Preston Vance has revealed the surprising truth behind one of the most memorable heel turns in recent AEW history: the moment he threw his Dark Order mask at the feet of Brodie Lee Jr. was not his idea at all. It was Brodie Lee Jr.’s.
Preston Vance (Credits: Fightful)
Preston Vance Heel Turn: Brodie Lee Jr.’s Idea to Throw the Mask
It happened on a November 2022 episode of AEW Rampage, when Vance left the Dark Order to join La Facción Ingobernable. As he walked up the entrance ramp, he crossed paths with Brodie Lee Jr., the young son of the late Brodie Lee, and threw his “10” Dark Order mask at the boy’s feet, a symbolic break from the faction his father once led.
Looking back on the moment during an appearance on The Certified Mark Show, Vance shared that involving Brodie Lee Jr. was central to the plan from the start. “What’s the best way to do this? You have to involve Little Brodie and he wanted to be involved, and the whole thing of me taking the mask and throwing it at his feet was his idea,” Vance said.
Even Vance himself was taken aback at first. “I’m like, ‘Are you sure?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah,’ and I’m like, ‘Alright.'” The moment became a breakout for Vance, who described it as “kind of like a coming out moment for me in wrestling. It felt like a big deal, and then Twitter really blew up on it.”
Vance Still Gets Asked About the Mask Throw Years Later
Years on, fans still bring the moment up to Vance, and he still sets the record straight. “I get asked that all the time. ‘I can’t believe you would do that,’ and I’m like, ‘No, it was literally his idea,'” he said.
Today, Vance finds himself in a very different position. He is currently involved in a Ring of Honor storyline where he is trying to get back into the Dark Order, but John Silver will not approve. It is a full-circle twist for a wrestler whose exit from the group became one of its most talked-about moments, all thanks to an idea from a kid who wanted to be part of the story.
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Source: Fightful — read the full story there.
