30 Best AEW Matches Ever (So Far...)

11. Jon Moxley Vs. Wheeler YUTA (Rampage April 6 2022)

Wheeler Yuta
AEW

This was the perfect television wrestling match.

What was meant to happen is that Mox was meant to rough YUTA up. YUTA was meant to stay in the fight and go back-and-forth for the duration before he lost, going a few more minutes than he had in their previous singles encounter (07:29).

YUTA was clever enough to work out what was going on (which instantly endeared him to the fans). The nascent Blackpool Combat Club saw something in him. He decided to show them who he was immediately by flattening Mox with a suicide dive before the bell. Mox would come to appreciate this, but only after the fact, when the red mist ascended. Mox retaliated by trying to kill Wheeler, basically. YUTA decided to kill Mox right back. The blurred lines in this match, Christ almighty. Who was the veteran bully aggressor, again?

The slow disruption of the AEW TV match pattern was thrilling. Hold the f*ck on: is YUTA going to beat Mox here?!

YUTA’s blood-soaked howling fury was star-making sh*t, but it was Mox who underscored why he is a modern legend.

Discipline is the best creative tool. Mox was staunchly protective over his character and really, truly despised his time in the WWE system. You’d never catch him doing ‘NXT face’.

He did here. Given who Mox is, that was the perfect endorsement.

While there’s a technique to a great blade job, you couldn’t hope to plan for the sweet spot YUTA struck here. Without requiring a transfusion, somehow, he cut deep enough for his forehead to spray blood like a clogged shower jet. It was disgusting.

It was beautiful.

The Wheeler YUTA experiment has been questioned, but if you watched this back, you’d push him for three years too.

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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!