Nic Nemeth Explores The 'Gray Area' These AEW Stars Occupy

AEW owner Tony Khan is trying to capture lightning in a bottle again with The Hurt Syndicate, a reimagining of the WWE faction that most feel faded before reaching its full potential. AEW appears to be pushing the group as heels against the beloved Swerve Strickland, but excitement over the group's revival has left many fans reluctant to fully buy into them in that role. On "Busted Open Radio," Nic Nemeth, formerly Dolph Ziggler, spoke on this "tweener" status the Hurt Syndicate seems to occupy. 

"Even with Swerve, there's a gray area where he's not the 'Yay, I'm a good guy babyface,'" Nemeth said. "But at some point, you either have to pull the trigger, or you have to make someone decide, or you lead the crowd to decide for themselves. They're all over. They're all fighting. Everyone probably wants them to be buddies and in a group that dominates the entire company. And maybe that's down the line. You don't have to hit anybody over the head with a hammer that's spoonfeeding, 'We're the bad guys. We're the good guys,' but you need to have a little touch."

Nemeth noted that Strickland getting jumped seems to indicate he's the babyface in the feud, but there's still a "cool factor" with everyone involved that muddies the traditional "good guy, bad guy" story dynamic. Fans mostly cheered the trio when they were introduced on November 6's "AEW Dynamite" to kick off the show. But they also cheered Strickland when he challenged Bobby Lashley. That match is now confirmed for AEW's next pay-per-view, Full Gear, on November 23. Whenever Lashley next wrestles, it will be his first taste of in-ring action in over six months. Lashley parted ways with WWE in May. He made his much-anticipated AEW debut on October 30's "Dynamite."