AEW Rumors: Marty Scurll originally planned as the Dark Order leader

The Dark Order in AEW have yet to reveal their big leader, but according to a new rumor, original plans called for an interesting reveal in Marty Scurll.

As we learned earlier this month, Marty Scurll has re-signed with Ring of Honor in a deal that offers him the perks of being one of the lead bookers in the company. But from the sounds of it, before coming to an agreement with ROH, he just as easily could have wound up joining his Elite buddies in AEW and receive a major top heel role for himself.

According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (per Cagesideseats), original plans called for Marty Scurll to be revealed as The Exalted One, the unseen force driving the company’s top heel stable, The Dark Order, behind the scenes. The reveal would have taken place during the show’s Dec. 18 episode of Dynamite, which served as their final show of the year.

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Instead, what we got was the stable beating down on the roster’s top tag teams and a noticeable flub of one of the group’s extras/minions “punching” Dustin Rhodes without connecting. It was an embarrassing moment for the company that went viral, but may have never happened if AEW did not have to change their plans at the last minute after their attempts to sign Scurll before ROH did not go as planned.

The status and identity of The Exalted One continues to be a mystery on AEW TV. It is unclear if they have figured out a replacement at this point or if they will play this by ear before figuring it out, but we’ll have to wait and see who else AEW could have in mind.