8 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (March 20 - Results & Review)

Downs...

1. So...This Rankings System

Rankings Samoa Joe
AEW

It should be noted that, to set up a very promising match next week, Don Callis mentioned that Konosuke Takeshita has scored as many wins as Swerve Strickland in 2024. It's not Swerve's house, he said, but the Don Callis Family's house. This indicates that wins and losses still matter, and that wrestlers will orbit the title picture if they rack up enough of the former.

Still, this was the first time in weeks that the much-hyped return of the rankings system has even alluded to. Also, while the system has never been thoroughly nor satisfactorily explained, Tony Khan tweeted in 2022 that Jon Moxley was ranked above Anthony Ogogo based on the quality of opponents he had put away. Using that logic, isn't Will Ospreay a more worthy contender than Takeshita?

Ospreay defeated Takeshita at Revolution.

Everybody knows what the deal is, or they should. The rankings system exists to lend AEW a veneer of sporting values and is a loose way of building the credibility of talent. It can't be applied too strictly - AEW would just burn through big title matches, were that the case - but it still feels like there is a way of making it work a bit better. Khan has expressed little interest in committing to figuring it out.

Along similar lines: why are Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli not in the World Tag Team title tournament at FTR's expense?

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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!