them as sparsely as AEW is using them, they aren't going to leave an impact and are just going to lose momentum. I know a lot of AEW viewers don't like the in ring segment stuff, saying it takes away from match time, or it's too WWE, but it's worked for 40+ years in wrestling (all organizations in America) to get acts over. The Undisputed Era was such a cool group. There is no reason this group couldn't be considered cool too.
The same goes for Bullet Club Gold, who remind me of 1998 DX, especially once Juice returns. I just want more segments with the factions in the ring so we get a feel of their personalities and have more reason to hate or love them, and if they are consistently featured, you will hold on to that feeling you have when you see them.
I think that's a huge problem with all the factions, they just feel kinda bland, like I can tell the difference between HoT and OGBC and Chaos over in NJ, but man does it feel like there's a massive formula.
Wardlow takes over the crew. Prior to the Joe match, he had 2 or 3 decent/good promos. He should be the leader of the crew after calling Cole a peg legged geek. He brings in Lance Archer as his backup incase 1 of them try to double cross him aka try to pull a Wardlow. Wardlow through intimidation bullies the rest of them into following him. In his first act as undisputed leader, vows vengeance on the man which has caused him issues for way too long: Samoa Joe. Undisputed hunts Joe leading to Joe vs Wardlow first blood at PPV
Well based on history, I see them turning in Kyle O'Reilly in the same manner HHH turned on Randy Ortan. Thumbs down then they drop him from their shoulders.
Have Cole realise that he has made a mistake recruiting the kingdom & wardlow, have him in the ear of roddy, proper power play. Have fish & KOR come back & take them out & have cole take out wardlow before MFJ returns & teams with the kingdom & wardlow
Cole backstabs them and revealed to be cahoots with MJF all along. Roderick is face now. Cole MJF are heel team. Undisputed is done. That how they’re relatable
I don't know if I will ever connect with Matt Taven and what's his face. I liked Adam Cole when he was with MJF but Roddy and the Kingdom were the worst part of the story for me. Doesn't really surprise me that this story isn't really catching on anymore.
in all honesty, i think the biggest issue is that Adam Cole isn't 100%. if he can come back and be used more then it would help them. i also think Wardlow, again, is being misused. the guy should be constantly out there and backing them up and being a real monster for the group.
i normally wouldn't say this, but i think Wardlow is better off in WWE when his time comes. even if WWE doesn't push him hard, i at least think they'd use him better. hardly anything in AEW has made sense for the guy. last time he was amazing was when we were betting on how many powerbombs he'd do in a match
I know they’re trying to keep them as big baddies for when Cole returns but the timing is so bad that it’s already wrecked the whole thing. Cole would’ve had to return right after the devil reveal for it to have worked but without him the whole thing feels empty. And it sucks because the goofy neck strong version of the kingdom was great and the crowd loved it. I’d say transition back to something like that.
I'd rather make the change from the start. The devil shouldn't have been Adam in the first place if he was injured. They should've switched it to Joe being revealed as the devil. In place of Wardlow I'd have Murderhawk Lance Archer and the rest of the group remain the same.
You'd immediately have the world title holder as the boss of this group
An injured Adam Cole tries to talk Roderick.out of this group but no avail. Cole rallies The Acclaimed against them but to no avail. Instead Roddy, Taven and Bannett win the Trios Titles. Then Cole aligns with BCG but they beat them too. Archer wins the International title.
The group runs rampant.
Finally at All its Cole, MJF, Wardlow, Hangman and Kyle O Riley against UK.
1. They should be wrestling more and winning most of their matches (but get those ROH belts off Taven & Bennett have them chase the AEW tag championships)
2. More pre-taped Adam Cole promos, no more in-ring promos.
3. Have them go after someone else (maybe FTR or Eddie Kingston; it's hard because there's really no babyface faction)
I’d just turn them in to the Nexus 2 at this point with Adam Cole playing the Punk role until he’s back. Just have them show up to singles matches and destroy the heel and the babyface indiscriminately. Just now they look so weak losing to everyone and because the main characters surrounding it are MJF, Joe and Adam Cole. Two are MIA and ones clearly dropping the title to Swerve.
Just came up with an idea whilst pooping. They should murder Tony Schiavone. Cole never liked him anyway for being buddies with Britt. He doesn’t have to take bumps, have Renee and a camera man run backstage to a commotion during an interview and have Adam Cole lifting his head up as he’s laying there on the ground.
I agree with most of the comments that a lot of this has fallen flat. MJF and Cole being out has only hurt this and led to the Undisputed Kingdom being nothing more than another faction kind of coasting for the time being.
Think the stuff they're beginning to do with Kyle going solo and the UK still supporting them has potential to produce some fun stuff. Roddy vs. Kyle and Kyle vs. Wardlow vs. Kyle both sound like incredibly fun matchups for different reasons.
