10 Best Moments In AEW History
1. The Dark Order Make Their Entrance At Fight For The Fallen 2021
If the essence of AEW can be distilled into a single scene, this is that scene.
At Fight For The Fallen 2021, unfancied wrestlers the Dark Order, acting as surrogates for the fans, believed in and teamed with Hangman Page. Together, they took on the Elite and the Good Brothers.
This was an only-in-AEW masterpiece before the bell rang. In a moving, endearing video package that approached masculinity in wrestling with a refreshing new perspective, Page and the Order told fans that you don’t need a hat to be a cowboy. AEW - mostly a nice company - added a lone spotlight in remembrance of Mr. Brodie Lee.
This wonderful earnestness was contrasted by the Elite pissing about, treating Page with contempt, making their entrance to the main theme from ‘Space Jam’ - which, being AEW at its dorky, super-detailed best, was a tease of CM Punk’s basketball-themed First Dance debut.
This use of licensed music, another AEW signature, was an exercise in spending money to make a moment for the sheer love of it - an infinitely better improvement on cheapo in-house fare designed to save a few pennies for the sake of shareholders.
The exhilarating multi-man action was another AEW staple - crystallising the beautiful idea that the pro wrestler could express themselves and go all out on free TV because free TV need not be a phoned-in infomercial for the money you are asked to spend.
The match also distilled the brilliance of peak AEW’s storytelling principles: Page, the main character, lost cleanly because, in a bold sports-oriented twist, he was still out of form.
Clean finish. Licensed music. True, sporting drama, expertly-worked sense of panic. The Elite being Elite, at the top of their game, drawing big and underscoring their ability to change the world. White-hot crowd heat. Detail. Passion.
That’s what people talk about when they talk about AEW.