Alan Angels Clarifies Whether The Dark Order Is A Cult
When the Dark Order first arrived in AEW, it was a group that originally consisted of only Stu Grayson and Evil Uno — heels who had a very cult-like aura to them, constantly telling people to join them.
While on the "Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast", former Dark Order member and AEW star Alan Angels clarified whether the Dark Order was a cult or not.
"It's supposed to be a group of outcasts that are brought in to better their lives and enrich their lives, as Brodie would say," Angels said. "... It's a cult without saying it's a cult if that makes sense ... A group of friends is kind of what I think the gimmick ended up being."
Grayson and Uno debuted at AEW's first show, Double or Nothing 2019, following the match between Best Friends and TH2, beating up both groups with the help of many different men in masks. Since their debut, the Dark Order has added actual names to the group such as Alex Reynolds, John Silver, Ten, Alan Angels, Colt Cabana, Anna Jay, and the leader of the Dark Order — the Exalted One, Brodie Lee.
Lee sadly passed away on December 26th, 2020 at the age of 41 due to Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. AEW held a tribute show just a few days later on the December 30th edition of AEW "Dynamite" that saw members of the Dark Order win in every match and seemingly turn face, with AEW playing a video package at the end of the show for Lee.
In the past year, the Dark Order has been featured less on AEW TV than they were at the start of the company. Angels discussed the Dark Order not having as much screen time as they once did.
"We all would've loved to be on TV more, and I hope the guys that are still there, you know, get more TV time and such," Angels said. "We were definitely given plenty of opportunities to shine on TV and on Dark and stuff like that. Like, the fact that they wrestled The Elite multiple times, I got to wrestle Bryan, I got to wrestle Kenny, like, that's all great. So, definitely, we're all super, super grateful."
During 'Hangman' Adam Page's quest to the AEW World Championship, the Dark Order stood by his side and fought The Elite in several multiple-man matchups, including one six-man tag, one eight-man tag, and even a ten-man elimination tag team match.
Angels last competed for AEW on AEW "Dark" when he took on Daniel Garcia in a Pure Rules Match during the June 11th tapings in Orlando, Florida. Garcia defeated Angels in the match, and Angels has since gone on to wrestle for organizations such as NJPW Strong and Impact Wrestling.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the "Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.