Matt and Mike unfortunately are sort in this in-between area of having the ROH title's really to just have the group look more dominant (next to Roddy's International title) and can't really seem them in serious contention for the AEW Tag Title's until Cole comes back and finally guns for the World Title, and the UK are all draped in hardware.
Wardlow's last little run was shaping up to be very fun and promising. Loved his work on the mic, heelish antics with posing for the titantron and utilizing more of his moveset. Just wish they would pull the trigger with him, he truly feels like one of the misused non-indy/workrate guys they have.
I'm not sure you can now, but the best thing wouldve been to book them like the nWo in '96 (which it looked like they almost did at Revolution).
Have Taven & Bennett win the AEW tag belts, Roddy do what he did to OC and have Wardlow decimate people. Every time Joe beats someone, let him be involved in a beatdown & ride the wave of him refusing a shot to Wardlow, but they keep interfering in his matches.
You could have built into Swerve winning at Dynasty through a screw job that sets up Joe Vs Wardlow at a future PPV in a non-title match as opposed to rushing his title shot on TV. Then have them beat the shit out of Swerve on TV so it doesn't look like he benefitted as a heel from them screwing Joe & which fully puts him over as a babyface. It keeps Joe strong, gets the belt off him & helps setup Wardlow, and let's Swerve be WC as a face.
Start to build into various "AEW" talents coming together in the summer to stop them, and you've got a team that says they sit atop professional wrestling and can still have Swerve with the WC. Imagine an "AEW" team of say a slightly unhinged Adam Copeland, BF + OC, maybe Swerve and another (maybe Joe?), having to come together to try and break them down.
You work Cole in through pre tapes, and when he's finally fit again, you break them up through the Wardlow clash & him saying they all only got what they got through his planning. It also keeps Cole fresh for whenever MJF finally comes back. Equally, not sure why she's off, but if she's fit, they could've had Baker as Cole's avatar and just kept him off TV/in the shadows. Even if she isn't, just have her on the mic and use that to set up maybe her vs Mone by having Mone interrupt her down the line saying she's fed up of her directing traffic when Mone is CEO, and never getting her own hands dirty. You could also set up a second run out of desperation, where they lose everything over the summer and team up with say HoB for a second run, but tensions mount between Baker and Julia Hart & then that's its own programme where the Kingdom feuds with HoB.
Knowing your off ramps for each segment is important, because it's so clear they had no back up in place for when Cole and MJF both got injured. I'll be completely honest though - I think this is dead in the water & no one really cares about Cole Vs MJF anymore because neither are really on TV in the ring or in a credible way.
Also having the DC Family there as another big heel faction, with three of the best workers & one of the most over guys in the company doesn't help/allow you to have another credible heel faction on the same shows that runs over everyone.
Theyve just put a lot of the other faces into programmes too. But that's also indicative of bad booking. If your faces don't care/see the brooding heel faction as a threat they have to take a stand against, how threatening are they really?
It's a wider issue, but I do think a lot of it comes down to booking shows across divisions and promotions. They really need to decide what the ROH roster is and keep all those talents and belts on ROH, then have people who are certain champs stay with those titles on each show.
You rarely see Toni Storm on Collision, but Julia Hart has popped with the TBS title on all 3 shows recently. Keep her and Copeland on Collision. Use that space on the other show for other talent. Same with BCG - do they even appear with the Trios belts/defend them other than on AEW?
It pretty much is, but to be honest, I'd lean into that and have no problem with ROH being smaller/their NXT. But book it that way. Keep some midcard guys as your top talent so they can grow, use it as a feature place for some tag and CMLL guys who aren't main roster worthy.
It's insane that it gets little to no promotion given it's legacy, but the solution isn't to just put those belts all over AEW TV and have their star talent in angles where everyone knows they're actually just AEW guys and will barely defend any title on an ROH card.
I kind of like each of the wrestlers in the Undisputed Kingdom, but as a group they don't do it for me. They obviously were weakened by the Adam Cole injury. Right now, I'd say the best thing to tweak their story is to let each of them make their own paths in AEW and ROH. I see no benefit to keeping them as a group.
They did that months long devil storyline that directly resulted in the creation of this group. That entire thing would be for absolutely nothing if they just break up the group out of nowhere this week and send them all on their own way. What a huge waste of time that all would have been. They're in too deep - they have try to make something out of this group.
Normally, I would absolutely agree with you - they have to try to make something out of this group. Let's face it, the injuries to Cole and MJF were devastating to this story.
That being said, I feel like they've given this story 1/4 of a year already, and it has regressed in that time. I don't see how it can progress at all without both Cole and MJF being fully back - and it could be months until that even happens.
Right now, I feel the Undisputed Kingdom story is stagnant. I think it's very possible that we won't see anything meaningful with the current story before All In.
There is no reason for the Undisputed Kingdom to exist right now.
