B/R Wrestling’s High 30 Biggest AEW Superstars Ever: Rating No. 21-30

In 2019, Tony Khan, Cody Rhodes, The Younger Bucks and Kenny Omega vowed to revolutionize the skilled wrestling world with the creation of All Elite Wrestling.

On Sunday, on the MGM Grand Backyard Area in Las Vegas, the corporate celebrates 5 years with the pay-per-view that began all of it: Double or Nothing.

Forward of the occasion, headlined by Anarchy within the Area between Group AEW and The Elite, the B/R Wrestling writers rejoice the primary half decade of the promotion with 30 best wrestlers in AEW historical past, all of whom are answerable for the unimaginable matches, intense rivalries and breathtaking moments which have outlined the corporate.

Here’s a rundown of our panel of voters:

Which opponents made up the highest 10, capping off the record o essentially the most important and influential wrestlers in AEW historical past?

Discover out with the continuation of our countdown.

When compiling this record of wrestlers, a number of components have been considered.

In-ring skill, mic expertise, drawing energy and general reputation have been all important elements weighed by the panel. Most necessary, although, was the historic significance these figures had on the historical past of the corporate.

Did they contribute to establishing its id via matches, promos and different segments? Have been they a part of the material of AEW? How important have been they to the promotion away from the cameras?

Their significance to the story of AEW via its first 5 years in the end decides who made the record, who didn’t, and the place they appeared on it.

Falling simply wanting the highest 30 have been:

40. Dustin Rhodes

39. Saraya

38. Santana and Ortiz

37. Ruby Soho

36. The Home of Black

35. The Acclaimed

34. Claudio Castagnoli

33. Kris Statlander

32. Ricky Starks

31. Wardlow

Accomplishments: AEW world tag staff champion (with Luchasaurus), FTW champion

As Jungle Boy, Jack Perry was a preferred babyface whose Jurassic Categorical partnership with Luchasaurus recurrently had him within the hunt for the AEW World Tag Group Championship.

One of many younger pillars of the corporate, round whom the way forward for the promotion can be constructed, he had different alternatives away from the tag division to show himself and excelled extra instances than not.

A 2023 heel flip, although, introduced a facet of him followers had not seen. Dropping the “Jungle Boy” moniker and going by his start identify, he grew to become an entitled and self-serving villain who taunted his opponents each on and off display screen, together with a dig at prime star CM Punk through the All In pay-per-view that referenced a behind-the-scenes dialog the 2 had main into the present.

Perry’s backstage confrontation with Punk at Wembley Stadium on August 27, 2023 led to the latter’s departure from AEW and a suspension for the previous Jungle Boy plus questions as as to whether he can be again in any respect.

That query was answered when he returned at Dynasty as The Scapegoat and aligned himself with The Younger Bucks and Kazuchika Okada in The Elite.

Viler than earlier than and with a higher-profile spot than he had beforehand, he’s in a spot creatively to have important affect on the way forward for AEW tv.

That would imply a revisited countdown of the promotion’s all-time greats might properly see him a lot additional up the record.

Accomplishments: TBS champion, Owen Hart Memorial Cup winner (2023)

Willow Nightingale debuted within the spring of 2021 and wasted little time establishing herself as one of the vital beloved members of the ladies’s division.

Although there have been few plans for her at that time, she put the work in and earned herself a spot on the AEW roster.

Inside two years, her infectious positivity and power-based transfer set received the followers over and that connection earned her the belief of Tony Khan, resulting in a defining second on the July 15 episode of Collision the place she received the Owen Hart Basis Ladies’s Match.

Unfinished enterprise with Mercedes Moné, and a victory over Julia Hart for the TBS Championship at Dynasty in April, has Nightingale ready to obtain her best publicity thus far.

A rematch with Moné, who she defeated to win the New Japan Robust Ladies’s Championship, at Double or Nothing in Las Vegas would be the greatest take a look at of her profession.

If the early work she has delivered thus far are any indication, the wide-smiling badass of the AEW ladies’s division is about to achieve a brand new stratosphere of stardom and that bodes properly for a corporation placing extra emphasis on its ladies’s roster.

Accomplishments: TNT champion (3), interim TNT champion

Controversy follows Sammy Guevara, as evidenced by a suspension levied because of a match with Jeff Hardy during which he failed to stick to AEW’s concussion protocol, that has him sitting on the sidelines and questioning when he’ll once more have the chance to set foot contained in the squared circle.

Regardless of the uncertainty at the moment surrounding him, there isn’t any doubt about his contributions to AEW.

He competed within the firm’s first singles match, shedding to Kip Sabian on the Double or Nothing pre-show in 2019. He battled Cody Rhodes within the first match of the primary episode of Dynamite. He was the inaugural member of The Internal Circle and have become the primary three-time TNT champion.

Add an “interim” runs into that, and he has extra reigns with the secondary title than every other competitor in firm historical past.

His penchant for death-defying stunts outlined his in-ring type, regardless of some questioning whether or not it was actually value risking all of it in weekly televised matches when he clearly had a protracted, shiny future forward of him.

Bucking logic, although, he recurrently threw warning to the wind in an try to wow followers.

Not at all times a fan-favorite, whether or not babyface or heel, Guevara has embraced the hate and repeatedly proved he would cater to nobody whereas constructing his legacy as one of many pillars of AEW and one of many nice breakout stars of the corporate’s early years.

Accomplishments: Owen Hart Memorial Cup (2022)

Adam Cole’s affect on AEW tv is definitely higher than the No. 27 spot on the countdown.

His debut at All Out in 2021 is likely one of the most unforgettable moments in AEW historical past whereas his prolonged storyline with MJF in the summertime and fall of 2023 managed to make a babyface out of essentially the most hated man on the roster earlier than revealing that it was Cole who was the devilish manipulator all alongside.

At all times outstanding when on AEW tv, it’s his availability that has damage his skill to advance previous this spot on our countdown.

Cole has suffered two main accidents, the primary of which threatened his profession.

The previous Ring of Honor and NXT world champion suffered a pair of concussions in 2022 that known as into query whether or not he would ever be cleared to compete once more.

In 2023, amid the largest push of his AEW profession and the most popular story within the firm with MJF, he suffered a damaged ankle whereas leaping off the doorway ramp at Dynamite: Grand Slam.

He was in the end revealed because the grand schemer, however the affect was not almost what it will have been had he nonetheless been on TV and competing each week because the villain hellbent on taking the AEW world title off his “good friend.”

