Two weeks ago Kip Sabian, after months of messing with Christian Cage and The Patriarchy, ended up joining them by turning on Hook.
We haven’t really heard an explanation yet as to why Kip Sabian did what he did. He’s certainly falling in line quickly, hanging out with Mama Wayne and Nick Wayne on Collision. I’m sure we will get an explanation later, but I think I know why.
Kip Sabian definitely spent weeks messing with The Patriarchy, especially thwarting Christian Cage on his opportunities to cash in his contract to get an AEW Men’s World Championship match. But in doing so he actually was preventing Christian from certain doom, as the Death Riders have been lurking nearby any time Christian thinks of trying to cash that shot in.
Kip was ultimately protecting Christian Cage, who must be performing the role of father figure for Kip now. It would be nice to hear it from Kip Sabian sometime, though that looks like it will have to wait.
SuperPotential
Kip Sabian has had a lot of transformations in All Elite Wrestling as an original roster member from 2019. Originally a short haired clean cut “Superbad” Kip Sabian, he was essentially one of the last remaining free agents of the young under 30 UK wrestlers for AEW to sign. WWE signed most of them for their NXT UK expansion, essentially with the goal of destroying the UK independent wrestling scene and prevent the World of Sport promotion from gaining any ground after getting a short term television deal.
Kip had a prime spot on the roster, and along with the likes of Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, and Jungle Boy was considered part of the youth movement of the original AEW roster. You’ll notice all four of those are considered pillars and Kip is not. I have long considered his 19 minute match with Hangman Adam Page to be the match that fell so below expectations of what was expected of Sabian that he fell out of favour with the company out of it.
Kip’s first real program in AEW came when Penelope Ford turned on Joey Janela, leading to a short program between the two which ended in the men trading wins. Ford would join Kip at the hip and as the two often joined each others matches. Ford was a great addition for Kip. Jimmy Havoc on the other hand? Not so much.
Havoc was a veteran UK wrestler who came in with a lot of fanfare from UK independent wrestling fans and that’s likely how he got a contract. Unfortunately, everything the guy showed was someone who should have been left wrestling in taverns in front of 40 people. He was undersized, underskilled, and brought down the show every minute he was around. The SuperBad Squad didn’t work, but it wasn’t Kip Sabian or Penelope Ford’s faults.
Eventually Havoc would be discarded from the AEW roster and Kip was left having to find a new friend. He would in Miro, who was essentially his online gamer friend who ended up the Best Man at his wedding. It was a good way to debut Miro, and I consider the Arcade Anarchy match to be one of the highlights of AEW in their pandemic era. Unfortunately the Miro friendship would end in an abrupt breakup, with Kip having to take over a year off due to shoulder surgery.
Boxhead
Sabian returned, not in the ring, but at ringside with a new gimmick where he would wear a box on his head. This was now his third character in AEW, from SuperBad to Gamer Buddy to now looking like a Tim Burton character full of darkness and whimsy and a box stating UNDER RATED OVER IT. There was a backstory to the box that never made it to TV so I have a hard time feeling like I should recap it.
Essentially Kip came back with a new look and attitude and it didn’t help in the win/loss column. Since 2022 he’s always been around, always doing something in the undercard whether on Dark or Rampage but hardly really making a name for himself or getting out of his undercard spot.
I did like it when he teamed with Butcher and The Blade and thought there was a real synergy in aesthetics but that was short lived like a lot of partnerships that Kip has.
Now Penelope Ford has finally returned to AEW after two years off and they haven’t really put the two back together. They both have their own deals it seems and that’s fine. Kip Sabian however is now 32-years-old, no longer part of the AEW youth movement, and watching guys like Daniel Garcia essentially do more with their spot than Kip was ever able to do.
So who is Kip Sabian? What does he bring to AEW? He re-signed in 2023, but is there really a spot for him?
Fourth Line Energy
Call it me being a softy but I’ve always liked Kip Sabian. I know that pro wrestling is a competitive industry and being nice or likeable means nothing compared to showing results in the ring but I always see Kip Sabian as a guy trying hard and just unable to get beyond his own ceiling. He’s recreated his image several times, he’s tried various tag team partners, and yet he stays in the spot he’s in.
My hope is that with The Patriarchy, as one of Christian Cage’s henchman, he ends up learning to instead embrace the spot he’s in. Kip sticks around because Kip is well liked by everyone. If that’s the case? You find the right spot for him. Not everyone can be the World Champion or the next one, but a person can absolutely find a role as a serviceable hand who adds a little colour to the tapestry.
Kip working in a tag team with Nick Wayne or a trios along with Christian Cage might get him labelled a pin eater but I think he can provide more than that. I think he’s already done a good job in the segment with Nick Wayne helping bring flavour to the segment and helping Wayne along. Being a complimentary piece to a heel faction might be Kip Sabian’s calling.
As a hockey guy, I’m well versed in the journeyman. The fourth line grinder who brings energy to a line but nobody expects to be an all-star. The guy you throw a party for when he scores more than 10 goals in 82 games, a number you’d be freaking out if that was the stat line for a top six forward or a blue chipper high draft pick. The guy who ends up scoring an overtime playoff goal when the superstars are exhausted from playing 20+ minutes a night and he’s had 12 not trusted in line matchups.
That’s Kip Sabian to me. When you ask me who is Kip? That’s Kip. He isn’t the best wrestler on the roster or the best promo or the best character, but he’s an energy guy who isn’t going to cause issues up in the press box, isn’t going to hold anyone back, and will surprise you when you least expect it. Kip Sabian is depth the coach can trust.
Also I hope I was right that he patterned his look at one point on Robert Patrick in Double Dragon. If not I’m just going to feel like an old guy trying to find purpose in all the bad videogame movies he watched in the 1990s.
