Every AEW Wrestler Ranked From Worst To Best - After One Year

48. Yuka Sakazaki

'The Magical Girl' suffers only for a lack of appearances, as Sakazaki has only worked five matches since debuting at Double Or Nothing 2020. Annoyingly, she looked set to play a bigger role before the global health crisis kicked in and robbed the AEW women of much of its Joshi contingent.

Fleeting showings have shown Sakazaki to be both a charming personality and a strong babyface. The women's division could use both of those things at the moment as even champion Hikaru Shida feels underdeveloped, giving Yuka a clear spot to fill once she's able to return.

47. Brian Cage

Though only part of AEW canon for less than a week, Brian Cage has already made a considerable impact. A well-played Double Or Nothing debut saw him win the Casino Ladder Match and a shot at AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, and the follow-up Dynamite had him crushing jobber Lee Johnson, with manager Taz cutting a bellicose promo to put him over further.

Cage has quietly been under AEW contract since January. He is ready to be shot towards the cards upper echelons as an eyeball-popping, attention-grabbing big man with freak athleticism and a mean manager who can compensate for any spoken shortcomings. Big things are in his immediate future.

46. Shawn Spears

Double Or Nothing's humiliation by Dustin Rhodes' hand is fine, because Shawn Spears is no greater than Tye Dillinger. He's a midcarder. AEW tried to elevate him through the Cody programme, then again in recent weeks, but it hasn't worked. 'The Chairman' didn't convince when the spotlight was shined upon him and will likely slot into a permanent mid-tier role.

Consider this a noble failure: the parties tried, but it just didn't work. This was always going to happen to somebody and it's a shame it had to be with a hard worker like Spears.

An average performer with an average ceiling, perhaps he'll find a character that works for him later down the line. For now, though, he's just a guy.