Barring any important setbacks, and any additional accidents, there’s nonetheless loads of time for Cole to ascertain himself as one of many best stars within the promotion’s historical past however the irritating roadblocks he has suffered on the journey there have stunted his elevation to that standing up to now.

Accomplishments: AEW ladies’s champion

It’s straightforward to overlook how influential Thunder Rosa was to the ladies’s division previous to the again damage that put her out of motion for properly over a 12 months.

Arguably essentially the most organically over lady on the roster, she exploded onto the scene in 2020 and, inside eight months, was embroiled in an intensely private rivalry with Britt Baker, which included the historic first ladies’s most important occasion in Dynamite historical past on March 17, 2021.

That Unsanctioned Lights Out match was brutal, violent and bloody, however past what occurred within the ring, it shattered the glass ceiling and proved ladies might thrive within the AEW highlight.

That match, and the next battles she had with Baker gave the ladies’s division a reputable rivalry it might construct round, whereas the hard-hitting gimmick matches erased any suggestion ladies couldn’t get brutal and violent on mainstream wrestling tv.

On the March 16, 2022 episode of Dynamite, almost one 12 months to the day after their historic first most important occasion, Rosa defeated Baker to win her first AEW Ladies’s World Championship inside a metal cage and in entrance of her hometown followers in San Antonio, Texas.

A again damage compelled her to the sidelines, which means she would by no means get to correctly defend the title, however a return to the squared circle in 2023 has some hoping she’s going to discover her means again to the gold and proceed what was shaping as much as be a probably defining run with the corporate.

Accomplishments: AEW ladies’s champion

The early portion of Jamie Hayter’s AEW run is one which was dotted with disappointment and defeat.

The COVID-19 pandemic halted plans for her to be a participant within the ladies’s division prior to she was, whereas her eventual debut as a full-time wrestler in 2021 was met with high-profile losses. Regardless of these defeats, her in-ring skill and low-key charisma caught the eye of followers, who supported her increasingly more with each passing look.

An intense, aggressive employee, she was the proper addition to Britt Baker’s act, an enforcer who would be certain The Good Physician remained within the winner’s column extra instances than not.

The summer time of 2022 noticed an explosion in reputation for Hayter, although, as she continued to show herself as a contender within the ladies’s division. A number of championship alternatives got here and went, all with the Brit struggling disappointing defeats, till an unlucky damage to Thunder Rosa created a chance for her to compete for gold another time at Full Gear.

On that night time, Hayter defeated Toni Storm to win the interim AEW ladies’s title and firmly set up herself as the brand new face of the division. The reign can be formally acknowledged when Rosa gave up her title shortly thereafter.

Sadly, damage lower Hayter’s personal run brief as she dropped the title to Storm at Double or Nothing in Could 2023 and has been inactive since.

Nonetheless, her rise reminded Tony Khan of two necessary issues: Regardless of his need to signal each main free agent attainable, he had a wealth of expertise already on his roster simply ready for a chance to shine.

Secondly, and extra importantly, it’s crucial to take heed to the viewers as a result of theycan dictate who the subsequent massive factor will probably be and that was definitely the case with our No. 24 entrant.

Accomplishments: AEW All-Atlantic champion (inaugural), AEW world trios champion (with Lucha Bros)

If it was not for the inconsistent appearances over the course of his 5 years in AEW, PAC would doubtless rank a lot increased on this record.

A serious free-agent signing made on the inception of AEW, The Bastard wasted little time establishing himself as one of many premiere opponents on the roster.

A ruthless competitor who might brutalize opponents together with his submission transfer set as simply as he might wow followers together with his skill to contort his physique throughout an aerial assault, he combined it up with prime stars comparable to Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Adam Web page, The Younger Bucks and Orange Cassidy.

He grew to become the inaugural All-Atlantic (now worldwide) champion at Forbidden Door 2002 with a win over Malakai Black, Clark Connors and Miro, and he teamed with Dying Triangle mates the Lucha Bros to win the trios titles.

He has repeatedly been put ready to work with one of the best wrestlers within the firm and win championship gold, as a result of his work speaks for itself. He’s plausible, dependable between the ropes, and he can end up a show-stealing efficiency with any opponent.

Look no additional than Revolution 2020 with Cassidy, which came about lengthy earlier than Freshly Squeezed grew to become the workhorse that he did later in his AEW run.

PAC’s relevancy to the historical past of AEW, very similar to his standing as one of many world’s greatest skilled wrestlers, is probably going underrated, leading to his spot within the backside third of our countdown.

Accomplishments: TNT champion

Brodie Lee arrived in AEW in 2020 with a function: To show that he didn’t must be a member of a household or a Bludgeon Brother to be a star in skilled wrestling.

As “The Exalted One” of The Darkish Order, he wasted little time establishing himself as such.

A giant, nasty, no-nonsense competitor with a devastating discus lariat, he unsuccessfully challenged Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at that 12 months’s Double or Nothing however made it clear he was a reputable contender for any of the corporate’s prime prizes.

In August, he decimated Cody Rhodes, squashing the EVP to seize the TNT title in one of the vital staggering and efficient one-sided beatdowns in AEW historical past.

Lee and his Darkish Order minions would proceed to make life depressing for The American Nightmare, drawing a darker facet out of Rhodes earlier than their rivalry culminated in a Canine Collar match on the October 7 episode of Dynamite.

It might be his closing match with AEW.

Lee died in December 2020. The admiration his friends had for him was obvious on a particular tribute episode of Dynamite, during which his rivals and mates spoke of the person and the legacy with everybody.

Lee’s reminiscence lives on within the TNT Championship he held, and his spouse, Amanda, works in production for AEW and beforehand was an integral a part of the corporate’s neighborhood outreach initiative.

His son, Brodie Jr., routinely appeared as a part of The Darkish Order as Unfavourable One, conserving his father’s identify alive throughout the faction he led.

Tony Khan formally acknowledged Lee as the best TNT champion ever and every week, Dynamite opens with Excalibur saying, “it is Wednesday, you recognize what which means” in one other tribute.

Accomplishments: TNT champion (2), AEW world champion

Amid the controversy surrounding CM Punk’s sacking from AEW, and important accidents suffered by Adam Cole and MJF that may place them on the sidelines within the winter of 2023, AEW brass badly wanted to convey stability to the primary occasion scene.

It discovered that within the type of the grizzled veteran Samoa Joe.

