Best AEW Matches Ever.

[The Natural]

It's Wednesday. You know what that means.

I have a few ongoing countdown projects. I asked in last week's AEW Dynamite topic if there was interest in the Best AEW Matches Ever. There was. Thanks to @Technico Support, @J.T., @Log, @just drew, @twiztor, @Zakk_Sabbath and @eikerir.

20. Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega, Double or Nothing 2019.

19. Kenny Omega vs. Fenix. Dynamite, 6th January 2021.

18. Jon Moxley vs. Mr. Brodie Lee. Double or Nothing 2020.

17. Kenny Omega vs. Adam Page. Full Gear 2020.

16. Jungle Boy vs. Dax Harwood. Dynamite, 21st January 2021.

15. PAC vs. Kenny Omega. All Out 2019.

14. Cody vs. Eddie Kingston. Dynamite, 22nd July 2020.

13. Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston, Full Gear 2020.

12. Stadium Stampede. Double or Nothing 2020.

11. Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage. Dynamite, 13th January 2021.

10. Trent/Chuck Taylor vs. Santana/Ortiz. Dynamite, 16th September 2020.

9. Pentagon/Fenix vs. Matt Jackson/Nick Jackson. All Out 2019.

8. Kenny Omega vs. PAC. Dynamite, 26th February 2020.

7. Cody vs. Mr Brodie Lee. Dynamite, 22nd August 2020.

6. Dax Harwood/Cash Wheeler vs. Matt Jackson/Nick Jackson. Full Gear 2020. *****.

5. Mr Brodie Lee vs. Cody. Dynamite, 7th October 2020. *****.

4. Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes. Double or Nothing 2019. *****. 

3. Thunder Rosa vs. Dr. Britt Baker. Dynamite, 17th March 2021. *****.

2. Kenny Omega/Adam Page vs. Matt Jackson/Nick Jackson. Revolution 2020. *****.

1. Adam Page/John Silver/Alex Reynolds vs. MJF/Santana/Ortiz. Dynamite, 30th December 2020.

I'll post updated lists in new posts.

[The Natural]

It's impressive in a short space of time, the quality matches AEW's provided wrestling fans and how a good chunk of them come from their main TV show. If I were to do my top 20 WWE and WCW matches ever, very few if any would be TV apart from NXT.

[Zakk_Sabbath]

Great, great list man. I've seen every one of 'em, and I got no qualms. My heart wants to argue to put Best Friends/Proud N Powerful higher, but you really kinda can't, that's a hell of a top 9 

[twiztor]

that is a hell of a list. i honestly don't recall your #1 pick. will have to search that one out. bump your 2-4 up and you get my top 3. Omega vs Moxley in the Lights Out match is the only thing that makes my list and not yours.

i'm not as high on Stadium Stampede as everyone else seems to be. it was fine, but i wouldn't put it anywhere near my top list.

can't wait to see where Blood & Guts ranks!

[The Natural]

17 minutes ago, Zakk_Sabbath said:

Great, great list man. I've seen every one of 'em, and I got no qualms. My heart wants to argue to put Best Friends/Proud N Powerful higher, but you really kinda can't, that's a hell of a top 9 

Cheers, @Zakk_Sabbath. Appreciate it. Looking back on my list, Best Friends vs. Proud N Powerful should be above Lucha Bros/Young Bucks. I'll fix that when I post an updated list. Might also have it above Omega/PAC as well.

[The Natural]

17 minutes ago, twiztor said:

that is a hell of a list. i honestly don't recall your #1 pick. will have to search that one out. bump your 2-4 up and you get my top 3. Omega vs Moxley in the Lights Out match is the only thing that makes my list and not yours.

i'm not as high on Stadium Stampede as everyone else seems to be. it was fine, but i wouldn't put it anywhere near my top list.

can't wait to see where Blood & Guts ranks!

Cheers, @twiztor. Cool how similar our tastes are! My #1 is from the Mr. Brodie Lee tribute show. The callbacks to things Mr. Brodie Lee did in the Dark Order, John Silver's hot tag, Erick Rowan debuting, Brodie Lee Jr getting involved on MJF and the post match emotion. A remarkable match on the perfect tribute show.

Stadium Stampede dropped down a couple of places on my list from where it began. Still placed well.

I also can't wait to see where Blood & Guts between the Inner Circle and Pinnacle next week ranks. High expectations dating back to when the match was first announced in March 2020 but cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Edited April 28, 2021 by The Natural

[twiztor]

4 hours ago, The Natural said:

My #1 is from the Mr. Brodie Lee tribute show. 

ah, that stirs the ol' memory. the show as a whole was absolutely fantastic and the main was definitely a highlight. i must've just lumped everything together in my brain.

[John from Cincinnati]

Only a couple unrepresented matches here that jump out at me. I know narratives continue to evolve around both these guys and so to does people's feelings, but I loved Cody vs Jericho at Full Gear. Helped that it was easy to buy what pain Cody was in after eating the ramp. That's probably a top five for me. Also enjoyed Cody vs Wardlow if only for the spectacle of it being the only cage match in AEW history to date and a good one at that. That's probably a top ten for me. 

