Report: AEW Always Planned To Reveal Brodie Lee As The Exalted One

Back in December, The Dark Order hinted that a higher power was guiding them. The mysterious Exalted One. On this week's episode of Dynamite, after months of build, Brodie Lee was finally revealed as The Dark Order's leader.

Since The Exalted One was first spoken of, Matt Hardy was the first name rumoured to be the faction's leader and Matt and AEW played along as they released numerous teasers which hinted that The Broken One was the eponymous figure. The young promotion even teased that former ECW World Champion Raven was the higher power. One name they did not mention was Brodie Lee.

According to Mike Johnson at PWInsider, neither Hardy or Raven were ever in the conversation to be the leader of the faction, and after Lee signed with AEW, the plan was to always introduce him as The Exalted One. Hardy was only teased by the promotion because they decided to use him as a decoy to mask the former Wyatt Family member's impending debut.

Johnson penned: "Brodie Lee was always planned as the Exalted One once AEW confirmed he would be free and coming to them.  AEW leaned into the tease that it would be Matt Hardy to help mask Lee's debut."