The celebrated in-ring competitor, who legitimized Ring of Honor and helped convey credibility to NXT beneath Triple H, defeated MJF to win the AEW world title and finish his year-long reign. From there, he grew to become an imposing, plausible champion who carried an organization that was in turmoil from a star-power perspective.

Alongside the way in which, he elevated Swerve Strickland and put him over at Dynasty in April 2024, dropping the title to him and creating a brand new most important occasion star.

Earlier than that, Joe had his justifiable share of success, successful the TNT Championship on two totally different events and bettering that title, too.

The unstoppable drive has positively influenced each promotion he has labored for and it’s no shock that the B/R panel acknowledged his significance to AEW since his debut in 2022 and ensured his spot on this countdown.

Accomplishments: AEW continental champion

There is no such thing as a AEW star extra organically well-liked and genuinely cherished by followers than Eddie Kingston.

An “each man” in the identical vein as Mick Foley or Terry Funk earlier than him, he fights with function and willpower. Whether or not it was for a job and his future in skilled wrestling towards Cody Rhodes in a TNT Championship Open Problem match, or for the AEW title towards good friend Jon Moxley, he does so with uncooked emotion that makes it nearly unattainable for followers to not join not directly with him.

An underdog who has had his worth and legitimacy known as into query by extra celebrated, conventional wrestlers like Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson, Kingston has by no means shied away from proving himself towards these athletes, generally even beating them at their very own video games.

He’s the embodiment of the fighter mentality that AEW has adopted from the get-go in its pursuit of wrestling excellence.

Nonetheless a fan who watches as a lot wrestling as he can, he’s a consultant for any followers who really feel undervalued and missed.

His victory over Danielson to change into the primary AEW continental champion in March was one of many nice moments in firm historical past because it mirrored an underdog overcoming his doubters, reaching a purpose and proving that tough work and dedication do repay.

The emotion on show there, and when a bloodied Kingston carried a gasoline can to the ring and woozily dared Danielson to convey the battle, has helped Kingston depart a mark in AEW.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion, AEW world tag staff champion

Swerve Strickland took a difficult path to the highest of AEW.

He signed contemporary off a stunning launch from WWE in 2021 and struggled to seek out his footing early on earlier than linking up with Keith Lee and successful the corporate’s world tag staff titles. An eventual breakup of that union left him considerably directionless whereas Khan and the artistic staff sought a path for him.

Mogul Industries by no means actually materialized the way in which it was meant to, however a partnership with Prince Nana and the formation of Mogul Empire allowed Strickland to construct momentum.

Nana’s dancing to his theme, “Huge Strain,” was considerably extra necessary than anybody might have imagined by way of serving to Strickland to ring a bell with followers on one other stage past what his dynamic in-ring type already did.

It was his feud with Hangman Web page and the depths to which they’d go to punish one another over the span of a handful of matches, most notably the Texas deathmatch at Full Gear in November 2023, that catapulted Strickland into the world title dialog and gave him the upward momentum he had been lacking.

Present-stealing battles with one of many faces of the corporate didn’t damage.

That momentum in the end paid off in April at Dynasty, the place he defeated Samoa Joe to win the AEW world title, making historical past within the course of as the primary Black man to seize the highest prize within the firm.

Like Jamie Hayter, Strickland got here from nowhere to change into a breakout star who followers threw their help behind. They demanded he get the push that had eluded him and, inside months, had voiced their help to him in such a way that Khan and Co. had no alternative however to push him and provides him the world title.

Although he was a free-agent signing, Strickland grew to become the star he’s as we speak in AEW and his ascension felt like an natural rise for one of many shiny younger opponents within the firm at a time when it felt like administration might have been leaning a bit too closely on buying new expertise and leaning on the identical handful of stars.

Accomplishments: AEW worldwide champion (Rey Fenix), AEW world tag staff champions, AEW world trios champions (with Pac)

Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo are AEW originals. They signed with the corporate previous to its launch in Could 2019 and instantly established themselves as among the finest tag groups in wrestling, thanks largely to a feud with The Younger Bucks.

A ladder match for the AAA tag staff titles wowed followers contained in the MGM Grand Backyard Area in Vegas on the inaugural Double or Nothing whereas a metal cage match two years later at All In noticed them lastly defeat Matt and Nick Jackson to take house the AEW World Tag Group Championship.

At all times within the hunt as a tag staff, in addition they proved formidable in trios competitors, teaming with PAC as Dying Triangle and defeating Kenny Omega and the Bucks to win the AEW world trios titles.

Penta and Fenix have proved to be excellent particular person opponents, too, with the latter even placing gold as AEW worldwide champion. Penta, in the meantime, has not hesitated to go hardcore, throwing all warning to the wind and bleeding for his artwork.

Whereas the staff has not been as prominently featured on AEW tv of late, because of a slew of accidents, the affect the tandem had on AEW threw its first handful of years is indeniable.

They helped set up the in-ring type, introduced credibility to the tag staff division and gave the Bucks one among their greatest rivalries thus far.

It doesn’t matter what occurs from right here, the luchadors are merely constructing on their elite legacy.

Accomplishments: TBS champion

Jade Cargill could also be tearing it up within the rings of WWE now, however the phenom acquired her begin in AEW, the place she exploded onto the scene in a high-profile tag staff match that pitted her and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal towards Cody Rhodes and Pink Velvet.

It was obvious that whereas she wanted some steerage between the ropes, she checked each different field when it got here to potential box-office enchantment. She was a superhero come to life.

The previous collegiate basketball star was found by WWE Corridor of Famer Mark Henry, and she or he went on a tear in AEW, changing into the inaugural TBS champion and holding the title for 508 days. It stays the longest championship reign of any in AEW historical past thus far.

Cargill primarily discovered on the job, competing with the likes of Tay Conti, Nyla Rose, Willow Nightingale, The Bunny, Leila Gray and Velvet.

By no means essentially the most polished wrestler on the roster because of her inexperience, she made up for it with unbridled confidence in her promos and a pure charisma in entrance of the digicam that made her charming.

She in the end dropped the TBS Championship to a returning Kris Statlander at Double or Nothing 2023 and wrestled her final match for AEW towards her that September.

Cargill was the primary actual home-grown performer in firm historical past. She was found, offered like a star and given a chance to ascertain her on-screen presence. That she by no means had the chance to develop her in-ring recreation in a measurable means damage her growth, and the corporate was in all probability not outfitted on the time to dedicate to getting her prepared in a means that WWE was when she signed with them in late 2023.

