The challenge of booking The Elite post All Out backstage fight

The October 26 edition of AEW Dynamite featured a familiar voice as fans witnessed a video segment dedicated to The Elite. It played up the idea of what they mean to the promotion and their recent absence via suspension after AEW All Out. This, along with the report from Fightful Select, pushes toward their imminent return. When they do walk back through those curtains, they can expect a massive fan response. But the question is will their booking reflect their part in the situation that created a tough working atmosphere in the past few months, or will they be slotted right back at the top? Both answers have ramifications.

The details around “Brawl Out” aren’t as clear as the public would like. As always in these situations, there are two sides to the story, with the truth lying somewhere in the middle. According to Nick Hausman of Wrestling Inc, CM Punk’s dog Larry was allegedly hit in the face with the door that was “kicked in,” causing the dog injury. That new tidbit of information revealed Wednesday night caused many online to immediately change their thoughts about much of the issue, as injuring animals is rightfully frowned upon.

Still, it is clear that The Elite is closer to their return than Punk, who may never walk through an AEW curtain again. If they are booked as the top attractions that helped shape the company, what would be the overall response to that backstage? Regardless of the opinions on the severity of their actions, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks played a part in a backstage altercation with a colleague that could have escalated to an even more serious matter. Has their punishment fit the crime or is there more to come?

For example, many have been critical of three EVPs being involved in such an altercation. Do they get to keep that role in the company or are they stripped of those positions? Could AEW justify immediately slotting them back into the title picture without raising some frustration within those that still struggle to get on television and don’t act out backstage? This is a challenging question that will need to be answered by Tony Khan because the outcome could cause long-term issues with those within the roster that hasn’t been a problem in the past.

Running a professional wrestling organization like All Elite Wrestling is a challenge that few will experience. No one predicted that in three years this company would face massive successes and unfortunate situations such as backstage fighting, but here we are. The fallout isn’t quite over and with The Elite set to return to television things will be interesting to watch unfold.