Ranking Every AEW "ERA" From Worst To Best

You do have to wonder what could have been had the world not come to a screeching halt back in March 2020.

AEW hit the ground running and then some on October 2, 2019, debuting a new weekly Dynamite show boasting an ensemble cast determined to blow away the competition with high calibre in-ring performances, angles, and ambitious storylines.

As already noted, said roster wasn't exactly lacking in star power, but it was also small enough to allow delightful personalities like Orange Cassidy and Riho the room to get over with the All Elite faithful. That former ridiculous gimmick in particular swiftly turned into one of the hottest acts in all of wrestling, something that surely wouldn't have been possible in a world where sports entertainment still dominated the North American wrestling scene.

Those early battles between the high-profile names under All Elite contract simply demanded the attention of anyone who switched on or coughed up cash for the TNT product, too.

Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley's violent Full Gear 2019 Unsanctioned fight was the controversial talk of the town. Cody Rhodes' shocking failure to capture the AEW World Championship against Chris Jericho, resulting in him not being able to challenge for it again, kicked off the first of many iconic MJF programs.

Even an AEW Women's Championship that became an afterthought not too long after its unveiling enjoyed a few class bouts, with Riho's title fights with Emi Sakura and Nyla Rose both ranking as some of the company's greatest hits in the division.

'Le Champion' also expertly carried the company's top strap during those early months, surrounding himself with a number of exciting stars of tomorrow - and Jake Hager - as Jericho continued a frequently hilarious/inspired late career revival and elevated all who shared the ring with the legend.

Then you have those early days of The Elite saga on AEW TV, with an anxious 'Hangman' Adam Page's need to prove himself as a truly "Elite" member of the titular faction leading to arguably the greatest tag team match of all time between all four members at Revolution 2020.

Every inch of TV felt like a must-see event. You were invited to analyse and invest in characters in a way you hadn't since the '90s on an American wrestling product, and results appeared to actually matter as the rankings decided who was next in line for a shot at the big belt - what a concept!

If you'd have known the Pandemic Era was right around the corner, perhaps you would have held these superb early Dynamite days that little bit tighter.

Thankfully, though, this wouldn't be the last tremendous era in AEW history.