Ever since its inception in 2019 AEW quickly established itself as a promotion that showcases in-ring quality of the highest order. In a short space of time, the company regularly hosted in-ring classics, from the best wrestlers in the world.
Here we look at the top 5 matches in All Elite Wrestling history!
There are many different metrics to define a good match, Dave Meltzer’s star-rating system has been in use for decades and several AEW matches have already broken that scale. However, here we are using the votes cast by wrestling fans on cagematch.net to countdown the top 5 matches in All Elite Wrestling.
1. Adam Page & Kenny Omega vs. The Young Bucks – 29/2/20 – Revolution
So far the highest-rated AEW match on the Dave Meltzer scale, this tag team classic is the highest-rated AEW match on cagematch with 594 users scoring the bout 9.64 out of 10.
Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page had come together to form an unlikely tag team despite both being members of The Elite. Although as time wore on Page’s relationship with the group and in particular The Young Bucks grew more fractious by the week.
At Revolution in early 2020, the last AEW pay-per-view pre-pandemic era, a disillusioned Page joined forces with Omega to face The Bucks in a thirty-minute barnstormer of a match. In what was Omega and Page’s third title defence they took the Jackson brothers to the absolute limit.
As the advantage flew back and forward, Omega and Page looked every bit the polished tag team as they hit combination moves and set each other up for their trademark offence.
With The Bucks showing flashes of their arrogant Bullet Club selves, they took control until Page was able to powerbomb Nick through a table. The crowd in Chicago became more unglued with each near fall before Hangman Page finished the match with a cathartic Buckshot Lariat.
2. MJF vs. Bryan Danielson – 03/5/2023 – Revolution
At AEW Revolution MJF vs. Bryan Danielson battled it out for the World Championship in an epic 60-minute Iron Man match. The match was met with rave reviews from critics and fans alike who praised it for its storytelling, athleticism, and suspense. Dave Meltzer gave the bout 5.75 Stars while 830 cagematch users voted it 9.61 out of 10.
The match was the culmination of a months-long feud between the two men. MJF had defeated Danielson’s Blackpool Combat Club stablemate Jon Moxley for the title before assaulting his mentor, Will Regal. This double insult drove the American Dragon to wrestle a series of demanding matches against opponents of MJF’s choosing to prove himself as a worthy challenger.
After beating the likes of the RUSH, Brian Cage and Timothy Thatcher, Danielson goaded the champion into competing in a 60-minute Iron Man match, something MJF was not accustomed to but the wear and tear on Danielson’s body gave the Salt of the Earth a clear advantage.
The match itself was a classic and is considered the best Iron Match in wrestling history. It was a gruelling 70-minute contest that showcased both wrestlers’ talents superbly. Danielson’s superior technical skills were matched by MJF’s masterful heel work, which he used expertly to score his fourth and final fall to emerge the victor.
It was a major victory for MJF, as it cemented him as the top heel and legitimate main-eventer. It also showed that Danielson is still one of the best wrestlers in the world.
3. Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay – 25/6/2023 – AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door
Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay faced off at AEW Forbidden Door 2023 for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship in an instant classic that received SIX stars from Mr. Meltzer and a 9.58 out of 10 rating from 951 cagematch users.
The two met in a rematch from their equally impressive outing at Wrestle Kingom 17 a few months prior. Omega won that match resulting in their heated rivalry continuing to intensify and the inter-promotional PPV was the perfect place to clash again.
Due to the excellence of their Tokyo Dome outing expectations were high and the fierce affair on US soil did not disappoint. The match certainly lived up to the hype, going nearly 40 minutes and featuring some incredible high-flying action.
Both men went back and forth, trading wince-inducing offence, breathtaking near-falls and head-spinning reversals. In the end, Ospreay won the match with a Stormbreaker to tie their series of matches at one apiece leaving fans eagerly awaiting their third rubber match.
The match was a gruelling masterpiece, with both men giving it their all and left physically distraught. It was a true war of attrition between two of the best wrestlers in the world.
4. Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega – 22/9/21 – Grand Slam
The biggest show in AEW history was kicked off with perhaps the biggest match in AEW history as AEW World Champion Kenny Omega took on Bryan Danielson in a dream match that many thought they’d never see. And a bout that garnered a 9.57 rating from 670 votes.
At All Out, just weeks before Grand Slam, Bryan Danielson changed wrestling forever when he debuted for AEW, appearing at the very end of the pay-per-view to confront Kenny Omega and The Elite.
Not skipping the queue for a title shot, Bryan Danielson challenged Kenny Omega to a non-title bout simply to find out who The Best Bout Machine really is. Omega was hesitant to accept but eventually did so with New York City as the host and 20,000 plus AEW fans as the witnesses for one of the finest half-hours in wrestling history.
The bout kicked off proceedings in Arthur Ashe Stadium, a venue more suited for serves and volleys rather than knee strikes and chops. But the latter was on offer in abundance in the mat classic between two stars that have defined their generations.
Perhaps fittingly, the bout ended in a time-limit draw, with the question of the better wrestler still unanswered.
5. Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson – 15/12/21 – Winter Is Coming
The first of two stellar matches between the then-World Champion Hangman Adam Page and Bryan Danielson inspired 509 voters to rate the match 9.54 out of 10.
The build to the bout at Winter Is Coming saw Danielson slip into a heel role, that looked very familiar to fans who followed his run as ‘The New Daniel Bryan’ in WWE following his return from retirement. In that instance, it was winning the WWE Title that triggered a change in Danielson and his pursuit of the top prize in AEW seemed to do the same.
Danielson launched a vicious hunt on Page’s friends in The Dark Order as he promised to “kick the heads in” of as many members of the group as possible. This brought Danielson wins over Evil Uno, Colt Cabana, Alan Angels, and John Silver as Page seemed unable to stop his challenger from tearing through the group.
At Winter Is Coming, perhaps to the surprise of those watching, Page and Danielson kicked off the show with the first World Title match on free television since Kenny Omega defended his championship against Jungle Boy on Dynamite in June.
However, it soon became apparent that fans of both men were in for a treat and that the match might well go on for some time. And that’s exactly what happened, Danielson battered and bloodied the champion while Page refused to stay down time after time.
Eventually, time was the victor as the sixty-minute limit expired just after Page had dropped Danielson with a Buckshot Lariat.