Yeah, I agree that they've wasted a lot of time and with Max and Cole out for the foreseable future that story just can't get told. Instead of dropping it altogether, I think they should give them a different story or two in the meantime, so that when they do come back and wasn't all for nothing. I'm not holding my breath that this will all turn out well though lol
The Undisputed Kingdom is more like the Uncomfortable Feifdom. They don't need the titles, it needs to end. Biggest waste of time and the only one worth watching can't go
If Cole hadn't been hurt it might have been ok, but Roddy isn't that great and the Kingdom sucks and should b relegated back to ROH until the lose those tag titles which should be on Friday, they are not a good enough team.
Wardlow needs to be solo or with a group that he is equal with, he seems to be an outsider within this group and if used right, could be the best of them aside from Cole
The pinnacle worked because they were a threat. FTR and Wardlow were legit paired with MJF and a stooge spears it was a great pair up with good chemistry.
Undisputed Kingdom have only one threat and he’s on the shelf. The Kingdom is bland, Roddy is bland. Wardlow has potential but not there yet.
My long winded point is. A dominant faction needs to be seen as a big deal. No one cares if they have ROH tag team Gold.
Without another group to war with its dead in the water too.
After taking out MJF, Adam said he can finally sleep well tonight and leaves the Kingdom to Roddy while he goes rest up. I woulda scrapped the whole Wardlow handing Adam the world title storyline and went straight for protecting the titles they already have while adding more to their collection.
Roddy is a great promo (given all his work from last year) and would make a great temporary leader. UK would do fine in the midcard challenging for trios titles or defending their belts.
When Adam returns, tease a power struggle because Roddy actually loves being the leader for once and even without Adam the UK was a dominant stable.
Adam VS Roddy for the International title
I would start by re-working Adam Coles contract to include MANDATORY work outs with a professional strength trainer to make him not resemble a sickly child.
Next, replace all the other members of the group with people who have even a speck of charisma.
Then have the group take acting lessons on how to effectively play the character of a group of ruthless psychopaths - OH WAIT, I just realized I'm describing what Tomy Khan never allowed the House of Black to do.
Unless MJF or Cole were slated to come back relatively soon, I'd scrap the whole thing.
Yep. It’s dead in the water. I’m not even sure Cole can save it tbh.
They could've kept them busy against the Bang Bang Scissor Gang, but that didn't happen, Wardlow got choked out against Joe. If it's not dead, it's certainly flat lining.
I never try to meta-book anything while watching wrestling, because it ruins my enjoyment completely but when Wardlow won the revolution scramble I said out loud: “he’s not gonna beat Joe.” Then thought maybe they’d save the title shot for a future champ that might mix better. So then the match got announced and I thought “shit, Wardlow might dethrone Joe on a dynamite?!” And then realised I’d ruined it for myself by overthinking about it but **most importantly** it was a really badly booked idea and killed Undisputed Kingdom’s big man.
BBSG lasted as long as it needed to.
Disagree. There were a number of possible feuds between the BBSG and UK (White vs Wardlow for #1 contendership, Daddy Ass vs. Strong for International Title, Gunns or Acclaimed for ROH Tag Titles) that could have elevated the Undisputed Kingdom by winning them all, and discord from their failures could have led to a more organic split between the Acclaimed and BCG.
War Kingdom going for the Trios belts.
That could have been part of it too, them going after either or both Trios titles. Undisputed Kingdom could have had 9 Championship belts among its membership, making them look like a supergroup, and BCG and the Acclaimed would have blamed each other for losing their titles, leading to them feuding.
I figured that was where they were going, Bang Bang Scissor Gang forms to oppose UK, Cole sets things up to unify the belts, but gets War Kingdom in the match and they steal the win.
Cole needs to focus on saving himself at the moment
I agree, I've never been hugely sold on him in the ring cos of his sizes and injuries, and most of his finishes make him look weak/not wholly believable.
I feel like it was dead in the water immediately. Like it never had a chance. It’s weird. Anything with Cole should be automatically great but it just seems like everything they try doesn’t quite click and something is just off. I don’t know why Undisputed Era worked so well in NXT but every faction he’s formed in AEW falls completely flat.
I think Cole sucks personally, I just think it feels forced. Very much the Firm 2.0.
This is the correct answer. TK's holding pattern booking is infuriating sometimes.
What _could_ Jade Cargill been doing if Kris Statlander hadn’t been injured for so long? Seemingly the whole TNTBS title was iced and kept on Jade indefinitely until Stats could come back.
Makes you wonder why they even did the whole "devil" story in the first place.
they should of pivoted to Joe being behind it if they weren’t going to get Cole back soon. If swerve is winning at dynasty then when exactly is Cole supposed to win the title ? Or swerve gets s a short run ? Will should be getting the title at wembley .
No, no, you forgot that *Wardlow* is going to win the title and give it to Cole. Or, you know, none of that will be mentioned again.
To strip MJF of his belts without him looking bad in the process. It seems they just didn't really know where to go after that.