Nonetheless, AEW gave Cargill a platform and she or he thrived, establishing herself on a worldwide telecast and legitimizing the TBS Championship from its infancy.

Accomplishments: AEW world tag staff champions (2)

The most effective tag staff in skilled wrestling, bar none, made their AEW debut on Could 27, 2020 and rapidly made historical past, changing into the primary staff to carry world tag staff titles in each their new promotion and their outdated one, WWE.

It was the primary of two reigns as champions in a four-year span that noticed them mix old-school psychology and physicality with the drama and lightning tempo of recent in-ring work, making them interesting to totally different audiences.

Regardless of repeated makes an attempt to show them heel, FTR grew to become one of the vital over tandems in wrestling, because of the appreciation followers had for his or her dedication to their craft, which was on full show towards The Younger Bucks, Greatest Pals, Jurassic Categorical, The Briscoes, SCU, Sting and Darby Allin, United Empire and The Gunns, amongst numerous different groups.

Harking back to The Midnight Categorical, Harwood and Wheeler countered the uncooked athleticism of their opponents with a smashmouth strategy that earned them their justifiable share of victories.

Even in defeat, their excellence has been plain, with many a present stolen by the seven-star tag staff.

Their battles with the Bucks, particularly, cemented their standing as prime guys in AEW. On the spot classics, comparable to a Collision showdown with Jay White and Juice Robinson, saved them in that spot.

There have at all times been questions on how prepared the artistic forces in AEW are to e-book Harwood and Wheeler to lose, particularly towards the Bucks and through their latest battles with The Blackpool Fight Membership, however the energy of their efficiency retains them over in a means others wouldn’t be in beneath comparable circumstances.

Different groups on the roster might confer with themselves as one of the best within the enterprise, however FTR backs it up each time they hit the ring, with matches which are inherently totally different than those that preceded it.

In an organization typically outlined by a breakneck tempo and a willingness to take increased dangers than generally mandatory, FTR constantly brings to AEW a methodical strategy to the in-ring recreation that units them aside from the remainder of the roster.

Accomplishments: TNT champion (2)

It was a decade in the past when it seemed like Christian Cage would by no means compete inside a squared circle once more.

Ravaged by concussions that threatened his long-term well-being, he stepped away from the business he helped revolutionize by the use of the enduring Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches, and into the uncertainty of early retirement.

Then, in 2021, upon medical clearance and together with his contract with WWE expired, he signed with AEW.

All he has completed since is develop one of the best heel persona within the business because the chief of The Patriarchy and seize the TNT Championship on two totally different events, all whereas reducing one of the best promos of his profession and having bangers with the likes of Jack Perry, Wardlow, Darby Allin and Sting, Daniel Garcia and longtime good friend and associate, Adam Copeland.

He has completed so whereas surrounding himself with Killswitch (previously Luchasaurus) and the mother-son combo of Shayna and Nick Wayne.

The feel and appear of the group has solely served to raise Cage’s stature as he’s the clear centerpiece of it and a reputable contender to any championship in AEW.

Previous to the heel flip, he headlined All Out 2021 towards Kenny Omega in a match that was wonderful however overshadowed by the debuts of Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson instantly afterward.

A terrific, cowardly heel who’s unafraid to get actual warmth by infuriating crowds with uncomfortable digs at their favourite wrestlers, he has introduced a wealth of data to the AEW locker room and reinvented himself in entrance of the digicam, offering the corporate with a reputable star they will e-book tales and feuds round.

And there are not any indicators of him slowing down, both.

Finally, his legacy in AEW will probably be outlined by his heel persona and the way these younger stars he has labored with benefited from sharing the ring with him.

Accomplishments: AEW ladies’s world champion (3)

There might not be one other star in AEW’s temporary historical past extra underrated than Hikaru Shida, which is kind of the assertion contemplating her three ladies’s titles.

One of many consummate in-ring performers within the ladies’s division, she is answerable for excellent matches with everybody from Nyla Rose to Britt Baker, Toni Storm to Thunder Rosa.

For no matter cause, and regardless of the fanbase recognizing how nice she is, Shida not often garners the identical consideration as a few of her counterparts.

All she has completed is tie the file for many reigns as champion and introduced credibility to the division together with her constantly robust work between the ropes.

A bodily, hard-hitting competitor, she ups the depth of her matches. Her contests look totally different than these elsewhere within the division, the product of a veteran competitor who is aware of lay her strikes in tougher, inform a extra full story and even unleash her trusty kendo stick when the time requires it.

Her work within the division helped lay the groundwork for what we see as we speak, with extra matches and promo time being provided to ladies in high-profile feuds. With out her carrying the ball, there’s a actual argument to be made that the state of ladies’s wrestling in AEW can be considerably worse off.

It might have been good for her to profit from the publicity that the ladies are getting on Dynamite, Collision and Rampage now, however there’s nonetheless loads of time for her to leap again into the combination, chase a history-making fourth title reign and additional solidify herself as one of many foundational items of the ladies’s division in AEW.

Accomplishments: AEW ladies’s world champion (3)

It’s troublesome to think about one other performer in AEW who has recreated themselves to the extent Toni Storm has.

Exploding onto the scene contemporary off her launch from WWE, she struggled to recover from within the rock-and-roll gimmick she had had relationship again to her days within the independents.

Her ring work was nice, and administration trusted her sufficient to e-book her to win the ladies’s title on two separate events, however the followers didn’t totally purchase into her on-screen persona.

Upon the tip of her second title reign, she underwent a whole character overhaul, apparently descending into insanity as she grew to become a throwback to traditional Hollywood actresses comparable to Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Rita Hayworth.

Engulfed in black and white, with a hairdo proper out of a Marilyn Monroe film, she spoke as they spoke and overacted in almost each state of affairs.

The outcome? An indisputably over character that linked with followers as a result of it was so contemporary and in contrast to something they’d seen. She had taken a large danger and tried one thing totally different and hit paydirt.

Her shtick popped the followers, to not point out her co-stars, almost making the at all times skilled Renee Paquette break in a single notorious promo phase.

The character grew to become so over that there was no alternative however to provide her one other run with the ladies’s title, a run that continues as we speak as Storm continues to evolve whereas flanked by butler Luther and mega-fan Mariah Could, who will nearly definitely change into her best opponent if wrestling historical past is any indication.

