6 Storylines Hitting the Hardest Right Now in WWE and AEW

The final few months of the calendar year are typically a lame-duck period for wrestling, but the home stretch of 2023 has so far been the ultimate exception for WWE and AEW.

Both companies are currently producing compelling content heading into their respective pay-per-views, Survivor Series and WarGames. For as excellent as the in-ring action has been across the board, their continued success can largely be attributed to several storylines that have managed to keep the audiences invested.

Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns remains the focal point of WWE with a number of top talents waiting in the wings to challenge him, but interestingly, he's far from the most interesting aspect of the product at the moment.

The same can be said for The Judgment Day's dominance of Monday Night Raw. There's been little progression with them in recent months, and perhaps that will change after Survivor Series, but there are other aspects of the program that are much more engaging.

Alternatively, AEW doesn't have as many hot angles, but the ones they do have are also firing on all cylinders.

These are the six storylines hitting the hardest right now in WWE and AEW.

Drew McIntyre's Slow-Burn Heel Turn

After carrying the company through a pandemic and never getting the chance to hold the world championship in front of a capacity crowd, it isn't difficult to understand why Drew McIntyre would be so bitter and to appreciate his current character arc.

In addition to feeling like an unsung hero of WWE's ThunderDome era, McIntyre also failed to regain the gold from Roman Reigns on his home turf at Clash at the Castle 2022. He blames The Bloodline for his loss, and as a result, he's held a grudge against Jey Uso ever since.

Tensions have yet to fully boil over between the two, but it's only a matter of time before they do. In the meantime, McIntyre has been racking up losses to the likes of Gunther and Seth Rollins in high-profile matches, fueling his frustration.

WWE often does shock heel turns well, but the slow-burn nature of McIntyre's heel transition has been both refreshing and exceptionally executed. When the day finally comes that he turns his back on the audience, they will have seen everything that has transpired up that point and can choose to either condone or condemn his actions.

He's playing his part to perfection and the eventual payoff to the months and months of character work he's been doing will be worth the wait.

Adam Copeland Comes for Christian Cage

Adam Copeland's debut at October's WrestleDream event was one of AEW's most exciting in recent memory, and straight out of the gate, it was clear he was coming for Christian Cage.

The well-documented history they have as both friends and foes dates back over 25 years, and resuming that story immediately upon his arrival made the most sense. He established his ultimate goal is to reunite with Christian as in the tag team ranks, but until that becomes a possibility, he's more than willing to bring the fight to him.

The inclusion of Luchasaurus, Nick Wayne, Darby Allin and Sting in the storyline has also been very well done. Every time Copeland has been on the verge of getting his hands on Christian, Luchasaurus and Wayne have thwarted him, only for Allin and Sting to make the save.

The next chapter will see the six stars collide in tag team action at Full Gear next weekend. Even without anything at stake, it's a massive attraction for the event given the bad blood between them all.

AEW has wisely taken their time building to Copeland vs. Christian one-on-one, and the build to that bout should continue to be fun to follow.

Dissension Within Damage CTRL

WWE's early booking of Damage CTRL was less than stellar and saw them lose whenever it mattered most, but the on-on-off tension they've teased since WrestleMania 39 has injected new life into the group.

Dakota Kai's untimely injury suffered in the spring may have been what pushed back plans to split them up, and instead, WWE corrected course with the trio by having Iyo Sky cash in Money in the Bank to become WWE Women's champion.

Their reign of terror in SmackDown's women's division these past few months was beginning to grow stagnant, but Kairi Sane's surprise return at Crown Jewel made things infinitely more intriguing.

On the subsequent SmackDown, Sane not only aligned with Damage CTRL and extended an olive branch to Bayley but also recruited Asuka into their ranks as well. They closed the show standing tall over Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair and Shotzi and sent the message that they're more unstoppable than ever before.

Simultaneously, it's evident Bayley isn't on the same page as everyone else, and thus there will inevitably come a point where she's booted from the group she was instrumental in starting. The route WWE takes to get there should come with plenty of twists and turns.

Toni Storm's Descent Into Madness

Toni Storm has been a prominent fixture in AEW's women's division throughout 2023 and even held the top title for a three-month period, but it was only after she lost her precious prize and her mind that she started doing the best character work of her entire career.

Her descent into madness and exit from The Outcasts led to her modeling her persona after a Golden Age of Hollywood starlet. Week after week, she was afforded more and more mic time and a chance to craft her character.

Thus, "Timeless" Toni Storm was born.

AEW traditionally hasn't put much focus on the women, but Storm has caused that to change.

Her involvement in the AEW Women's World Championship picture for the last month has made it as must-see as it's been all year. She and the reigning champ Hikaru Shida compliment each other wonderfully and are bound to have a terrific match at Full Gear when the gold is up for grabs.

Regardless of whether she wins or loses, Storm will remain one to watch in AEW's women's division, especially if the idea is for AEW's latest signee Mariah May to join her soon as a super fan or as an understudy.

Santos Escobar's Betrayal of The LWO

Similar to the drama with Damage CTRL, this was another angle that was stuck in placeholder mode for a few months until a seriously significant development on the Nov. 10 edition of SmackDown.

Santos Escobar's growing jealousy of Rey Mysterio and Carlito in The LWO has been a subtle story on SmackDown since Mysterio first captured the United States Championship in August when he used Escobar's guaranteed title opportunity to do so.

Following his failure to beat Mysterio for the belt in a friendly affair among other shortcomings, Escobar played a role in Mysterio's loss of the gold at Crown Jewel and cemented his split from the faction days later on the blue brand.

He's always been a natural heel and he'll benefit big time from feuding with such a popular babyface in Mysterio. Until then, he can work with Carlito and attempt to regain control of The LWO in Mysterio's absence.

Escobar will be elevated to a higher spot on the card, Carlito has direction, and Mysterio can have a strong non-title program. The long-term storytelling with The LWO and the many matches they can have together could be enough for it to be extended through WrestleMania season.

MJF vs. Everybody

Adam Cole getting sidelined with an injury shortly following All In forced AEW to make major changes to its main-event scene, and amazingly, they've found a way to make matters more thrilling and unpredictable.

AEW World champion MJF remains at the center of it all, but now, he has many more challengers gunning for his gold. Samoa Joe has expressed interest in a rematch, Wardlow wants revenge, Jay White will get his shot at Full Gear, and the list goes on.

On that same show, MJF will be defending his ROH World Tag Team Championship on behalf of himself and Cole against The Gunns.

Meanwhile, a group of mystery masked individuals have been targeting MJF's allies and enemies for weeks and could factor into his eventual loss of the world title.

MJF has seamlessly transitioned into the top babyface role for the promotion and is consistently a highlight with his work in the ring and on the mic. Having so many storylines at one time has automatically made him the most important player on the roster.

As long as he isn't overexposed, building the brand around him will give fans lots to look forward to for many months to come.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.