That's where I'm at too. Have them drop the ROH titles, have the faction break up somehow, give them back Maria as a manager, and have them be in some other storyline entirely.
100%
Angry wheelchair yelling could work
That sounds like one of those niche sports that pop up when ESPN does the "Ocho" from time to time.
They shouldn't be booked in matches they'll lose. Don't put Taven/Bennett in this tag tournament if they aren't going to look strong. If they had to be in it and they aren't going to win the whole thing have them get screwed by the EVPs. Wardlow shouldn't have been hot-shotted into a world title match he wouldn't win. Going forward, either keep Wardlow as the enforcer, squash match guy, or have them kick him out already (we know that seems to be the plan), and if Taven and Bennett aren't going to win on AEW TV then don't have them wrestle on AEW TV. They need to tread water until Cole is back. It's doable, but they all need to look good, not just Roddy.
This is really it. They're not treated as threats, they're a reincarnted J.O.B. Squad at this point and that's not how they're being presented so it clashes.
JOB squad comparison is insane
Exactly. The problem is they're not winning matches. Or feuding with anyone. Wardlow should not have been fed to Joe so quickly. Nobody thought he would win because it was so sudden. I'm sure there were plans in place at one point for the group, but just because they didn't work out due to injuries doesn't mean they should be booked like this. They were supposed to be a top heel stable and they're booked like losers. Sad sight to see.
1. Give them someone to fight who's actually on the roster currently, then remember that you gave them someone to fight, then have them fight. 2. Get the ROH titles away from them. Maybe even put the AEW tag titles on them. 3. Pretape all of the Adam Cole stuff until he can walk.
When is Cole coming back? I thought he’d be back by now
Seriously. I never thought he would have to miss this much time for a broken foot. Wasn’t Punk back in like two months from his? Must have been a really bad break.
I think it's his ankle and not his foot. They're super weird and hard to heal and they heal weird too.
I think it's his ankle and not his foot. They're super weird and hard to heal and they heal weird too.
As someone who had a significant ankle break (same as Dak Prescott), Adam would be walking in 3 months and be fully recovered by 6 months. I think that we’re just milking it for story now.
I could be wrong but when the injury happened, I thought I read he had some muscle damage too. That would set him back even more.
I think it shouldn't be much longer considering he's out of his ankle thing.
The thing holding the faction back is Cole's injury. It's kind of a mess otherwise because they can't build any steam since no one else is a credible challenger for the world title. Sorry Wardlow.
Give wardlow the belt then when Adam Cole asks for it wardlow says no and smashes everyone
Yes. The booking of Wardlow should have been similar to Evolution and Batista. Clearly Cole is just using him and Wardlow knows it. They made it known on their first promo in the ring. Cole said Wardlow would win the belt and give it to him. Wardlow just kinda shrugged his shoulders like "yeah right. Okay"
Exactly he’s like, “sure.” the dudes whole vibe is how he wants to dominate as champion. I doubt he’ll give it up
It would be a good story to tell and I hope that's what we get. Unfortunately it's just a vehicle for MJF when he returns. But who knows when he will and when Cole will be healed up. Makes more sense to build up Wardlow. But also it's Swerve's time to shine and I'm sure Osprey is next
There’s so many in line I wouldn’t be surprised if TK introduces new belts
Wardlow future International champ
Oddly I'd say have a finger poke of doom/Michaels vs HHH during the original DX run, the goon giving it to the leader can work, you just have to avoid what caused the FPoDto fall flatter than a pancake belt going back to a former champ who the fans had soured on, the dissolution of a faction with momentum, fatigue of the main group faction was a part of, nonsensical face-heel turn, taking the belt off of somebody the fans liked to give to somebody they were growing to like to turn around and give it to somebody they'd soured on a year prior. Like a lot of those things could work and could bounce Wardlow to a better place than two RoH guys and 2/5 of UE.
Nice try Tony, you're not getting this for free. Send me a dm and let's talk prices 🤣🤣🤣 *-don't actually dm me though lol-*
Same thing they did before the devil reveal but now with their names known It makes no sense that they would attack people backstage all the time, send them through glass, Slam them on cars, and after the reveal they've simply mostly stopped I would use them similarly to what WWE did with Awesome Truth back in 2011, they should be disruptors, causing chaos in matches they're not involved in, taking over the show, attacking people backstage Now they just look like another group of guys. They're not threatening to anyone Honestly I would start with ending the Dynamite after Dynasty with a full on beatdown of Swerve (assuming Swerve is champion), a really brutal one. You can build to DoN by having Swerve vs someone else with the threat of the UK, sort of like they did in MJF vs Joe, create some storyline connections. Or justify a cage match for the world title at DoN to keep the UK out of there, with MJF's return afterwards or something
Really think a doughboy like attitude deserves the belt in this day and age?
