AEW Bringing Back Rankings System

AEW is bringing back a former staple of the promotion.

by Andrew Pollard
Tony Khan
AEW

In a move that's sure to please many fans, AEW is bringing back its rankings system.

Prior to launching in 2019, it was announced that AEW would be a company where a rankings system would be used to, most notably, position talents as title challengers as part of the promotion's purported sports-based approach to pro wrestling.

The second half of 2022 saw the rankings become less emphasised on AEW programming, with the system quietly being dropped entirely. As such, the current rankings - last updated on 31 August 2022 - feature CM Punk as the #1 contender in the men's division, Jon Moxley as AEW World Champion, Thunder Rosa as AEW Women's Champion, Jade Cargill as TBS Champion, Wardlow as TNT Champion, PAC as All-Atlantic Champion, and the long-defunct Swerve in Our Glory as AEW Tag Team Champions. Of course, the All-Atlantic Champion doesn't even exist anymore, having been replaced by the International Title nowadays held by Orange Cassidy.

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As announced during last night's AEW Collision, and on X by Tony Khan, the rankings system will be returning to AEW later this month.

Previously, the rankings were a brilliant tool at times for AEW, but also became somewhat of a hindrance when conveniently overlooked as lower-ranked - or non-ranked - wrestlers received title shots over higher-placed names.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.