[NikoBaltimore]

The crazy thing is as much as I liked that cage match it kind of speaks to the run they've had if that didn't make the top 20.  I will also say that I liked the Cody/Jericho match especially when seeing him eat the ramp live.  But I just can't see it as a top 20 match.  Top 25, yes, but not 20.

I'm also really curious to see where Blood and Guts places assuming everything goes right.  It could be pretty high up there even if the build to it is way too fast for my liking.

[Big Z]

From watching the original All Out back a couple of months ago, I also really liked the inaugural AEW title match between Jericho and Hangman. While Jericho has looked like he's  aged in dog years at times in the last few months, he brought his working boots when AEW started. I could likely find a spot for it in the back part of that list.

Not sure if I could argue for any of these to make the list, but others that I have really enjoyed are Darby-Sammy from Revolution 2020, Omega/Page vs. Lucha Brothers from same Dynamite as Cody/Wardlow in Atlanta, Omega-Trent from one of Nightmare Factory Dynamite shows, and Young Bucks-Rhodes Brothers from the original Fight for the Fallen (definitely in the minority on that one, but that match worked well for me).

 

[Gordi the recovering AEW f]

Love that list!

I haven't tried to put a list of my own together, and I don't know what I would leave out to fit them in... but I loved the two TV matches Mox and Darby fought in AEW. An 11-minute violent classic in November 2019 that showed how great Darby was at getting over without going over, and their AEW Title match from July of last year. 

I'd try to jam both of those into my top 20 somehow.

[just drew]

I mean, that's basically my top 20, even if the order is different.. I'd try to figure out how to get "Arcade Anarchy" in there, because I really like weird shit like that, but that's basically it. It is crazy how much good shit AEW has put out in 18 months.

[The Natural]

Cheers contributors. Interesting reading how you mostly agree with my top 20 and the omissions of mine that would make your top 20. Thanks again!

[eikerir]

Good list, there's still no better and more satisfying match to me than Bucks vs. Omega/Page. It's still my most rewatched AEW match and the peak of AEW in ring action and storytelling so far.

I feel PAC vs. Orange Cassidy should be in there somehow as it was OC's first big showcase and the crowd reaction, in ring action and PAC being the perfect foil for him made for a classic fun match that still lives rent free in my mind.

Edited April 30, 2021 by eikerir

[maciej]

Fun list! I stopped keeping my usual spreadsheet last year because, you know, last year, so I'd have to do some rewatching, but I think your #2-4 matches and your #19 would probably make up my top 4 with the Rosa/Britt match at #1. Two that I think would make my top 10 that I haven't seen mentioned yet: Nyla/Riho from 2/12/20 and the Darby/John Silver match from 3/24/21.

[John from Cincinnati]

On 4/28/2021 at 7:11 PM, El Gran Gordi said:

Love that list!

I haven't tried to put a list of my own together, and I don't know what I would leave out to fit them in... but I loved the two TV matches Mox and Darby fought in AEW. An 11-minute violent classic in November 2019 that showed how great Darby was at getting over without going over, and their AEW Title match from July of last year. 

I'd try to jam both of those into my top 20 somehow.

I think those are maybe my favourite Darby matches. I’d love if the mutual respect between Mox and Darbs led to a one-time super team of Mox/Kingston/Darby/Sting at some point. Gotta dream big. 

[Guest Jimbo_Tsuruta]

Omega/Page v YB, Rosa v Britt and Cody v Dustin are probably my top three.

[J.T.]

I can't argue with that list.  Aside from a few flip flops in rankings, my list is remarkably similar.

[The Natural]

Be interesting to see which of tonight's Double or Nothing 3 matches, if any, make our Best AEW Matches Ever. Need to watch some Serena Deeb also.

Edited May 30, 2021 by The Natural

[The Natural]

On 5/30/2021 at 5:05 AM, The Natural said:

Be interesting to see which of tonight's Double or Nothing 3 matches, if any, make our Best AEW Matches Ever. Need to watch some Serena Deeb also.

Thinking Young Bucks vs. Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston will make my updated list more than any other Double or Nothing match. Stadium Stampede 2 and Sting/Darby Allin vs. Scorpio Sky/Ethan Page have a shot. Need to watch Serena Deeb vs. Riho on the pre-show and other Deeb matches.

[Big Z]

I would probably put the three way match in there also, and kind of want to find a spot for Hangman-Cage also just cause I really liked the match and finish. I've re-watched the first Pac-Omega match from All Out 2019, and it's good, but personally do not see it as quite top 20 list worthy. Now, I personally am also very fond of the Shida-Britt Baker match and rank it among my top 20 favorite matches, but objectively may not quite deserve that standing (but again is proof of how much a good finish can add to a match, taking it from solid to very memorable).