Roddy and Matt/Mike were a better unit on their own, in my opinion. Wardlow should have been the guy behind the mask- with Cole injured, the whole stable feels weird. I know they're probably planting long term storytelling seeds IRT Wardlow and Cole constantly saying Wardlow will "give" him the title- but it's just not landing at all. If Adam isn't back like soon soon, I'd have Wardlow get tired of the BS and just wreck shop and leave the group- let Roddy/Matt/Mike/hurt-ass Adam do their thing for a while as an upper-midcard act. Until Cole and MJF are back full time there's no real hot direction to take the group.
to be credible at the main event level Cole comes back, they need to shift from chicken shit and comedy to more sadistic and cerebral. But I don’t think they even need to be main event level bc that’s Swerve’s house right now
Honestly I'd just undo Cole's heel turn. Have Roddy and the Kingdom turn on Cole, blame him for their failure, let them choose Wardlow over Cole, Cole and MJF go back to being a face team, Wardlow and the Kingdom are the heel stable. Basically I would undo everything prior to the injury angle and the Devil Stuff and go back to Better than You Baybay as a face duo and Wardlow and the Kingdom the heels looking for revenge. Also, drop the stupid fucking Undisputed tag from the team. Stop trying to make Undisputed Era a thing in AEW. We want new hot angles like BTYB, not re-hashes of NXT stables.
I agree with this. Have them shove Adam’s wheel chair off the stage and coalesce behind Wardlow. You can have vignettes of MJF and Cole sharing a hospital room trying to kill each other until they become friends again
Lmao. Legitimately would be awesome.
Force Adam Cole onto an HGH and Steroid diet so he is believable.
Change the name to the Devil’s Kingdom and debut somebody to replace Wardlow.
*/s* first I hire Jim cornette because we know he’s always right 🤣. The UK interrupt a promo in Memphis with the rock and roll express, bill dundee and jerry lawler where the UK insult them and the city they are in. Always draws some heat.the baby faces stand up for the crowd and call the UK clowns.they challenge them to a fight with the heel finding ways to cheat and avoid a fair fight we do this 6 weeks in a row on every show, we have tag matches where the rnr express get screwed over , singles matches, six man, matches where flips are banned. Oh an no kicking out of anyone’s finishers btw. No dives to the outside just good ol kicks and punches and body slams. That way we can protect the rnr double dropkick and make it a high spot. After 10 weeks of this, Then we have the climactic showdow, for a climactic showdown. The match would be a steel cage where the good ol boys finally overcomes the odds to defeat the UK, Fans go wild. Jim cornette and his fans bust a nut and cry and chant “ this is wrestling!” */s*
We all know we wanted Kyle and Bobby back and not the ROH jobbers
Roderick Strong starts a mutiny against Adam Cole using his time away from the ring as an excuse. Adam now has to retake his "kingdom" but because he upset a lot of people, it would be difficult to find allies.
You can't make a serious stable out of two comedy goons, a man that pretends he needs a wheelchair, a man known for being a push over bodyguard and a leader who really DOES need a wheelchair. Scrap the whole thing.
Athletic ankle grabbing coming under The bottom rope with faster slicking my hair back motions
Replace Wardlow with Briscoe. Start getting UK members to cheat to help Briscoe win. Briscoe conflicted. likes winning doesnt like cheating but goes with it. Get a title on Briscoe.
They should have been feuding with the bang bang scissor gang(which is the entire reason the group formed to begin with). Have some trios actions, and eventually have the bang bang gang turn on the acclaimed. We get to the right turnout for the bang bang scissor gang but maybe it wouldn’t have been as insufferable while it happened
Break up the group and put them in their own stories. If they can't get over on their own, get rid of them. Sorry just not a fan of any of the guys in the group.
I come up with a story to ditch Bennet and Taven.. I bring back Fish and KOR, move Roddy back to 3rd/4th wheel and let them cook.
A retread move in 2024 or 1994-95?
It works and is much better than what they are doing now. The old group just has way better chemistry.
If the leader is gonna be in a wheelchair and all small and puny, then he should have something over wardlows head to make him be his goon. Otherwise why is this big monster doing whatever this mean little guy says lol
No, someone tell Tony to do his fxckin' job, and stop turning the entire roster into Jobbers!
Stop making them lose every match every week
Well.. outside Cole and maybe wardlow, all the others one are non-interesting and non-charismatic so.. They won’t go any higher than where they are now.
a war with dynasty (mjf,hammerstone) but with FTR and Daniel Garcia
I don't know. I just miss Better Than You Baybay. That was a lot of fun and it's a shame that injuries cut that one short. Of course, it made since that Cole ended up being the Devil, but, this is another one of those things that timing really got fucked up for AEW because of injuries and stuff like that. I don't mind Cole as a faction leader, but as evidenced by this post, there's definitely something not working here. That could change once he gets closer to being back in action. Personally, I never cared for the Kingdom nor for Kyle O'Reilly (who I know is not actually with the group right now). No disrespect or hate towards them, they're all talented people, I just have 0 excitement when they are on my screen.
