BANKIE'S HOT TAKE #101 - Is Hologram AEW's Future?
It’s been a Hot Minute since I last posted on Hardway HQ - a lot has been going on, but as they say, the show must go on.
I have, however, been watching a little bit more mainstream wrestling as of late. Thanks to the greatness of YouTube, I’ve been watching segments and bits and pieces of matches.
I was able to watch the debut match of a new competitor in All Elite Wrestling, and needless to say, I was immensely impressed. The more and more I watched, I became impressed. And it wasn’t just about wrestling.
I’m talking, of course, about HOLOGRAM.
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On Saturday night, way past my bedtime, I was scrolling through YouTube and AEW’s channel uploaded a full match, with the title “The EXCITING DEBUT of HOLOGRAM”. I decided to put my Bluetooths in and watch it in full.
Almost instantly, the entrance caught my eye. The darkened arena, followed up with the light-up entrance vest, showed some awesome aesthetic.
The match itself was solid. In fact, Gringo Loco was the perfect first opponent for the masked superstar. He was there for everything Hologram did.
However, the little things within the contest from a commentary perspective was impressive. Nigel McGuinness delivering the backstory of Hologram, describing how he was bullied as a child and how led him to begin his journey into professional wrestling. Plus, Tony Schiavone’s enthusiasm on Hologram’s athleticism impacted me on a cerebral level, letting the television viewer know that we were witnessing a future AEW star in the making.
Finally, the mysterious nature of Hologram, down to the completely closed off mask, sold me. Intrigue breeds interest. His body language told me a lot: confidence, poise, and no fear.
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After watching this match, I fell down the YouTube rabbit hole and started consuming footage, staying up until 3 in the morning.
Once I saw the initial cryptic vignette of the Hologram character from the July 6, 2024 edition of Dynamite, I finally understood what Mr. McGuinness meant when he said that Hologram “jumped through the portal of the Forbidden Door and landed in AEW.” Hologram was a futuristic character from the world of Lucha Libre, attempting to break through into the next generation of the promotion.
Also, I learned that this character was a Tony Khan creation. As far back as 2020, the AEW owner wanted to bring in the performer under the Hologram persona into the promotion. As per the Q101 interview (Thanks to EWrestlingNews for the transcription):
“Hologram’s a character I’ve really wanted to see in wrestling for a long time. It was a luchador I had envisioned a long time ago, and honestly, this is the person I wanted to play that role, to be that wrestler. He was a fantastic young talent. I saw him at PWG, and he was 18 years old, and we brought him, when he was a teenager, to Wednesday Night Dynamite, almost five years ago, about four-and-a-half years ago, right after the original Revolution in Chicago. Literally, less than two weeks later, everything was shutting down, it was a crazy time in the world. We had brought him in, I was looking to make him Hologram then, and the world kind of went crazy, and he was locked down in Mexico for a long time. It was a long time before he made it back to America, and then I thought eventually, as things opened up, I really wanted to get Hologram in AEW.”
If the boss personally selected you for a character to portray and waited for the chance to bring you into the promotion, the percentage for success is sky-high.
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So far, Hologram has been protected and put with the right opponents and partners. He’s undefeated, defeated opponents like the Beast Mortos and Angelico, and teamed with men like Mistico, a Mexican wrestling icon, and Darby Allin, one of AEW’s Four Pillars, in tag team victories over the Premier Athletes.
To me, Hologram is an updated version of the 1980s character Lazer Tron, who was portrayed by Lucha Libre legend Hector Guerrero. However, unlike the two-time former NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hologram looks to be given a bigger platform and spot to succeed.
The only worry I have is on the fans' perception of the character. Back in 2020, when AEW was still in its infancy and had tons of momentum, I truly believe that Hologram would have been the talk of the internet. However, with the promotion on the downswing with perception for the moment, it might be a tougher task to truly get the character to the next level of company. As long as there is a strong creative plan for him, other than his in-ring performance, Hologram can pan out to be a complete success.
Hologram is off to a great start. Dude is only 22 years old and has the future in front of him. I’m hoping for the absolute best for him. Let’s just hope he continues his upward mobility and trends toward success.
The future is now. #BANKONIT
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