Stu Grayson’s relationship with All Elite Wrestling may have included two departures, but the veteran wrestler has made clear there is no bitterness attached to his time with the promotion.
Grayson, who arrived in AEW alongside Evil Uno at the inaugural Double or Nothing pay-per-view in 2019, reflected on his years with the company during an appearance on Refin’ It Up. As one of the early members of the Dark Order, Grayson was present for a formative stretch in AEW history: the company’s first months of operation, the industry-altering COVID-19 pandemic era in Jacksonville, the growth of the Dark Order, and the devastating loss of Brodie Lee.
His first full-time AEW run ended when his contract expired in 2022. He returned to the company in 2023 before leaving again in 2024. Despite that uneven timeline, Grayson described the overall experience as a meaningful period that expanded both his career and his understanding of the wrestling business.
“I’m really grateful for my time in AEW,” Grayson said. “Before COVID hit and we went to Jacksonville, those first eight, 10, 12 months, whatever it was, they were awesome because everyone, even the company itself, we were all learning as we were going.”
For more background on this topic, read Thunder Rosa Names Her Elaborate Headpiece Entrances as Her Favorite AEW Looks.
Grayson remembers AEW’s earliest days
Grayson and Evil Uno entered AEW at Double or Nothing in 2019, appearing after the main event and establishing the Dark Order as one of the promotion’s first mysterious acts. The group went through substantial creative changes over time, eventually becoming closely associated with Brodie Lee after he was revealed as its leader in 2020.
For Grayson, the early AEW locker room was defined by the unique challenge of helping a brand-new national wrestling company find its footing in real time. He compared the promotion’s first year to a newborn learning how to function, with performers and production personnel alike encountering situations they had not previously experienced on that scale.
“It’s the very first year of a company; it’s a newborn baby,” Grayson said. “Everything we do is new, and that experience forced some of the guys — and I think I’m one of them — to really step up because I didn’t wanna be a guy who always wondered, what do I do here?”
Rather than limiting his focus to what happened inside the ring, Grayson said that environment pushed him to learn about other elements of television wrestling. He sought a broader understanding of camera crews, production, and the various moving parts necessary to put a wrestling program together.
That desire to become more knowledgeable was part of his response to being in a young company with an evolving infrastructure. Grayson explained that he did not want to be left uncertain about where he fit or what was required of him, and he viewed the experience as an opportunity to improve.
“It forced me to be better and know as much as I can; even sometimes it has nothing to do with wrestling,” Grayson said. “It was cameracrew, the production or other things I would just try to get knowledge and understand what’s going on.”
The Jacksonville era changed the experience
AEW’s early momentum was dramatically altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The promotion shifted much of its activity to Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida, where it continued presenting programming under pandemic restrictions. For performers, the absence of conventional live crowds created a radically different atmosphere from the one that had accompanied AEW’s launch.
Grayson acknowledged that the Jacksonville period had enjoyable aspects, but he also emphasized that wrestling without a normal audience was not comparable to the experience of performing in front of a full arena. Much of the work involved Dark matches and shows produced in an environment where the immediate energy of a crowd was unavailable.
“Then, the almost two years in Jacksonville, COVID — as fun as it was — no crowd,” Grayson said. “Mostly the dark matches and these things; it’s not the same thing. It really isn’t.”
As audiences returned and AEW resumed moving forward in a changing landscape, Grayson ultimately reached a point where the situation was no longer the right fit for him. His contract later expired in 2022, ending his initial full-time run with the company.
Still, Grayson did not portray that departure as the defining feature of his AEW story. Instead, he spoke candidly about the professional and personal connections he formed, while also pointing to a central chapter in Dark Order history that continues to carry enormous emotional weight.
Brodie Lee remains central to the Dark Order legacy
The death of Brodie Lee in December 2020 was a heartbreaking event for those close to him and for the wider wrestling world. Lee’s arrival as the Exalted One gave the Dark Order a clearer direction on AEW television, and the group’s members developed an on-screen and off-screen bond that became a major part of the act’s identity.
Grayson said Lee’s passing hit the group “like a ton of bricks.” At the same time, he recognized that the time Dark Order spent with Lee also produced some of the group’s strongest memories and most important moments. That contrast remains part of how he evaluates his AEW tenure.
“Obviously, the big thing was the passing of Mr. Brodie Lee,” Grayson said. “That hit us like a ton of bricks. But, it also gave Dark Order and Brodie some of the greatest times, some of the best memories. I will always be incredibly thankful for that.”
The Dark Order’s presentation changed considerably across the years, but its association with Lee remains one of the most enduring aspects of its AEW history. For Grayson, those memories are inseparable from his gratitude toward the promotion and the people he encountered there.
He also credited AEW with introducing his work to a substantially wider audience. While he feels fans only saw a portion of what he can do during his time on AEW programming, that exposure has continued to benefit him as he works elsewhere.
“My time in AEW was a good time and obviously, it did give me the opportunity to be seen by a lot more people,” Grayson said. “A lot of people then became a fan of mine and they followed my career somewhere else, and a lot of them now realize, oh my God, we really only got to see a fraction of what he could do in AE-Dub. So now they’re following me outside of it, and I’m loving it.”
No bad terms, and no door completely closed
Grayson’s comments also addressed the possibility of appearing in AEW again. He did not make any definitive statement about a future return, but he stressed that professional wrestling is unpredictable and that he does not rule out possibilities.
“Will there be more? Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows? It’s wrestling. Nothing is impossible in wrestling,” Grayson said.
More significantly, Grayson said there are no hard feelings between himself and AEW. He recalled seeing AEW President Tony Khan at Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s Global Wars event, a Maple Leaf Pro versus Ring of Honor show, and described their interaction as friendly and professional.
“In no way, shape, or form [are we] in bad terms at all,” Grayson said. “I saw Tony Khan not too long ago at the Maple Leaf versus ROH show, Global Wars, and spoke with him; had a good time, a lot of laughs, everything is professional, everything is friendly.”
That clarity leaves the door open without creating an expectation that a reunion is imminent. Grayson’s focus is currently on continuing his career outside AEW, where he is competing prominently for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.
Grayson prepares for championship unification at Northern Rising
Grayson is currently the Interim MLP Canadian Champion. His next major assignment comes at Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s Northern Rising event on October 3, where he will meet lineal MLP Canadian Champion Josh Alexander.
The match will determine the Undisputed MLP Canadian Champion, putting Grayson in one of the most significant contests of his post-AEW career. Alexander’s standing as the lineal titleholder and Grayson’s interim championship position give the bout clear stakes beyond a standard singles encounter.
For Grayson, the matchup is also an opportunity to show the fuller range of his work to supporters who first found him through AEW. His comments suggest he views that exposure not as the end of a chapter, but as a foundation that has helped fans follow his wrestling journey into new promotions and new title opportunities.
Whether AEW and Grayson eventually cross paths again remains uncertain. What is certain is that Grayson looks back on his place in the company’s early history with appreciation, acknowledging its difficult moments while valuing the growth, friendships, memories, and visibility that came from being part of the Dark Order during a defining era.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.