While cult based factions in wrestling are nothing new, All Elite Wrestling has clearly done their research on modern cults for The Dark Order. You could easily convince someone one of their adverts is for a brand of Scientology, they captured the vibe perfectly. This is amazing from a presentation stand-point, but could it land AEW in hot water down the line?
Dark Order And Their Adverts
Ever since they started to play the cult angle with Dark Order, following their match with Jungle Boy & Marko Stunt, they have been showing eerie advertisements for the group and their message on AEW programming and social media. They are reaching out to the weak, the beaten down, the underappreciated. These are the type of people who can, and often will get pulled into real life cults.
It’s important to remember that cults actually exist, even today. They aren’t just something that exist in TV shows and movies. While something like The Wyatt Family in WWE felt straight out of a backwater slasher movie, The Dark Order feels much more genuine. Almost unnervingly so.
Could Escaped Members Of Real Cults Potentially Take Offense To The Gimmick?
There have been many documented cases of cults completely ruining lives, they can tear apart families, drain them financially, and hell some have left people dead, like the infamous incident at Jonestown. While the gimmick is clearly working, AEW might need to tone down the realism of the video packages. They’re still a very young company, and you don’t want to face controversy at this stage of its life. They’ve done a lot to build up good will with fans, and while it has invigorated The Dark Order, maybe it simply needs some of the cheesiness that pro wrestling is known for.
What Could Be In The Future Of The Dark Order?
With their cult based gimmick and their faceless creepers backing them up, it wouldn’t hurt for them to start introducing new members to wrestle besides Evil Uno & Stu Greyson. There are people in AEW on losing streaks, like Brandon Cutler, that fans have a hard time caring about. Having The Dark Order prey on the weak minded could be the best approach for them. Start low on the card, then maybe try to recruit a main event talent to raise their stock.
What do you think about The Dark Order and their adverts? Do they go to far, or are you simply ready to join The Dark Order?
