12 Times AEW Was Better Than Literally EVERYTHING

11. Those Magic Weekend Nights

AEW Sting
AEW

To reduce it, the core purpose of a pro wrestling promotion is to build towards - and nail the execution of - major destination events. If there’s a top 10 list of the best pro wrestling PPVs ever, it really might be difficult for any other company to get a look in. 

AEW Revolution 2020 is the model pay-per-view for any promotion on an upward trajectory. Match for match, it has since been improved upon - several times - but the vast amount of talents who felt like world-beaters on the night was incredible. Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin, MJF, Jon Moxley, and Hangman Page all looked more than capable of securing AEW’s future over the next five years. And they did. 

All Out 2021 was, in fact, too good to be true - but if Revolution ‘20 felt like the night AEW could become one of the best promotions ever, All Out 2021 was the night it did. 

Since then, take your pick. The talent roster expanded to an extent that presented several niggling issues on TV, but on those immortal weekend nights, it was worth it. 

Revolution 2023 boasted the best Iron Man match and (to that point) the best plunder match in AEW history. An absolutely exhilarating trios match between the Elite and the House of Black was merely the third best match on the card. Dynasty 2024 casually presented what many consider to be the best match ever promoted on U.S. soil.

If you trawl through AEW’s big show chronology, from 2021 onwards, the absolute worst you’re looking at is a 7 out of 10. The sheer number of bonafide 9s - WrestleDream ‘23, All In: London ‘24, Revolution 2025 - is outrageous. All in: Texas was a 9.5. The fourth-best match on that show was a worthy entry into the Kenny Omega Vs. Kazuchika Okada rivalry, for Christ’s sake.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!