30 Best AEW Matches Ever (So Far...)
All Elite Wrestling, at its best, is a masterpiece factory.
There could be 250 entries on this list, and that’s being conservative.
This article will prove divisive, as is the inherent nature of the listicle, but entry #250 could be something like Bryan Danielson Vs. Rush from the February 8, 2023 AEW Dynamite. It was such a nasty plasma-drenched war, however, that it could well be someone’s favourite AEW match, if they favour brawls. Rush slapped the Dragon so hard that blood splattered the camera lens, for Christ’s sake. That might have endured as an iconic visual in another promotion that didn’t boast too many.
AEW’s television is uneven - over-scrutinised, yes, but uneven. Tony Khan is capable of booking engaging stories, and doesn’t get enough credit for his creative flair, but too often succumbs to the hack trappings of episodic cable TV. The unpunished crimes. The stupidly convenient use of vehicles. Wrestlers magically running into one another backstage.
The match catalogue, though? It’s unbelievable. It’s a joke. It’s a gift.
Bryan Danielson in AEW might be the single best run any wrestler has enjoyed in a single promotion. His output is heavily represented here. With his trademark explosive acceleration, Will Ospreay, arguably the best wrestler in the world right now, is closing in on Danielson’s in-ring legacy. Missing here is his incredible match against PAC at All Out 2024, and there’s an apron German suplex in that match to rival the sickest thrills of the ‘90s All Japan main event scene.
Ospreay’s curse is that he’s too good. This Match of the Year-calibre genius is too frequent. People are almost spoiled by it.
Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston Vs. Young Bucks isn’t even on this list, and that was a bonafide tag team classic. The babyfaces’ entrance alone - they strutted out in front of a full house for the first time in over a year - was life-affirming.
Poor Orange Cassidy has worked more four star efforts than most in what is, at its best, a five star wrestling company.
The very best matches follow - ranging from pay-per-view epics to euphoric, brisk TV matches that bottle the fabled “feeling”...