Top 20 AEW Matches

Top 20 AEW Matches

Originally Written for OME37PM in February 2021

Hey everyone! It’s The Wrestling Classic here with another list for On37PM. This time I list the Top 20 Matches for AEW according to me. All Elite Wrestling has been around for a little over a year now but still manages to feel like a fresh alternative in the wrestling world. It definitely is a show I look forward to every week considering all the wrestling we get these days. AEW provides an entire buffet when it comes to styles of wrestling and their roster is only growing every week. They provide us with great matches on a regular basis on their PPV’s and on Dynamite, therefore making this list was pretty difficult. I also really tried to consider the significance of the stories being told and the significance of the matches themselves instead of just the in-ring action so this list could be more for everyone. Let me know what you think about my list and if I forgot any memorable matches.

Honorable Mentions

Fight For The Fallen – 07/13/19
The Young Bucks vs. Dustin Rhodes & Cody Rhodes

 All Out – 08/31/19
Kenny Omega vs. PAC

Full Gear – 11/09/19
AEW World Championship
Chris Jericho w/ Jake Hager vs. Cody Rhodes w/ MJF

Dynamite – 02/19/20
Steel Cage Match
Cody Rhodes vs Wardlow

Revolution – 02/29/20
Darby Allin vs Sammy Guevara

Double or Nothing – 05/23/20
MJF vs Jungle Boy

Dark – 09/22/20
Benjamin Carter vs. Lee Johnson

Full Gear – 11/07/20
World Title Eliminator Finals
Kenny Omega vs. “Hangman” Adam Page

Full Gear – 11/07/20
AEW World Championship
Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston

Dynamite – 01/27/21
Dax Harwood vs. Jungle Boy

Top 20 Matches

20. Chris Jericho vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
AEW World Championship
All Out – 08/31/19

This match mainly holds historic significance because it was to crown the first ever AEW Champion. The veteran Chris Jericho faced off against the young rising star “Hangman” Adam Page. It was a seasoned pro facing off against the future of wrestling inside of an All Elite Wrestling ring to find out who would represent the company in its inaugural year. The match was competitive with Chris Jericho coming out on top in the end. I thought this was great call to have a wrestling legend like Chris Jericho to be the first champion since AEW was a new company premiering on network television. However, it also put a great spotlight on Adam Page who remain a fan favourite moving forward. I think we’re all waiting for the day Adam Page does eventually become champion.

19. Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee
AEW World Championship
Double or Nothing – 05/23/20

It was inevitable that the recently revealed Exalted One of the Dark Order would set his eyes on the AEW Championship to make the Dark Order the most dominant faction in AEW. Brodie Lee made suer we weren’t going to have to wait long as he made his presence felt attacking Moxley stating his intentions. Jon Moxley was the champion and was not backing down from any challenges and Brodie was a familiar foe from their days in the WWE so both guys knew each other very well. The match felt like a fight from bell to bell. Br0die Lee really got to show us what he could do in a big match situation and that he belonged in the main event. Moxley had to get violent and vicious to defeat Lee. Brodie never lost but rather passed out in a submission. The only issue with this match was that the referee seemed to be too lenient with the rules since this regular match felt more like a street fight. Overall, it was a great match.

18. Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley
AEW World Championship
Revolution – 02/29/20

Jon Moxley had a long road before facing Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship. Jericho tried to avoid having to have the match by inviting Moxley to join his Inner Circle faction but Moxley wasn’t interested. Following that Jericho stabbed Moxley in the eye with one of the spikes from his jacket. This still didn’t stop Moxley from showing up for a fight, instead it ignited his ambitions even more. They told a great story where in the end the good guy Moxley outsmarted the bad guy Jericho when Moxley revealed that his eye had healed catching Jericho off guard before hitting his finisher for the victory. This was great because Moxley even wore an eye patch the entire time he was on Jericho cruise weeks prior to the show as well to sell the angle. Moxley becoming the new and second ever AEW Champion is another reason why this match will always stand out too.

17. PAC vs. Orange Cassidy
Revolution – 05/23/20

It was Orange Cassidy’s singles in ring debut and it was against none other then “The Bastard” PAC. The contrast in styles really created the anticipation for this match as Orange Cassidy is the “King of Sloth Style.” It’s a style in which he does the bare minimum and even throws kicks with his hands in his pockets. PAC is a serious competitor who doesn’t have time for any shenanigans. The match was entertaining as hell and crowd was really behind Orange Cassidy. Cassidy even got some believable near falls after showcasing some of his bursts of athleticism throughout the match but in the end the right man went over in PAC. The Bastard made the Freshly Squeezed on tap out to the brutalizer. The Lucha Brothers and The Best Friends got involved too during the match. Overall this is a must watch for anyone who enjoys the entertainment side of professional wrestling.

16. Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega
AEW World Championship
Dynamite – 12/02/20

Kenny Omega defeated “Hangman” Adam Page in another awesome match at Full Gear which was the finals of the World Title Eliminator Tournament to become the new number one contender for the AEW Championship. Omega spent most of the year as one half of the tag team champions with Page so it was exciting to see that he would finally be main the championship picture. In the final months of their tag title reign and especially after they lost the tag team titles, Omega started to show some heel-like tendencies. He became more selfish, arrogant, frustrated and unpredictable. Therefore, we were getting a more motivated Omega facing off against the reigning and defending confident champion Jon Moxley. It was a PPV worthy competitive main event which ended with Impact Wrestling’s Don Callis helping Kenny Omega win the AEW Championship. Although the ending came with interference, Jon Moxley still looked strong, Kenny Omega confirmed his heel turn and the finish really set the tone for 2021.

15. Cody Rhodes w/ Arn Anderson vs. Darby Allin
AEW TNT Championship
Full Gear – 11/07/20

The TNT Championship was introduced to All Elite Wrestling as the secondary championship for the workhorses to great fanfare. As the first champion Cody Rhodes built up the titles prestige by defending it every week in open challenges giving any comers an opportunity to fight for the championship. He briefly lost it to Brodie Lee in dominating fashion but eventually won it back. After defeating Orange Cassidy a couple of times, it was Darby Allin’s turn to step up for the TNT Championship. Cody cut a promo on Darby the week before the match stating how he vouched for Darby when the company was looking for talent and he wanted Darby to prove to him that he wasn’t wrong. This was a close match between the two which results in both wrestlers looking strong. Cody even kicked out of a coffin drop when everyone thought the match was finished. The thing that really made this match significant was the aftermath where Cody knelt down on one knee to present Allin with the TNT Championship passing the torch from one workhorse to another.

14. Rey Fenix vs. Penta El Zero M
Dynamite 10/21/20

 The Lucha Brothers are one of the most talented and popular tag teams in All Elite Wrestling. However, every time we have seen them face off against each other it’s been something special. They don’t only know each other better than anyone else because they’re a team-team but also because they are real-life brothers. This was the first round of the world title eliminator tournament and it took place on Dynamite. Eddie Kingston was on commentary f0r the match as he was friends with both competitors. These two put on an absolute banger for Dynamite and I don’t think us fans expected anything less. Rey Fenix picked up the victory after a competitive match against his brother after catching Penta with a destroyer. It was nice to see a destroyer actually finish the match as its become a transitional move these days. This match further showcased that Fenix has a bright future ahead of him as a singles star one day and that Penta is still one of the best today with “cero miedo.”

13. Cody Rhodes w/ Brandi Rhodes & Arn Anderson vs. MJF w/ Wardlow
Revolution – 02/29/20

The friendship between Cody Rhodes and MJF was questionable to everyone but Cody who always saw MJF as the salt of the earth and his protege. No matter what MJF’s reputation was or if anyone tried to warn Cody about Max’s true intentions, Cody refused to believe that MJF didn’t have his back. MJF’s attitude around Cody was so differentto the point where you really questioned if Max did have a different level of respect for Cody. There were times that we thought MJF was going to turn on Cody but he never did. When Rhodes faced off against Jericho for the AEW Title at Full Gear 2019, where the stipulation was that if Rhodes lost, he wouldn’t be able to challenge for the championship ever again, it was MJF who threw in the towel to forfeit the match for Rhodes. Following the match MJF finally showed his true colours and attacked Cody. For months Rhodes tried to get MJF to fight him and when he eventually did they had a banger of a match. In the end a bloody MJF picked up the victory to stay undefeated when he used his Dynamite Diamond Ring to his advantage. This match stands out because of the anticipation the fans had to see these two finally go toe to toe and they were able to tell a great story in the ring off the  long build-up.

