>>15334882This is a damn fine summary, although I'd argue MJF wrestling ability hasn't deteriorated... because he never really had any ability in the first place.
Darby had momentum but then he became Sting's little buddy. I kept waiting for one of them to betray the other and the eventual feud where Darby got the big rub... but it never came. Darby just played cheerleader to Sting as he wandered off into the sunset. Darby doesn't give off "main event" vibes either, he just looks like a cruiserweight Jeff Hardy... and Jeff was a fairly undersized top guy.
Sammy never had that definitive feud with Jericho. They teased it over and over again... then just dropped it. Or maybe it's still coming? Who knows? I stopped watching AEW regularly. Sammy never had the it-factor anyway, he's midcard for life.
Jungle Boy was never going to headline an event with any credibility. He has been given the spotlight solely on the hope that his Hollywood connections carry some kind of crossover or mainstream appeal. Nobody cares. His Dad died ages ago, and hadn't been relevant since the early 90's. 40+ year old women ain't tuning into wrestling on the basis of "remember 90210???"
MJF is a decent promo and nothing more. Guys like that can get the crowds invested in a storyline but then they always drop the ball with lackluster matches. He's too one-note as well, just a sniveling little dirt bag heel.
That's the thing... they're all good midcard acts, they shouldn't be considered for main events. If they were in WWE they would be fighting over tag titles or US/IC titles... and that's it. That's their ceiling. Maybe if one storyline catches fire they might find themselves with a short reign at the top (if Jinder, Kofi, Miz, etc. cand do it) but to give them some lofty "4 Pillars" moniker... wildly overestimated.