A performer who has been tapped for superstardom since she first appeared within the Mae Younger Basic on the infancy of her WWE run, she has lastly begun to attain it in essentially the most off-the-wall, enjoyable, and charming means.

Within the course of, she has laid the groundwork for others round her to suppose outdoors the field, embrace the unique, and reap the rewards.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion (2)

There will probably be those that leap via hoops to argue CM Punk was a higher detriment to AEW than something, and no argument goes to alter their minds.

For everybody else, there’s one certainty in AEW historical past: Punk is the only greatest, most profitable and necessary free-agent signing within the firm’s historical past, and it isn’t even remotely shut.

His return to skilled wrestling after eight years away drew a sell-out crowd to Chicago’s United Middle and 1.129 million viewers to the August 20 episode of Rampage. Double or Nothing 2022 grew to become the primary million-dollar gate within the historical past of the corporate, thanks largely to The Straight Edge Celebrity’s presence.

That success would proceed, with 4 consecutive pay-per-views drawing comparable gates and the September 21 episode of Dynamite: Grand Slam at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York additionally surpassing $1 million.

Punk grew to become the centerpiece attraction for AEW, a man who followers went out of their technique to see.

Throughout his first few months with the corporate, he labored with younger stars, together with Powerhouse Hobbs, Darby Allin, Daniel Garcia, Lee Moriarty, FTR, Max Caster and John Silver. His overarching feuds with Eddie Kingston, MJF and Web page took on higher magnitude and have been must-see, because of his skill to chop promos and hype these culminating matches up.

Accidents prevented him from happening a future as AEW world champion when he defeated Web page for the title at Double or Nothing, however he bounced again and defeated Jon Moxley in the primary occasion of All Out 2022 to regain the title.

His legacy in AEW will probably be tied to a media scrum during which he unleashed a curse-filled rant on the backstage setting within the firm and beef with sure EVPs, all of which might have been prevented had the problems with the events in query been addressed previously.

A brawl ensued backstage and as a substitute of these animosities therapeutic by the use of constructive dialog, Punk and the EVPs remained at odds.

The Chicago native returned to the corporate amid the creation of a 3rd AEW tv property, Collision, a star automobile for him. Backstage conditions once more reared their head in entrance of the cameras, resulting in the confrontation with Jack Perry backstage at All In at Wembley Stadium in August 2023 that resulted in his termination from the corporate.

There was loads of controversy to sink one’s enamel into or level to as proof that Punk was unhealthy for AEW, however it will be silly to disregard simply how a lot he helped develop the corporate’s enterprise.

Extra viewers, larger homes, hotter most important occasions, and additional proof {that a} man who had at all times succeeded due to his connection to the viewers nonetheless had the juice to be a prime man in an business some believed had handed him by.

That he ranks at thirteenth is debatable, at greatest.

Accomplishments: TNT champion (2), AEW world tag staff champion (with Sting)

Darby Allin has made a reputation for himself all through his AEW tenure because the competitor almost definitely to danger his personal well-being in an try to vanquish the opposition.

Whether or not he’s hurling himself excessive rope and somersaulting onto his rival or launching himself off a ladder and onto a pane of glass, few can lay declare to the variety of jaw-dropping moments that the face-painted antihero of AEW can.

Allin is much from a stuntman, although.

The Washingtonian has received a few of his most unforgettable matches by out-wrestling his opponent, together with a signature win over Cody Rhodes on the 2020 Full Gear pay-per-view, the place he captured his first of two TNT titles.

As a lot as he completed alone, it’s irresponsible to debate Allin and never point out Sting. Following The Icon’s debut in December 2020, they grew to become linked. The previous WCW and TNA world champion took the younger star beneath his wing, they usually went on a run within the firm that may see them spend simply over three years undefeated as a tag staff.

With each outing, Allin’s star burned a bit brighter and on the February 7 episode of Dynamite, the pairing captured the world tag titles. Weeks later at Revolution, he ensured his hero and mentor would depart on a contented notice, throwing warning to the wind because the duo outlasted The Younger Bucks within the night time’s most important occasion.

There’s cause to be involved that what Allin is as a performer now shouldn’t be sustainable, that he is not going to bodily have the ability to proceed to deal with his physique the way in which he does and have a future within the business. With that stated, it’s the type that has outlined him thus far and helped make him one of many first true breakout stars in AEW.

Altering it now betrays what the viewers latched on to and dangers disenfranchising them, so anticipate Allin to proceed to enthrall with bodily feats most would by no means be prepared to attempt, all whereas pursuing a profession that places him among the many greatest to do it in an AEW ring.

Accomplishments: AEW worldwide champion (2)

On the floor, Orange Cassidy is a comedy wrestler with an apparel straight out of Moist Scorching American Summer time, a demeanor that spits within the face of great skilled wrestling and a personality that can by no means recover from with the followers.

Beneath that, although, is a wrestler who has spent the final 5 years proving doubters unsuitable with a resume of contests higher than anticipated.

Freshly Squeezed shook the “comedy” label early on in an exceptional match towards PAC at Revolution 2020. If that didn’t silence the critics, different robust outings towards the likes of Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega ought to have.

Then there was the long term as worldwide champion in 2023 that noticed him wrestle on a near-weekly foundation, towards any and all challengers, permitting him to point out off his evolving in-ring recreation. He bought properly, too, placing over the extraordinary toll the matches took on him.

It was the feud with Jon Moxley that basically put him excessive as a reputable star for the corporate, although.

At All Out in September 2023, he bled buckets whereas shedding his title to Moxley. The defeat solely additional legitimized him within the eyes of the followers, although, in order that his eventual victory over the Dying Rider would in the end imply extra.

It did, too.

Cassidy entered the promotion with a personality that he had fine-tuned on the independents, the slacker of all slackers; a wrestler who couldn’t be bothered by the overly aggressive nature of his friends or the utter seriousness of all of it.

He was himself and that separated him from a roster filled with targeted, intense and generally prototypical wrestlers. With out it, he might by no means have achieved the extent of success that he has all through his AEW run.

Accomplishments: AEW world tag staff champion (with Darby Allin)

The arrival of Sting on the December 2, 2020 Winter is Coming episode of Dynamite was a watershed second for AEW as an organization getting ready to changing into the primary actual competitors to WWE in twenty years.

One of many greatest stars within the business’s lengthy historical past and a kind of uncommon performers to earn the “icon” label, he instantaneously legitimized AEW as a vacation spot for free-agent stars.

