What the hell happened to Daniel Garcia? Where did it all go wrong? At one point he felt like a sure thing to be the next homegrown AEW star, and in some ways he still is, but his loss on Sunday highlights an issue with AEW’s frustrating commitment to the future and the past at the same time.

AEW TNT Champion Christian Cage is clearly set for a collision with his former friend Adam Copeland, as Copeland is working his way back to get another shot at the TNT Title. Until then the two old men are spinning in circles, Copeland taking open challenges and having exhibition matches, and Christian finding everyone on the roster with a dead father and reminding them of said fact. There’s nothing wrong with some young guys getting some time with these veterans, but Daniel Garcia’s entire AEW career has seemingly seen him passed from veteran to veteran, using his immense popularity to keep the stars of yesterday popular today and it’s getting old.

Eventually, Garcia will be too old to be “the next young upstart.” Eventually, people will tire of his dancing. From his time trapped in Jericho’s orbit to now, Garcia has been trapped in the past and if his fortunes don’t change, he will end up feeling like a relic of the past before he ever got to be a part of the future.