Onscreen authority figures are a fixture in pro wrestling, but kind of a controversial one. For every beloved William Regal or dynamic Dario Cueto, there’s a Shane McMahon who seems to take too much time away from the wrestlers fans actually want to see. So far, AEW has avoided the entire thing, but there are rumors that might change in 2020.
WrestleVotes, an account know for getting things right a decent amount of the time, tweeted something about it this morning:
Rare non-WWE drop: I regularly talk to someone in the wrestling business, not directly tied to WWE… AEW is considering adding a commissioner type figure to TV. Name to watch is Tazz, who recently finished up w/ his CBS Radio job. Not sure it happens but interesting nonetheless.
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) December 27, 2019
While not everyone is going to be thrilled at the idea of a commissioner, it could help smooth over some problems with AEW’s storytelling. Everyone knows that the Executive Vice Presidents, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks, actually hold authority in the company. But since they’re taking part in competition, it gets messy pretty quickly if they’re seen to be booking the matches themselves. AEW’s actual President, Tony Khan, would also bring some baggage as an onscreen character. So making someone the kayfabe face of the company could help them tell stories on AEW Dynamite, as long as they don’t overplay the “heel GM” stuff.
All of that said, is Taz really the best option? Colt Cabana, who’s also been a guest commentator on Dark and is rumored to be considered for some role in the company, might be a more interesting and surprising choice. Or what about one of the older wrestlers who’s already working with AEW, like Billy Gunn or Arn Anderson? DDP has probably already been tied to closely to Cody and friends to work in the role. Or as Brandon Stroud has suggested, just get Luis Fernandez-Gil, who played Dario Cueto, because that guy rules.
