Whether you like them or you loathe them, you had better get used to them, because The Dark Order is here, and they're here to stay in AEW. The group, which features Evil Uno and Stu Grayson, has run rough shot over the company ever since its beginning.

Often turning off the lights and popping up to attack on command, the group has slowly been featured more as the show has gone on. With the faction always looking for new members, it has become clear they are following the orders from someone.

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All we know about the mystery man is that they are called the 'Exalted One.' However, someone is clearly pulling the strings behind the scenes, and there have been plenty of fan theories as to who that person might be. Here are 10 predictions from popular fan theories as to who is behind it all.

10 Luke Harper

One name that has been rumored by fans since The Dark Order revealed they were listening to a leader is Luke Harper. Having been released by WWE and now going by the name of Brodie Lee, he would be an excellent choice to lead the faction.

Harper is a fantastic wrestler who didn't get the full push that his talents deserved in WWE, but in AEW there's no doubt he would work as a superb main event threat.

Harper has worked well in darker gimmicks in the past as well, which is an extra reason for giving him this gimmick. There's no doubt AEW would want to sign him, so if they could, then this wouldn't be a bad way to debut him.

9 Eric Bischoff

What an amazing situation this would be if AEW could pull it off. Having been fired by WWE last year, having Eric Bischoff in AEW would send shockwaves all around the wrestling world.

This is a role that Eric Bischoff would be fantastic in, as talking on the microphone has always been something he excelled in. Bischoff is a natural heel, which would also suit him here and he would be able to add some real credibility to the faction.

When he returned to WWE, everyone wanted to see him back as an on-screen character, so if AEW can take advantage of it then it would be a tremendous signing for the company.

8 Killer Kross

Killer-Kross

Killer Kross, much like Luke Harper, is a recent free agent that many different companies are trying to sign. AEW will certainly have competition here though, as WWE is also reportedly interested in picking him up.

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However, if AEW was to sign him, Kross would make an excellent pick as the leader of The Dark Order. He is someone who has a very similar gimmick with a dark personality, and because of that, it would certainly make sense.

Adding him to the roster would be a huge signing for the company, as he is someone who has the potential to be a top main event star.

7 Nobody

While this is unlikely due to the amount of time that the company has invested in this entire gimmick, there are some who are speculating nobody will be the exalted one. The thinking behind this is that because the gimmick hasn't clicked on, AEW might drop it.

We have seen the company listen to the fans previously when things haven't been working, and that could be the case again here. However, having nobody for a character that has been built up would likely be even more of a letdown.

Fans want to see who the person is, and if AEW can get it right there is a chance that the audience will finally get behind the gimmick.

6 Tony Khan

This is another fan theory that does feel a little unlikely, mainly because Tony Khan has consistently stated that he doesn't want to be an on-screen television character. However, that being a possible red herring has only seen fan theories increase about this situation.

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Khan isn't someone who is the most comfortable on the microphone, so having him out for a live crowd might not be the greatest idea. However, seeing owners of wrestling companies be involved in storylines is something that we have seen countless times.

Whether it be Vince McMahon or Dixie Carter, there's precedent for it and that means it wouldn't be a big shock to see Tony Khan involved somehow.

5 Brian Cage

It has been heavily reported, although not confirmed from AEW yet, that Brian Cage has signed with AEW. This would obviously be a major signing for the company as Cage is a fantastic professional wrestler.

However, the company will want to debut him in a major way in order to make sure that audiences who haven't seen him before. One way to do that would be to have him be the person pulling the strings for The Dark Order.

While Cage is certainly strong enough for a singles run, having a huge monster with the size and presence of Cage running the show would be an interesting prospect.

4 Brandi Rhodes

One complaint that has been cropping up fairly often about AEW is that there are too many dark gimmicks on the show. Because of that, there is a fan theory that provides one very simple solution.

That is to combine two of them. The Dark Order and the Nightmare Collective are similar in the way they approach things. Because of that, having Brandi Rhodes as the leader of the entire gimmick would be very strong.

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Brandi is strong on the microphone and having her run the entire operation would be an interesting prospect. While they would need to work out a way around The Dark Order attacking her husband, that could easily be written in.

3 Ryback

Another name that fans have had speculated as the leader of The Dark Order is Ryback. He is someone who has made it clear he wants to sign for AEW, and has teased working with the company with pictures alongside Cody Rhodes.

While this would be a major gimmick change for him, perhaps that is exactly what he needs to do. If he returns in the exact same way how he was in WWE it will be something that fans complain about, so this would be a nice change.

Having Ryback destroy people who helped build AEW such as the Young Bucks, believing he is better than them would be an interesting angle for the company to take.

2 Hangman Page

This might seem like a wild idea considering the fact that Hangman Page is a major member of The Elite, recent storylines have teased a heel turn for the Cowboy. If AEW wants to commit to that heel turn, then having him as the leader of AEW would certainly make that happen.

Hangman Page has started to tease the idea of leaving the babyfaces behind after not being booked or promoted in the same manner that the rest of the group are.

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The rest of The Elite have all been attacked, apart from him, which is an interesting situation. It would make sense in story terms if Page is the man who has been making them attack

1 Matt Hardy

Despite Hangman Page making sense in terms of storyline, the name that is most frequently discussed in fan theories for being the leader of The Dark Order is Matt Hardy. The current WWE Superstar is the top pick for many fans, who people think could be pulling the strings.

Matt Hardy might be under contract with WWE right now, but he has made no secret that he wants to get back to wrestling more and feels like he can offer more to wrestling.

This would make sense as to why AEW hasn't revealed who it is because they can't do it yet. On top of that, using Hardy's Broken character and the universe that lives in would really help The Dark Order, with his creative mind being a big asset if AEW signs him.

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