In return, the corporate provided the previous WCW world champion a shot at going out on his personal phrases after he was compelled into untimely retirement on account of a neck damage suffered throughout his temporary run in WWE.

Sting would staff with Darby Allin nearly solely all through his run, accumulating an unbeaten file whereas mentoring the youthful, face-painted enigma. Collectively, they battled and defeated prime tag groups comparable to FTR, whom they vanquished on the inaugural Dynamite: Grand Slam in September 2021.

The veteran’s star energy elevated no matter he was concerned in whereas concurrently spotlighting one of many 4 younger pillars of the corporate in Allin. His presence alone elevated the stature of AEW throughout the business.

In October 2023, having contributed all that he might bodily at 64, he introduced his impending retirement on the following March’s Revolution pay-per-view. Alongside the way in which, he and Allin earned their first and solely tag staff title with a win over Huge Invoice and Ricky Starks.

In his closing match, Sting turned again the clock one final time, delivering an exceptional efficiency during which he and his associate efficiently defended towards The Younger Bucks in an awe-inspiring battle of attrition.

Sting, as he did together with his unforgettable debut, supplied AEW a defining second together with his emotional retirement on the Greensboro Coliseum, house to so a lot of his legendary battles with Ric Aptitude, Terry Funk, Lex Luger and others throughout his time because the franchise star of WCW.

A locker room chief for whom everybody behind the scenes had the utmost respect, he went out as a winner and what he had lengthy been touted: The Icon.

Accomplishments: Co-founder of AEW, TNT champion (3; inaugural)

Tribalism is humorous as a result of it typically ends in narratives spun to replicate any group’s agenda. Take the assertion that Cody Rhodes’ affect on AEW was by no means what it was made out to be.

The identical Rhodes who guess Wrestling Observer Publication creator Dave Meltzer that he, The Younger Bucks and Kenny Omega might self-finance a significant indie present and promote out 10,000 seats for All In, an occasion that may function the unofficial jumping-off level for AEW.

Historical past tells us they did simply that, with Rhodes’ confidence within the fan fervor surrounding him and his mates fueling his determination to accept the wager.

From there, he was one of many co-founders and EVPs of AEW, the face of its main media push forward of the inaugural Double or Nothing in 2019, and the centerpiece of one of many present’s greatest drawing factors: an emotional showdown together with his brother, Dustin.

Rhodes was additionally instrumental in growing three of the 4 pillars of AEW.

On the debut episode of Dynamite, he squared off with Sammy Guevara in a match that spotlighted The Spanish God. He engaged MJF in one of the vital emotional rivalries in AEW historical past and feuded with Darby Allin over the TNT Championship, ultimately dropping the title to him at Full Gear in 2020.

There was the rivalry with Brodie Lee that heightened consciousness for the proficient massive man and resulted in some unforgettable battles, together with a brutal and bloody Canine Collar match.

Away from the present, he was the face of AEW, showing on each attainable platform in an try to attract consideration to a product he was intensely happy with. Maybe that’s the reason some nonetheless battle to come back to phrases together with his departure in 2022 and return to WWE.

We might by no means know what in the end compelled Rhodes again to essentially the most outstanding promotion within the business, however his determination to return shouldn’t cloud anybody’s perspective on the subject of his significance to the historical past of AEW.

He has by no means uttered a foul phrase in regards to the firm or these he got here along with to create it and it’s unlikely he ever will, because of the delight he nonetheless feels for having modified the wrestling world by making a reputable different.

The B/R Wrestling staff has used a good voting scheme on our rundown, however there’s an argument to be made that Rhodes is ranked means too low, even at No. 9.

Accomplishments: AEW ladies’s world champion; Ladies’s Owen Hart Cup

From day one, it was obvious that Tony Khan and Co. noticed one thing in Britt Baker that instructed them she was the face of the AEW ladies’s division for the foreseeable future.

Confronted with the immense stress that such a label carries with it, to not point out working her personal dentistry workplace, Baker thrived and have become one of many greatest and most over stars on the roster.

There have been bumps within the highway, together with a failed babyface run and a Tooth and Nail match towards Huge Swole at All Out 2020, rating as one of many worst concepts and executions in AEW historical past.

As soon as she found her confidence as a heel, although, she grew to become one of many present’s centerpieces.

Her feud with Thunder Rosa, culminating of their notorious Lights Out Unsanctioned match, put her on the map whereas robust performances towards the likes of Hikaru Shida, Ruby Soho, Tay Conti and a partnership with Jamie Hayter saved her there.

Charismatic above all else, Baker has carried herself like a star and the result’s somebody followers can put money into and care about, whether or not they need to see her succeed or get overwhelmed up by one of many many proficient ladies on the AEW roster.

A performer who has already completed nearly all the pieces there’s to within the firm, she might simply step away, deal with dentistry and transfer on.

As a substitute, she figures to be a major a part of AEW’s plans as soon as she is formally cleared to return to motion, constructing on a resume that has already seen her win the highest prize within the ladies’s division and seize the inaugural Ladies’s Owen Hart Cup.

Baker, for as nice as she has been from a personality standpoint, has missed important time over the past 12 months on account of damage, with no clear-cut indication of when she will probably be again within the ring. It is going to come, although, and all will probably be proper with the world, even when just for a second.

The Good Physician would not have it every other means.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion, AEW world tag staff champion (with Kenny Omega)

“Hangman” Adam Web page was the guts and soul of AEW via its early years.

An anxious millennial cowboy, he noticed his friendship with Kenny Omega and The Younger Bucks examined early, solely to associate with The Greatest Bout Machine to seize the corporate’s world tag staff titles and efficiently defend them towards Matt and Nick Jackson.

He overcame his demons to problem for the world title. To perform his purpose and seize the highest prize in AEW, he must defeat the person he teamed with initially, Omega.

At Full Gear in November 2021, he did simply that, blasting the longest-reigning world champ on the time with the Buckshot Lariat to win the gold and stand atop the AEW mountain.

His reign can be short-lived and the follow-up was nowhere close to as partaking or charming because the journey to the title was.

That’s till he uttered a now-infamous promo that ignited backstage tensions between The Elite and CM Punk that culminated within the messy All Out media scrum and backstage brawl.

Web page stayed out of the weeds, prevented suspension and continued to be one of the vital constant in-ring performers in AEW and a personality followers might simply relate to and put money into.

