YMMV / Being the Elite

• Awesome Music: Many recurring Leitmotif songs are composed and performed by "Papa Buck" (Matthew Lee Massie, father of Nick and Matt):
  • First of all is the iconic opening of the series, "The Elite/Superkick Party".
  • The travelling montage theme, "Never Look Back", a fine low-tempo song, fitting for, well, travelling.
  • The theme song of the ALL IN pay-per-view, fittingly called "All In", which played on Episode 141.
  • There is also a piano instrumental played during somber transition scenes.
  • Dillon Spears has a rock remix of "Never Look Back", "Elite Warriors", which gained popularity in 2018 prior to ALL IN and is used as BTE and AEW hype music.
• Catchphrase Insult: At the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, Triple H and Shawn Michaels trash talked Billy Gunn for signing with AEW. Two days later, one of Triple H's insults directed at AEW was used as the title of Episode 146.
• Crosses the Line Twice:
  • The storyline with Hangman Page and Joey Ryan. He attacked Joey, who seemingly died from the injuries. Page was guilt-ridden, to the point where he would attack other wrestlers who asked questions, and the boots he wore on the night of the attack started talking to him. Stephen Amell was framed for the attack. This was resolved at the ALL IN pay-per-view when Joey "recovered" to get back at Page.
  • One of the plotlines in Episode 144 gets very dark very fast. Matt Jackson's objection to AEW's signing of Michael Nakazawa escalates quickly as he hallucinates The Elite wearing t-shirts with Michael's name on it. Then Alex Jebailey, organizer of the CEO fighting game tournament, offers to fight Nakazawa in a hardcore match in response to an insult from episode 143. Matt's "obsession" gets very dark when he asks if Jebailey is willing to "end [Nakazawa's] life". Jebailey thankfully deflects the question.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • Burnard The Business Bear, a BTE mascot that accompanied Cody and Brandi to the ring, did not get along with Nick Jackson in-storyline. Sadly in real life, Cody fired Burnard's performer after the performer "held up Cody for money". Cody retired Burnard and a previous bear mascot, Bury The Drug Free Bear, after the incident.
  • In Episode 137, Billy Gunn called Hangman Page fat, which prompted Page's "Full Gear Challenge" storyline. Billy revealed later that he had legitimate heat for the insult, which he said was supposed to be a joke.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: In Episode 28 "Contract Season" posted in December 2016, Adam Cole says to the Young Bucks, "You guys always have my back". Adam was fired from the Bullet Club five months later, as depicted in Episode 52 "Bullet Club Gets A Villain". For extra hilarity points, several years later, who was the first woman hired for AEW's roster, barring Brandi? Britt Baker, Cole's real life girlfriend, whose first order of business is to bring up said issue.
• Refuge in Audacity:
  • The "Who Poisoned Nick?" storyline. It was Adam Cole, who also tried to split up Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks by (in-story) reporting Omega to the U.S. consulate over a video where he used a wrestling move on a child.
  • The "Where's Hangman?" storyline. In September 2017, WWE sent a legitimate cease-and-desist order to The Young Bucks over the Bucks' use of the "Too Sweet" hand gesture. They spun the incident into segments where they would get bleeped trying to use WWE catchphrases or references. An unseen storyline "WWE stooge" would retaliate with aggressive letters, then escalated the taunts by kidnapping Hangman Page at the end of Episode 69. Episodes 70 and 71 saw the BTE crew worried sick over Hangman's whereabouts. In Episode 72, Page escaped the stooge's capture after the stooge taunted Kenny Omega using a voice box.
• That Man Is Dead:
  • Adam Cole was considered this in Episode 52, then returned in Episode 272 when he signed with AEW.
  • As of Episode 136, Cody considers Marty Scurll in this category. Scurll was written out of the show due to his contract with Ring of Honor.
• Tear Jerker:
  • Episode 236, "Brodie".
    Matt: [holding back tears] ...it's Monday. You know what that means. This one's for you, Brodie. We love you, buddy.
  • Episode 237, "Tribute", has one just before the intro. The Dark Order and Hangman are sitting in the Order's room, nobody speaking, everyone looking depressed. Normally in a Dark Order scene, this would be the cue for Brodie to storm in and start shouting and hitting people with papers, but... he's gone.
• The Woobie: Flip Gordon has been this since his signing with Ring of Honor in April 2017. He is the target of most of BTE's "harmful ribs" (or pranks with some kind of wrestling move in them). Cody Rhodes refused repeatedly to book him for the ALL IN pay-per-view. He did in fact make it to the show, winning ALL IN's Over Budget Battle Royal as a lucha libre wrestler for a ROH World Championship match in the same event. Gordon lost the title match to defending champion Jay Lethal. With BTE's 2019 transition to AEW, Gordon's intro credit scene is now a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo.

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