12 Times AEW Was Better Than Literally EVERYTHING
7. When The Bell Rang
Through sheer longevity alone, NJPW has almost certainly promoted more great matches than AEW (and indeed every other competitor). Where AEW might win this category is range.
WWE boasts both. It’s a promotion that has dealt in incendiary brawls (Bret Hart Vs. Steve Austin, WrestleMania 13), modern technical classics (Daniel Bryan Vs. AJ Styles, TLC 2018), and deliriously entertaining bullsh*t spectacles (Sami Zayn Vs. Johnny Knoxville, WrestleMania 38).
The sheer volume of terrible WWE matches, though, is only matched by the mundane. WWE by design doesn’t want to win awards for best matches, often “crafting” them to be nothing special.
AEW does.
There may not have been a technical wrestling match anywhere, ever, as good as Bryan Danielson Vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (WrestleDream ‘23). Kenny Omega Vs. Will Ospreay (Forbidden Door ‘23) is a candidate for best modern epic, and features the most well-timed rope break spot ever; Omega only seemed to start moving his feet towards the tope, following the Stormbreaker, at 2.9. Whichever tag style you prefer - lucha, high-flying, southern - between them, the Lucha Bros., Young Bucks and FTR have all delivered classics. MJF Vs. Bryan Danielson (Revolution 2023) was the most dramatic Iron Man match ever. Eddie Kingston is one of the best brawlers ever, and his AEW library is stunning.
There have been over 300 episodes of AEW Dynamite. Almost every single edition has presented at least one excellent pro wrestling match. The vast majority have featured at least two. There hasn’t been a single episode with all bad matches.
And, for better or worse, since Collision fundamentally exists to book matches for the sickos, that principle applies twofold.