It was the reference to the followers that made him such a precious piece of the AEW puzzle and allowed him to succeed on the highest ranges. It was with the corporate that he realized his fullest potential and introduced real emotion to prime storylines, one thing few performers have been capable of do initially.

When the followers have been prepared for a change and demanded a heel flip in 2024, he gave it to them. Routinely touting the injustice that saved him from a one-on-one world title match with Samoa Joe, he grew to become the cry-baby he typically fought towards earlier in his AEW run.

Although he finds himself on a hiatus now, Web page figures to be one of many centerpieces of AEW’s long-term artistic efforts. And when he does return, he ought to discover his house within the revamped Elite, guaranteeing many extra tales, rivalries and in-ring classics observe.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion (inaugural), FTW champion

There can be no All Elite Wrestling with out Chris Jericho.

No matter anybody’s opinion now, Jericho’s star energy alone made the upstart firm a chance. With out that one era-defining star signing on to Khan and The Elite’s brainchild, AEW would have struggled to seek out an viewers past the area of interest fanbase its core opponents had achieved.

The announcement that Jericho was All Elite modified the sport, created curiosity and served as a press release to the remainder of the wrestling world that the corporate was not a billionaire’s vainness challenge however was a reputable try to revolutionize the game.

With nice energy comes nice duty and Jericho embraced it, competing towards and defeating Kenny Omega within the inaugural Double or Nothing most important occasion, changing into the primary AEW world champion and main the Internal Circle faction that may change into a centerpiece of the corporate’s artistic efforts early on.

Feuds with Cody Rhodes, Jon Moxley, Orange Cassidy and MJF have been top-shelf applications that have been important to additional establishing the corporate as a real different to his former stomping floor, WWE.

An originator and innovator, Jericho competed within the first Stadium Stampede match towards The Elite, joined his Internal Circle brethren in battle towards The Pinnacle within the first-ever Blood and Guts match, and partnered with the revamped Jericho Appreciation Society in battle towards The Blackpool Fight Membership in Anarchy within the Area.

A star who repeatedly proved able to reinventing himself, not often permitting himself to develop stale. When confronted with that chance in 2024, and dealing with an viewers’s whose urge for food for the longer term Corridor of Famer was waning, he launched a “Studying Tree” persona that obliviously soaks within the “adulation” of the followers.

Has Jericho’s work been one of the best it has been in AEW? No, however whereas that tablet could also be powerful to swallow for the performer and his most ardent supporters, there isn’t any denying his place within the firm’s historical past and simply how important he has been to the event and evolution of the product.

A world-class competitor who fought on each main stage that there’s, and who squared off with each main star from Steve Austin to The Rock to Shawn Michaels, he was the primary to place his stamp of approval on what Khan and The Elite hoped to do with their new creation.

The significance of that call alone is sufficient of an argument for him being even increased on this countdown than No. 6.

Three years into his run with AEW, and it feels very very similar to the corporate was made for The American Dragon.

A number of the handcuffs positioned on him in WWE from a stylistic standpoint have been off and Bryan Danielson was allowed to reintroduce a bodily, aggressive type that was tamed a bit within the greatest firm within the business.

Virtually instantly, he had a five-star traditional towards Kenny Omega at Dynamite: Grand Slam in September 2021. That match was so eagerly anticipated that earlier than the 2 each locked up, followers greeted their staredown with optimistic chants. They delivered on the potential of the encounter and the followers ate it up, simply as they’d most of what Danielson has completed within the years since.

Matches with Hangman Web page, Miro and Dustin Rhodes would additional set up the kind of work we might see from Danielson, who gave the impression to be on a quest to remind everybody of who one of the best wrestler on the earth truly was. His no-nonsense in-ring strategy meshed completely with that of Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta, and the Blackpool Fight Membership was born from there.

As he nears the tip of his full-time in-ring profession, the 43-year-old typically finds himself wrestling the matches he desires, towards stars from around the globe he admires. He additionally went out of his technique to put Eddie Kingston over robust, shedding to him within the finals of the AEW Continental Basic and displaying him an indication of respect after the match.

A selfless employee from the standpoint of wins and losses, he’s all the pieces one would need from a prime star: He’s plausible, revered, reveals respect in type and excels at each side of his job.

He’s excellence personified however by no means carries himself like somebody superior to these round him. He merely likes to wrestle and elevate these round him. He’s, arguably, the best free-agent signing in firm historical past. And whereas his days as an on a regular basis competitor are nearing their finish, he has reiterated that he doesn’t intend to ever totally retire.

The wrestling bug is so robust inside him that followers can nonetheless depend on a traditional at any time when he decides to step again between the ropes.

Accomplishments: Co-founders of AEW, AEW world tag staff champions (3), AEW world trios champions (2; inaugural, with Kenny Omega)

Love them or detest them, The Younger Bucks are two different stars with out whom AEW wouldn’t exist.

The co-founders together with Elite brethren Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes, got down to change the wrestling panorama they usually did. Followers who adopted them all through their days of competing in Professional Wrestling Guerilla and New Japan Professional-Wrestling gleefully went alongside for the experience from the inception of AEW.

Brash and bordering on smug, the tandem knew they have been able to doing dazzling strikes and offensive combos that few might replicate. What they did between the ropes helped lay the muse for the AEW type that different groups would try to copy however fail to match.

It was on full show of their early battles with Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix and meshed properly with the normal ground-and-pound type of FTR, making Dax Harwood and Money Wheeler their best opponents beneath the banner of AEW.

From a storyline perspective, they have been on the coronary heart of the story involving the dissension inside The Elite that included an instantaneous traditional match towards Omega and Web page at Revolution 2020. They might reunite to take down The Internal Circle at Stadium Stampede.

The power to transition from babyface to heel proved precious for the staff, too, as they crammed roles as wanted primarily based on damage or storyline calls for. One minute they have been dishonest on behalf of Omega; the subsequent, they have been tearing down the home because the babyface challengers.

It doesn’t matter what they did, they remained related.

In 2024, the staff returned from a hiatus and once more discovered themselves within the function of villains, embracing their EVP standing as heel authority figures on prime of their detestable wrestler selves.

Their work as disingenuous employers has seen them return to the primary occasion whereas capturing their third AEW tag title, making them the primary staff to perform that feat.