[Big Z]

Re-watched the opener, tag title and world title match from Double or Nothing before Dynamite last Saturday, and actually prefer the three-way match to the tag title match now (and rate Hangman-Cage the same, a really fun opener that's probably a touch above four stars). Think the tag title match is a step or two behind the amazing Bucks-Omega/Hangman match at Revolution and the Bucks/FTR match at Full Gear in 2020. Loved the psychology of working over Kingston's bad leg to basically eliminate him from the match (an personally would have played that as the finish), but the Bucks-Moxley finishing sequence did not quite hit for me in execution even though it makes sense on paper (Moxley could not overcome the double team). No issue with the Bucks winning (especially since Moxley needed time off in real-life), but unfortunately watching the match again dampened my thoughts on it a bit. 

On the flip-side, the world title match is sneaky awesome (probably not five stars, but not too far off). Great story with Orange trying to capitalize in opportunistic situations, Pac looking a badass that would win in a straight up match, and the champion Omega trying to escape what turned out to be a sticky situation with two very capable challengers (and while I was intrigued by an Orange-Omega match going in, glad that Pac added that extra layer in hindsight). This looks like the start of Omega having a strong end sequence to his title run, and expect this match to age really well. I'd have this match now somewhere in the middle of the top 20 best AEW matches.

[The Natural]

Since my original post, notable matches:

Blood and Guts. AEW Dynamite, 5th May 2021.

Young Bucks vs. Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston. AEW Double or Nothing, 30th May 2021.

Stadium Stampede 2. AEW Double or Nothing, 30th May 2021.

Kenny Omega vs. PAC vs. Orange Cassidy. AEW Double or Nothing, 30th May 2021.

Darby Allin/Sting vs. Scorpio Sky/Ethan Page. AEW Double or Nothing, 30th May 2021.

Adam Page vs. Brian Cage. AEW Double or Nothing, 30th May 2021.

Serena Deeb vs. Riho. AEW The Buy In. AEW Double or Nothing, 30th May 2021.

Kenny Omega vs. Jungle Boy. AEW Dynamite, 26th June 2021.

Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer. AEW Dynamite, 21st July 2021.

Edited July 24, 2021 by The Natural

[The Natural]

Looking forward to next week's AEW Dynamite already for The Elite vs. Adam Page/The Dark Order in an Elimination Tag and #FTR vs. Santana and Ortiz. If those deliver as promised, they have a shot at making the updated Best AEW Matches Ever list. Hope both get the right amount of time. The ten man can't be a rushed elimination one.

Edited July 22, 2021 by The Natural

[The Natural]

Three months ago to the day I created this topic so here's my updated list made up of the twenty best matches in AEW history. Three new matches make it while some matches have moved up while others have dropped.

20. Jungle Boy vs. Dax Harwood. Dynamite, 21st January 2021.

19. Hikaru Shida vs. Tay Conti. Dynamite, 21st April 2021.

18. Kenny Omega vs. Fenix. Dynamite, 6th January 2021.

17. Jon Moxley vs. Mr. Brodie Lee. Double or Nothing 2020.

16. Cody vs. Eddie Kingston. Dynamite, 22nd July 2020.

15. Darby Allin/Sting vs. Scorpio Sky/Ethan Page. AEW Double or Nothing, 30th May 2021.

14. Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston, Full Gear 2020.

13. Stadium Stampede. Double or Nothing 2020.

12. Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer. AEW Dynamite, 21st July 2021.

11. Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage. Dynamite, 13th January 2021.

10. Pentagon/Fenix vs. Matt Jackson/Nick Jackson. All Out 2019.

9. Kenny Omega vs. PAC. Dynamite, 26th February 2020.

8. Trent/Chuck Taylor vs. Santana/Ortiz. Dynamite, 16th September 2020.

7. Cody vs. Mr Brodie Lee. Dynamite, 22nd August 2020.

6. Mr Brodie Lee vs. Cody. Dynamite, 7th October 2020. *****.

5. Dax Harwood/Cash Wheeler vs. Matt Jackson/Nick Jackson. Full Gear 2020. *****.

4. Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes. Double or Nothing 2019. *****. 

3. Thunder Rosa vs. Dr. Britt Baker. Dynamite, 17th March 2021. *****.

2. Kenny Omega/Adam Page vs. Matt Jackson/Nick Jackson. Revolution 2020. *****.

1. Adam Page/John Silver/Alex Reynolds vs. MJF/Santana/Ortiz. Dynamite, 30th December 2020.

There were better matches on AEW Double or Nothing 2021 than Darby Allin/Sting vs. Scorpio Sky/Ethan Page but that resonated with me the most. Sting's a childhood favourite of mine, Sting's performance in his first match proper after what happened to him vs. Seth Rollins at WWE Night of Champions 2015 meant it made my list.

What do we think about Blood and Guts? There were things I liked from the match: the violence, #FTR, Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz. Things I didn't, everything outside the cage. I rarely do when that happens. To me the latter outweighs the good and that's why I can't vote for it.

I'm hoping The Elite vs. Adam Page/The Dark Order in an Elimination Tag and #FTR vs. Santana and Ortiz from tonight's Dynamite will make the Mk III version of this project.