12. Kenny Omega & “Hangman” Adam Page vs. FTR w/ Tully Blanchard
AEW Tag Team Championship
All Out – 09/05/20

Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page were an unlikely tag team that showed cracks along the way during their championship run but continued to find ways to work together successfully to hold on to the tag team titles. However, when Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler made their presence known in All Elite Wrestling, you knew Omega and Page’s days as tag team champions were numbered. FTR are considered to be one of the best tag teams of the modern area and them securing Tully Blanchard as their manager just made them even more dangerous. FTR became the number one contenders after winning a tag team gauntlet in which Page assisted in getting the Young Bucks eliminated. This led to Page leaving “The Elite” and had everyone question his loyalty to Kenny Omega. This was a great match with multiple layers of storytelling happening. Omega was concerned about where Page’s head was at but he ended up hitting Page with a V-trigger by accident which was the beginning of the end for their team. FTR picked up the victory, became tag team champions and remained undefeated while Omega was the one who walked out

11. The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Brothers
AAA World Tag Team Championship
Double or Nothing – 05/20/19

Photo By Ricky Havlik 

Those who were fans of both teams before All Elite Wrestling took off all knew this match was going to be a spectacle. It was nothing less than that. It was an awesome match from two of the best teams in the world. It was brothers versus brothers for the Triple AAA Tag Team Championships. It was a match that was sparked from the Las Vegas Rally when the Lucha Brothers attacked The Young Bucks. They went back and forth for a few months until their first match at a Triple A event where The Young Bucks defeated The Lucha Brothers for the Triple AAA tag titles. A rematch was booked for AEW’s inaugural Double or Nothing event with the tag titles on the line again. It was an extremely fast pace, balls to wall and competitive match between two great teams. In the end, The Young Bucks picked up the victory to retain the tag titles but this wouldn’t be the final match of this feud. This match definitely was a prime preview of what tag team wrestling in AEW was going to be like.

10. Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley – Lights Out Match
Full Gear – 11/09/19

When Jon Moxley made his surprise All Elite Wrestling debut at Double or Nothing, one of the first people he targeted was Kenny Omega. They had a match scheduled for All Out but it was postponed due to Moxley having an elbow injury. Therefore, the match was moved to Full Gear when Moxley was cleared to compete. The road to Full Gear showed Kenny Omega trying to play Moxley’s game in getting extreme even confronting Moxley with a barbwire broom. Their match at Full Gear was then booked to be a “Lights Out Match” which basically meant it was unsanctioned by AEW. This basically meant it could get as hardcore and violent as they wanted without AEW suffering any consequences from what happens by not officially recognizing the match. The match was violent and as hardcore as it gets which was a throwback to Moxley’s days in CZWand the independents prior to WWE. The match included several weapons including glass, anchor chains, trash cans, a screwdriver, a barbed wire bat, a barbed wire broom and even a platform covered in barbed wire. These two beat the crap out of each other with many near falls but in the end Moxley reigned supreme with a Paradigm Shift.

9. Brodie Lee vs. Cody Rhodes – Dog Collar Match
AEW TNT Championship
Dynamite – 10/07/20

If the last match on this list was an example of a modern day violent match then the Dog Collar Match is an example of an old school violent wrestling match. Cody Rhodes returned looking to get his TNT Championship back that he lost to Brodie Lee weeks before in devastating fashion. Brodie Lee was on a reign of terror after beating Cody while Rhodes left for a brief period for television obligations outside of AEW. Cody returned with dark hair and looking more serious to attack Brodie and the Dark Order. Cody Rhodes was not just returning to regain the championship but also redeem his pride. This was an old school fight that was both professional and personal. It was reminiscent of the classic dog collar match between “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine from the 1983 Starrcade. Greg Valentine was also in the crowd for the match. The match finished with a Cross Rhodes onto Brodie for Cody to once again become to the TNT Champion. This match will also always be memorable because it was Brodie Lee’s final match before he unfortunately passed away.

8. Proud & Powerful vs. The Best Friends – Parking Lot Brawl
Dynamite – 09/16/20

These two teams were feuding with each other for quite some time but things really picked up when Ortiz and Santana destroyed Trent’s moms van. That was truly the final straw and it led to a parking lot brawl match to be booked between the two teams. Regardless, how silly the build up was, the match was really fun and memorable. It initially reminded me of the parking lot brawl that Eddie Guerrero had with John Cena in 2004. They were outside in the parking lot as they fought on the concrete with cars and trucks surrounding them. There were also wrestlers standing around to cheer them on. It was enjoyable to watch, very hard-hitting and they were creative the whole way. I give them a lot of credit for taking some big bumps throughout the match and making this fight feel personal. There were a ton of cars damaged during this match. In the end with the help of Orange Cassidy, the Best Friends picked up the win. The final moments of Dynamite ended with Trent’s mom Sue picking up the Best Friends and Orange Cassidy. As Sue drove the guys away in her white van, she stopped to give the middle finger to the opponents which was quite amusing.