The centerpieces of this period of AEW alongside Jack Perry and Kazuchika Okada within the revamped Elite, the Bucks determine to make extra historical past and create extra moments, guaranteeing their place within the firm’s historical past and, probably, sending them additional up this record by the point it’s revisited years from now.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion, Dynamite Diamond Ring (2019-2023)

It was clear from the second the younger, loudmouthed and smug MJF first appeared on AEW on the inaugural Double or Nothing that he was a star of the longer term.

Few might discuss and infuriate a crowd like him, regardless of his relative inexperience. Extra importantly, he might again up his trash-talking between the ropes.

He proved it, too, working with prime stars early in his AEW profession as these in energy acknowledged his potential.

Prolonged feuds with Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho and CM Punk positioned the Lengthy Island native because the heel of the longer term. He might cling with these proficient orators on the mic, then exit and have a show-stealing match with them, making him the only most dear younger pillar within the promotion.

His work to continually enhance and evolve as an in-ring employee, coupled together with his willingness to get warmth by saying absolutely anything to bother the followers and his friends, paid off in November 2022 when he defeated Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at Full Gear.

The focus of the corporate’s artistic efforts for the subsequent 12 months, he would efficiently defend towards fellow pillars Darby Allin, Jack Perry and Sammy Guevara, Adam Cole and New Japan Professional-Wrestling legend Hiroshi Tanahashi.

The feud with Cole, which noticed MJF develop the primary actual friendship of his grownup life, turned him right into a beloved babyface, just for his new buddy to betray him moments after the heartbreaking lack of the AEW title to Samoa Joe.

Sadly, the months-long storyline was by no means adequately adopted up because of accidents to each MJF and Cole. The previous has not been seen since his loss to Joe, sparking hypothesis about when he could also be again and what AEW has in retailer for him creatively.

No matter what that could be, there isn’t any denying his place this excessive on the record.

From uncomfortable lashings of Rhodes with a leather-based belt to signing with Chris Jericho in a phase proper off of Broadway, to going toe-to-toe with Punk on the mic and wrestling an Iron Man match with Bryan Danielson, he has established himself as one of many faces of AEW’s temporary historical past and the star almost definitely to information it into the subsequent decade.

Accomplishments: Co-founder of AEW, AEW world champion, AEW world tag staff champion (with Hangman Web page), AEW world trios champion (2; inaugural, with The Younger Bucks), first AEW triple crown champion

Probably the most embellished star in AEW’s first 5 years.

Kenny Omega left a extremely profitable and profitable run in NJPW, the place he established himself as The Greatest Bout Machine through classics with Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito and others, to ascertain his legacy stateside as a part of a promotion he hoped would change the wrestling panorama perpetually.

The previous chief of Bullet Membership joined The Younger Bucks, Cody Rhodes and Tony Khan in conceptualizing and introducing AEW to the world and wasted little time establishing what he would convey to the corporate.

One half of the primary occasion of the inaugural Double or Nothing, he misplaced to Chris Jericho in one other nice match between the 2, then instantly transitioned right into a rivalry with the incoming Jon Moxley. Their matches have been brutally violent, proving Omega was not merely a normal wrestler however might go hardcore when the event known as for it.

Later, he teamed with Hangman Web page to win the tag titles, defeated the Bucks in a traditional, and stood victorious beside his Elite mates after the primary Stadium Stampede.

It was his heel flip and run as AEW world champion that represented his greatest work, although. As The Belt Collector, he confirmed as much as Dynamite with the AAA and Affect Wrestling world titles to go together with his AEW model, a reminder of his excellence. Throughout his reign, he defeated Moxley and Christian Cage, amongst others.

He wrestled a time-limit draw with Bryan Danielson in what is perhaps the best match in Dynamite historical past, earlier than dropping the title to Web page within the emotional end result of Hangman’s story.

Omega continued to churn out dazzling performances and win gold, principally with the Bucks in trios motion, however he nonetheless managed to interrupt Dave Meltzer’s star score system once in a while, particularly following a showdown with Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door 2022.

At the moment sidelined as a result of results of diverticulitis, it stays to be seen once we will see Omega again within the AEW ring, however his legacy is secured both means.

One of many visionaries of the corporate and a star who lived as much as the lofty expectations of followers, he stays one of the vital well-liked and beloved stars within the business by those that have lengthy supported him and can proceed to, no matter what the longer term might maintain.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion (3), AEW interim world champion, AEW worldwide champion

The second Jon Moxley emerged from the group on the inaugural Double or Nothing in Could 2019 and attacked Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, it felt very very similar to professional wrestling would by no means be the identical once more.

Moxley launched a paradigm shift that instantly established AEW as an alternative choice to WWE and cemented his standing as one of many faces of the promotion.

His no-nonsense, grizzled in-ring type and willingness to undergo something if it meant beating his opponent captured the eye of followers and made him one of the vital well-liked guys on the roster.

It was solely a matter of time earlier than he captured the world title, defeating Jericho to change into champion on the first Revolution PPV in February 2020. The victory got here on the heels of an intensely violent feud with Omega that left little question in anybody’s thoughts that Moxley was in a position and able to lead the corporate.

He did and has continued to take action ever since.

Far higher than his many rivalries, victories and different accomplishments is the reliability and consistency he has delivered to AEW. In an organization that has seen accidents ravage the roster and adversely have an effect on artistic plans, or real-life controversies result in swift modifications to reserving, Moxley has at all times been prepared to choose up the ball and run with it.

When CM Punk was injured in 2022, Moxley reigned as interim world champion. When Punk was suspended because of the backstage brawl with the EVPs at All Out of that very same 12 months, Moxley once more ran with the title.

Even after he fended off his personal demons and returned from an inpatient alcohol remedy program, Moxley stepped proper again into the combination and thrived as a member of the Blackpool Fight Membership.

He has been steadily constant, can thrive as champion or just by beating folks up on the undercard. He has been profitable as a singles star or in tag groups, as witnessed in his and Claudio Castagnoli’s victory over FTR at Dynasty in April.

Adaptable and dominant, Moxley is the star many believed he might have been as Dean Ambrose in WWE. Virtually assured to bleed in some unspecified time in the future in his matches, he has given all the pieces he has for AEW, making him its MVP and savior within the hardest of instances.

His type shouldn’t be for everybody, and a few might discover fault with him seemingly by no means shedding, however there isn’t any denying what he has meant to the group or what number of instances he has bailed it out of powerful conditions.

Moxley is its chief and tone-setter, extra so than any EVP or pillar could possibly be, and he tops our record due to that.