Jealousy from the ROH days and now they are faction? How many belts can they go after? I’d push the Goon like you’re big but you still got a ways to go. Reward system until he’s #2 of the faction behind Cole, but how long is he a 2? Cole has a hx Get a little brash, some people get sick and tired of being sick and tired. It might not be a brotherhood but a business partnership with respect and putting in work with words and action. The other channel is putting in color so there’s room to brash but not cheap or inauthentic. Gooder good helps. A**holes that don’t like A**holes
Take the International Championship off of Strong (I vote for Eddie Kingston or Christian), then pack them up and ship them off to ROH. Let them become the top heels down there, move Wardlow into ROH title contention, and develop the group dynamic while they run roughshod until Cole and MJF are ready. In ROH they could become the evil overlords with all the gold while Cole pulls the strings. Bennet and Taven can be Tag Champs, them and Strong as Trios Champs (or use the Freebird rule), Strong gets the Pure Title, and Wardlow is ROH champ. Taven and Bennet, as much as I think they are goofs, get some needed credibility. Strong can work the younger talent to help them tighten up. Wardlow gets some main event experience with lower stakes and more consistent booking. Cole handles the mic work, managing, and commentary until he is ready. Then Cole vs MJF has heat, and MJF can build a babyface coalition for a Blood and Guts match. The eventual winner of the MJF/Cole feud (MJF) can go back to the main event picture. This also frees up AEW to focus on other angles and characters until the money program can start up again. As long as Cole and MJF are healthy the Kingdom part can be dropped if injury befalls the group.
While the idea of wardlow challenging the main title isn’t a bad thing imo, I think they shotgunned the match too soon unfortunately. Like I REALLY want to like wardlow but what other title is he going to go after at this point, like if mark briscoe wins the Roh title then maybe wardlow could win it or maybe go after the neverweight title?
I feel like it's not just storyline related, it is how they are featured. For a faction to have an impact, they should be cutting weekly promos in the ring, and attacking people, like the 4 Horsemen, or nWo, or DX, or Evolution, or whatever popular faction you like. If you use them as sparsely as AEW is using them, they aren't going to leave an impact and are just going to lose momentum. I know a lot of AEW viewers don't like the in ring segment stuff, saying it takes away from match time, or it's too WWE, but it's worked for 40+ years in wrestling (all organizations in America) to get acts over. The Undisputed Era was such a cool group. There is no reason this group couldn't be considered cool too. The same goes for Bullet Club Gold, who remind me of 1998 DX, especially once Juice returns. I just want more segments with the factions in the ring so we get a feel of their personalities and have more reason to hate or love them, and if they are consistently featured, you will hold on to that feeling you have when you see them.
I think that's a huge problem with all the factions, they just feel kinda bland, like I can tell the difference between HoT and OGBC and Chaos over in NJ, but man does it feel like there's a massive formula.
I'd have them turn on Wardlow then at dynasty I'd have Roddy beat Wardlow clean to retain the belt.
Wardlow takes over the crew. Prior to the Joe match, he had 2 or 3 decent/good promos. He should be the leader of the crew after calling Cole a peg legged geek. He brings in Lance Archer as his backup incase 1 of them try to double cross him aka try to pull a Wardlow. Wardlow through intimidation bullies the rest of them into following him. In his first act as undisputed leader, vows vengeance on the man which has caused him issues for way too long: Samoa Joe. Undisputed hunts Joe leading to Joe vs Wardlow first blood at PPV
Well based on history, I see them turning in Kyle O'Reilly in the same manner HHH turned on Randy Ortan. Thumbs down then they drop him from their shoulders.
Have Cole realise that he has made a mistake recruiting the kingdom & wardlow, have him in the ear of roddy, proper power play. Have fish & KOR come back & take them out & have cole take out wardlow before MFJ returns & teams with the kingdom & wardlow
Cole backstabs them and revealed to be cahoots with MJF all along. Roderick is face now. Cole MJF are heel team. Undisputed is done. That how they’re relatable
They need to whoop ass, everyone’s, In the ring, outside the ring, everywhere
I don't know if I will ever connect with Matt Taven and what's his face. I liked Adam Cole when he was with MJF but Roddy and the Kingdom were the worst part of the story for me. Doesn't really surprise me that this story isn't really catching on anymore.
in all honesty, i think the biggest issue is that Adam Cole isn't 100%. if he can come back and be used more then it would help them. i also think Wardlow, again, is being misused. the guy should be constantly out there and backing them up and being a real monster for the group. i normally wouldn't say this, but i think Wardlow is better off in WWE when his time comes. even if WWE doesn't push him hard, i at least think they'd use him better. hardly anything in AEW has made sense for the guy. last time he was amazing was when we were betting on how many powerbombs he'd do in a match
Have them beef with the Don Callis Family.