7. Jon Moxley vs. MJF w/ Wardlow
AEW World Championship
All Out – 09/05/20

This is personally my favourite Jon Moxley match in AEW for so many different reasons. MJF was on a roll and finally receiving a AEW Championship title opportunity. However, it was against someone who had a completely different personality and wrestling style then him in Jon Moxley. Both Moxley and MJF came into this match with undefeated streaks so there was something else on the line other than just the championship. Leading up the match MJF began a mock political campaign focused on taking down “Dictator John” and tried to gain the advantage by getting Moxley’s Paradigm Shift finish banned for this match. MJF brought the fight to Moxley but champion would not stay down. This was more of a wrestling mach compared to other Moxley matches which is why I think I preferred it. The ending did come with shenanigans as MJF did try using a thumb to the eye and even a low-blow for near falls. In the end, while Wardlow had the referee distracted in an attempt to help Max, Moxley hit the banned Paradigm Shift to retain his championship. It was a great way for Moxley to show blatant disrespect to MJF but it also allowed Max to stay arrogant about Moxley having to break the rules to defeat him. There needed to be justice for MJF.

6. The Lucha Brothers vs. The Young Bucks – Ladder Match
AAA World Tag Team Championship
All Out 08/31/19

Photo by James Musselwhite / AEW

When two of the most popular and creative high-flying tag teams have to out-do their last match at Double or Nothing to blow off their feud, there isn’t many better options then a ladder match or an “Escalera De La Muerte”as they called it here. This was a feud that started back at the AEW Las Vegas Rally when the Lucha Brothers attacked The Young Bucks. Following that the Young Bucks defeated The Lucha Bros for the Triple AAA tag team titles in Mexico and retained the titles again at Double or Nothing. The Lucha Brothers challenged The Young Bucks one more time but this time under ladder match rules. The match was everything you expected and more but also didn’t over stay its welcome. It was fast paced with creative spots and both teams felt extremely competitive to out-do the other team. The destroyer from the ladder through the table will always be a memorable spot from All Elite Wrestling’s early years. This insane match came to a finish when the Lucha Brothers regained the Triple AAA tag team titles by climbing the ladder and retrieving the belts. This would be the last time we would see the Triple AAA tag team titles on AEW as they would create their own tag team titles shortly after this event. This match was fantastic though.

5. Kenny Omega vs. PAC
30 Minute Iron Man Match
Dynamite – 02/26/20

The fact that this match was given to us on live network television and not saved for a PPV was shocking. However, it let wrestling fans know not to miss out on the weekly Dynamite as there would be big ticket matches on the show they could miss if they didn’t tune in. The feud between PAC and Omega began as when The Bastard replaced Moxley at All Out 2019 only to defeat Omega in dominating fashion making him pass out in the Brutalizer. Kenny Omega would pick up the win in their rematch in late November and this did not sit well with PAC. The Bastard continuously called out Kenny Omega for a rubber match until he actually got one. This match would be a 30 minute Iron Man Match. The rules for an Ironman Match, in case you don’t know, is that the winner will be the man to get the most falls over the 30 minutes time limit. This was a personal and competitive match. PAC used a chair early on to give Omega the 1-0 lead. The second fall came after PAC hit a Black Arrow thus tying up the match 1-1. There were referee bumps and more but the time ran out. Justin Roberts announced that the match would go into Sudden Death overtime. One minute into overtime Omega was able to hit the One Winged Angel for the victory at 2-1. There were several believable near-falls for both guys, the crowd was hot for all of it, both guys looked strong and this match was outstanding from start to finish.

4. The Elite & Matt Hardy vs. The Inner Circle
Stadium Stampede Match
Double or Nothing – 05/23/20

If this list is based off of matches that are memorable more so than them being five star classics then the Stadium Stampede match definitely left an impression on everyone whether it was good or bad. As we were deep into the no live audience pandemic era of wrestling, both WWE and AEW took advantage of there being no fans by producing cinematic matches. The match between The Inner Circle and The Elite was originally supposed to take place in a “Blood and Guts” match which many of us assumed would be something similar to the classic War Games matches. Instead, due to the pandemic the match continued to get postponed until the Stadium Stampede was booked for Double or Nothing. It was Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Page, Matt Hardy and The Young Bucks facing off against Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz. This match was extremely entertaining and special. It felt more like a fight scene from a movie than a wrestling show but that was the entire point. There were so many memorable, hilarious and entertaining moments in this match, that me listing them out wouldn’t do it justice. Please trust me when I say take your time to go watch this if you’re one of those people who doesn’t take everything so seriously and enjoys being entertained. The Elite went over in the end but at the end of this match both teams were over with me.