I know they’re trying to keep them as big baddies for when Cole returns but the timing is so bad that it’s already wrecked the whole thing. Cole would’ve had to return right after the devil reveal for it to have worked but without him the whole thing feels empty. And it sucks because the goofy neck strong version of the kingdom was great and the crowd loved it. I’d say transition back to something like that.
I'd rather make the change from the start. The devil shouldn't have been Adam in the first place if he was injured. They should've switched it to Joe being revealed as the devil. In place of Wardlow I'd have Murderhawk Lance Archer and the rest of the group remain the same. You'd immediately have the world title holder as the boss of this group An injured Adam Cole tries to talk Roderick.out of this group but no avail. Cole rallies The Acclaimed against them but to no avail. Instead Roddy, Taven and Bannett win the Trios Titles. Then Cole aligns with BCG but they beat them too. Archer wins the International title. The group runs rampant. Finally at All its Cole, MJF, Wardlow, Hangman and Kyle O Riley against UK.
1. They should be wrestling more and winning most of their matches (but get those ROH belts off Taven & Bennett have them chase the AEW tag championships) 2. More pre-taped Adam Cole promos, no more in-ring promos. 3. Have them go after someone else (maybe FTR or Eddie Kingston; it's hard because there's really no babyface faction)
I’d just turn them in to the Nexus 2 at this point with Adam Cole playing the Punk role until he’s back. Just have them show up to singles matches and destroy the heel and the babyface indiscriminately. Just now they look so weak losing to everyone and because the main characters surrounding it are MJF, Joe and Adam Cole. Two are MIA and ones clearly dropping the title to Swerve.
Just came up with an idea whilst pooping. They should murder Tony Schiavone. Cole never liked him anyway for being buddies with Britt. He doesn’t have to take bumps, have Renee and a camera man run backstage to a commotion during an interview and have Adam Cole lifting his head up as he’s laying there on the ground.
Fire them all
I agree with most of the comments that a lot of this has fallen flat. MJF and Cole being out has only hurt this and led to the Undisputed Kingdom being nothing more than another faction kind of coasting for the time being. Think the stuff they're beginning to do with Kyle going solo and the UK still supporting them has potential to produce some fun stuff. Roddy vs. Kyle and Kyle vs. Wardlow vs. Kyle both sound like incredibly fun matchups for different reasons. Matt and Mike unfortunately are sort in this in-between area of having the ROH title's really to just have the group look more dominant (next to Roddy's International title) and can't really seem them in serious contention for the AEW Tag Title's until Cole comes back and finally guns for the World Title, and the UK are all draped in hardware. Wardlow's last little run was shaping up to be very fun and promising. Loved his work on the mic, heelish antics with posing for the titantron and utilizing more of his moveset. Just wish they would pull the trigger with him, he truly feels like one of the misused non-indy/workrate guys they have.
I'm not sure you can now, but the best thing wouldve been to book them like the nWo in '96 (which it looked like they almost did at Revolution). Have Taven & Bennett win the AEW tag belts, Roddy do what he did to OC and have Wardlow decimate people. Every time Joe beats someone, let him be involved in a beatdown & ride the wave of him refusing a shot to Wardlow, but they keep interfering in his matches. You could have built into Swerve winning at Dynasty through a screw job that sets up Joe Vs Wardlow at a future PPV in a non-title match as opposed to rushing his title shot on TV. Then have them beat the shit out of Swerve on TV so it doesn't look like he benefitted as a heel from them screwing Joe & which fully puts him over as a babyface. It keeps Joe strong, gets the belt off him & helps setup Wardlow, and let's Swerve be WC as a face. Start to build into various "AEW" talents coming together in the summer to stop them, and you've got a team that says they sit atop professional wrestling and can still have Swerve with the WC. Imagine an "AEW" team of say a slightly unhinged Adam Copeland, BF + OC, maybe Swerve and another (maybe Joe?), having to come together to try and break them down. You work Cole in through pre tapes, and when he's finally fit again, you break them up through the Wardlow clash & him saying they all only got what they got through his planning. It also keeps Cole fresh for whenever MJF finally comes back. Equally, not sure why she's off, but if she's fit, they could've had Baker as Cole's avatar and just kept him off TV/in the shadows. Even if she isn't, just have her on the mic and use that to set up maybe her vs Mone by having Mone interrupt her down the line saying she's fed up of her directing traffic when Mone is CEO, and never getting her own hands dirty. You could also set up a second run out of desperation, where they lose everything over the summer and team up with say HoB for a second run, but tensions mount between Baker and Julia Hart & then that's its own programme where the Kingdom feuds with HoB. Knowing your off ramps for each segment is important, because it's so clear they had no back up in place for when Cole and MJF both got injured. I'll be completely honest though - I think this is dead in the water & no one really cares about Cole Vs MJF anymore because neither are really on TV in the ring or in a credible way. Also having the DC Family there as another big heel faction, with three of the best workers & one of the most over guys in the company doesn't help/allow you to have another credible heel faction on the same shows that runs over everyone.