3. FTR w/ Tully Blanchard vs. The Young Bucks
AEW Tag Team Championship
Full Gear – 11/07/2o

It’s always special when a match that is considered a dream match becomes a reality. The Young Bucks were considered to be one of the greatest tag teams outside of the WWE for years whereas many would consider The Revival to be one of the greatest tag teams in WWE even though they felt under appreciated at times. Regardless if wrestling fans felt like the Revival were mis-used in the WWE, they won every major tag team title in the company when it came to their American programs. The Young Bucks had won tag team gold from all around the world from various different promotions. There was also a long period where it was a running joke on the “Being the Elite” series that the Elite would say “F the Revival” getting fans more excited for the potential match. Both teams even tweeted out that one day they would wrestle each other and that everyone would rejoice. Therefore, when the news broke that The Revival were finally leaving WWE, the wrestling world was ecstatic. The first night Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler appeared on Dynamite, they had a face to face with the Young Bucks to get things started. In the months leading to the match FTR aligned themselves with Tully Blanchard and won the tag team titles. The match between FTR and the Young Bucks lived up to expectations and was definitely one to remember. The only thing missing was the presence of a large audience but that was out of their control. The Young Bucks defeated FTR to win the tag team titles when Cash Wheeler tried a 450 splash that didn’t connect which is against their “no flips, just fists” style. It gave them a good reason to why they lost instead of just losing clean to the Young Bucks. I am definitely looking forward to when they meet again and hopefully it’s soon.

2. Kenny Omega & “Hangman” Adam Page vs. The Young Bucks
AEW Tag Team Championship
Revolution – 02/29/20

The Young Bucks won a battle royal on Dynamite to secure a title shot against Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page. It was going to be a battle between The Elite for the tag team titles. There was already some tension between Page and the rest of The Elite so The Young Bucks were the odd on favourites here. People were really curious to see if Omega and Page could stay on the same page as Hangman started questioning his place in the friend group. This match was incredible from start to finish. They kept a great pace by picking it up as the match went a long where the final minutes were fantastic. They had the confused Hangman story to play off of but in the end he played his role as a compromising tag team partner to Kenny Omega. Kenny Omega was also playing the weak link in this match since it followed his Iron Man Match against PAC. The live crowd also brought a lot of energy to this match too since they were super invested into it. They fans were indecisive with where they stood with The Young Back as Hangman was really over at this point with the fans. The work was top notch, there were great believable near falls and the Bucks had to fall into a heel role in desperation. They really had us on the edge of our seat but in the end it was a Buckshot Lariat from Hangman that allowed Omega and Page to retain their tag team titles. This was definitely a phenomenal showcase of modern day tag team wrestling.

1. Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes
Double or Nothing – 05/25/19

This one was for Dusty Rhodes. This one was for their dad. The story was simple yet significant. It was a generational clash between two brothers with a substantial age difference fighting to prove different things to each other. Cody wanted to beat Dustin to kill off the “Attitude Era” to allow wrestling to move forward from a beloved era his older brother was a big part of.  He was done with past legends taking spots from current talent, the fans being obsessed with a specific era and professional wrestling as a whole relying on its history to carry the business in the present. Dustin was wrestling to prove that he could still go, hang with his much younger brother and that he still had a lot to offer to professional wrestling. Dustin did however say he just wanted to prove himself and that this would be his final match. It was really believable that it could be his last match considering the match was against his brother. This match is the perfect example of why I call professional wrestling the greatest form of art and athleticism.
They were able to tell us a great emotional story through wrestling and it was followed up with a memorable moment between brothers. The fans were into the match from the start and it was an old school fight where the blood pouring from Dustin head added so much to the story of the match. Dustin put on one of his greatest performances at the age of 50 and proved he could hang with his younger brother. Although Dustin got some near falls, it was Cody Rhodes picking up the victory after a Cross Rhodes. This match was beautiful and reminder of how great professional wrestling can be. Following the match, Cody tells Dustin that he can’t retire because he needed a tag team partner for the upcoming “Fight for the Fallen” event. Cody told his bloody brother that he doesn’t need a partner or a friend, he needs his brother and they shared a hug to a huge ovation. It was truly something special and added to the entire presentation. Check it out if you haven’t already.

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