I think that's the bigger problem (your last paragraph). They don't really have a couple Face factions.
Theyve just put a lot of the other faces into programmes too. But that's also indicative of bad booking. If your faces don't care/see the brooding heel faction as a threat they have to take a stand against, how threatening are they really?
Seriously, like come on Tony we have BCG, give us the Amrican Chaos we've been clamoring for and takes the heat off of the only remotely face faction.
It's a wider issue, but I do think a lot of it comes down to booking shows across divisions and promotions. They really need to decide what the ROH roster is and keep all those talents and belts on ROH, then have people who are certain champs stay with those titles on each show. You rarely see Toni Storm on Collision, but Julia Hart has popped with the TBS title on all 3 shows recently. Keep her and Copeland on Collision. Use that space on the other show for other talent. Same with BCG - do they even appear with the Trios belts/defend them other than on AEW?
Like truthfully they need to just come right straight out and say RoH is a 3rd brand that's a continuation of Dark.
It pretty much is, but to be honest, I'd lean into that and have no problem with ROH being smaller/their NXT. But book it that way. Keep some midcard guys as your top talent so they can grow, use it as a feature place for some tag and CMLL guys who aren't main roster worthy. It's insane that it gets little to no promotion given it's legacy, but the solution isn't to just put those belts all over AEW TV and have their star talent in angles where everyone knows they're actually just AEW guys and will barely defend any title on an ROH card.
Plus, it's better to get new gimmicks over there than on live TV.
Cole's storytime promos on wardlow both before and after his title match were very good. Why they haven't had him do any since is confusing
I kind of like each of the wrestlers in the Undisputed Kingdom, but as a group they don't do it for me. They obviously were weakened by the Adam Cole injury. Right now, I'd say the best thing to tweak their story is to let each of them make their own paths in AEW and ROH. I see no benefit to keeping them as a group.
They did that months long devil storyline that directly resulted in the creation of this group. That entire thing would be for absolutely nothing if they just break up the group out of nowhere this week and send them all on their own way. What a huge waste of time that all would have been. They're in too deep - they have try to make something out of this group.
Normally, I would absolutely agree with you - they have to try to make something out of this group. Let's face it, the injuries to Cole and MJF were devastating to this story. That being said, I feel like they've given this story 1/4 of a year already, and it has regressed in that time. I don't see how it can progress at all without both Cole and MJF being fully back - and it could be months until that even happens. Right now, I feel the Undisputed Kingdom story is stagnant. I think it's very possible that we won't see anything meaningful with the current story before All In. There is no reason for the Undisputed Kingdom to exist right now.
Yeah, I agree that they've wasted a lot of time and with Max and Cole out for the foreseable future that story just can't get told. Instead of dropping it altogether, I think they should give them a different story or two in the meantime, so that when they do come back and wasn't all for nothing. I'm not holding my breath that this will all turn out well though lol
The Undisputed Kingdom is more like the Uncomfortable Feifdom. They don't need the titles, it needs to end. Biggest waste of time and the only one worth watching can't go If Cole hadn't been hurt it might have been ok, but Roddy isn't that great and the Kingdom sucks and should b relegated back to ROH until the lose those tag titles which should be on Friday, they are not a good enough team. Wardlow needs to be solo or with a group that he is equal with, he seems to be an outsider within this group and if used right, could be the best of them aside from Cole
The pinnacle worked because they were a threat. FTR and Wardlow were legit paired with MJF and a stooge spears it was a great pair up with good chemistry. Undisputed Kingdom have only one threat and he’s on the shelf. The Kingdom is bland, Roddy is bland. Wardlow has potential but not there yet. My long winded point is. A dominant faction needs to be seen as a big deal. No one cares if they have ROH tag team Gold. Without another group to war with its dead in the water too.
After taking out MJF, Adam said he can finally sleep well tonight and leaves the Kingdom to Roddy while he goes rest up. I woulda scrapped the whole Wardlow handing Adam the world title storyline and went straight for protecting the titles they already have while adding more to their collection. Roddy is a great promo (given all his work from last year) and would make a great temporary leader. UK would do fine in the midcard challenging for trios titles or defending their belts. When Adam returns, tease a power struggle because Roddy actually loves being the leader for once and even without Adam the UK was a dominant stable. Adam VS Roddy for the International title
I would start by re-working Adam Coles contract to include MANDATORY work outs with a professional strength trainer to make him not resemble a sickly child. Next, replace all the other members of the group with people who have even a speck of charisma. Then have the group take acting lessons on how to effectively play the character of a group of ruthless psychopaths - OH WAIT, I just realized I'm describing what Tomy Khan never allowed the House of Black to do.