All Elite Wrestling has had a wonderful first quarter in 2023. The shows in January and February were some of the best stretches of elite production since the inception of the young company. That awesome stretch culminated with the critically acclaimed PPV, Revolution. This spurned the thought exercise of, “What have been the top 5 best PPV shows AEW has produced?
This is that list. Some shows are obvious inclusions, some might not be. Let’s talk about it!
Honorable Mention: Double or Nothing 2019
The show that started it all. AEW wouldn’t exist in 2023 without making a huge splash in 2019 at its inaugural show, Double or Nothing. This show introduced a western wrestling audience to a completely different style of wrestling. Everyone knows about the stranglehold that WWE had on the business, but AEW needed to make its mark with this show. They needed that paradigm shift. Introducing people to a wide array of Joshi talents was a start, but it wasn’t until Cody and Dustin tore the house down (and each other) that this show made its mark. And when the crowd erupted after Jon Moxley made his surprise debut, the wrestling landscape would never be the same again.
Double or Nothing might not have been the greatest card on paper, but this show will always have a special place in my heart.
#5-Full Gear 2021
The first official rank on this list is occupied by Full Gear 2021, better known as the culmination of Hangman Adam Page. His story with Kenny Omega and the Elite is an arc of ages and the final match was cinematic perfection. The Young Bucks accepting and allowing Hangman to deliver the final Buckshot Lariat to dethrone the Best Bout Machine was a touch of brilliance. This match alone vaults the show far above the majority of AEW PPVs, but the rest of the card is no slouch either.
Current champion MJF made his technical wrestling presence known at Full Gear 2021 with an amazing high-intensity bout against Darby Allin to kick off the show. Bryan Danielson made his PPV debut against Miro, as well as a sick falls count anywhere match between the Superkliq and Jurassic Express. This night didn’t hit the complete show marks of the rest of this list, but it was a great show that kept AEW’s post-covid momentum going.
AEW was on a roll in the second half of 2021 into 2022. Check out my original review!
#4-Forbidden Door: AEW x NJPW
2022 marked the year that AEW and New Japan started their working relationship, similar to how New Japan worked with Ring of Honor. The NJPW style can be hit or miss, but blending the best they have to offer with the best AEW has to offer is a recipe for success.
And the dish was delicious.
Every single match on this card was varied levels of good or great. PAC won a killer All-Atlantic fatal four way. Sting wrestled with Darby Allin and Shingo Takagi against a reformed Bullet Club consisting of the Young Bucks and El Phantasmo. Claudio wrestled Zack Sabre Jr in an astounding bout of tremendous technical wrestling. Both the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and (interim) AEW World Championship were also defended in good matches.
Not to be outdone, Thunder Rosa defended her AEW Women’s Championship in a great match too. This was a big deal because NJPW shows never had women’s matches. The IWGP Women’s Championship debuted just last year in October.
But the match of the night was absolutely Will Ospreay and Orange Cassidy. They put on a clinic of high intensity; Ospreay with his uncanny ability to blend strength and speed, whilst Orange Cassidy used his comedy aspects blended perfectly with his ring work. They made magic in that ring!
The lone gripe would be that the entire show was very predictable. It was an absolute blast of a show, but predictable.
#3-Revolution 2020
There’s usually one thing in common with a top tier AEW PPV – The Elite. The boys that started this company have been known to put on a show from time to time. There isn’t an AEW PPV that encapsulates their involvement more than Revolution 2020. Elite versus Elite.
Tag Team Champions Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega fought the Young Bucks in what could seriously be the best tag match in history. It was two singles stars, that happened to be tag champs, versus one of the best tag teams ever. Four friends are in the midst of turmoil over one of their drinking problems, and they are going to hash it out in the ring. This match was perfect wrestling drama. It’s a match that I watch from time to time.
That match was a memorable one, obviously, but the rest of the card was no slouch. Orange Cassidy made his debut against PAC in a great match, MJF cemented his standing as a top heel in the company by defeating Cody Rhodes, and Jon Moxley climbed the mountain and claimed his first AEW Championship. This was an evening of wrestling greatness.
#2-All Out 2021
The final two in this list could be switched on a whim. Maybe this list has a little negative bias on the debut of a certain Second City Saint, or recency bias on number one of this list. Regardless, All Out 2021 was the most complete AEW PPV that the young company produced. It was the encapsulation of every wrestling fan’s dream– amazing matches, stories, and surprises up and down the card.
First things first, CM Punk reminded everyone that a seven year break didn’t matter. He still had a good match against his perfect first opponent, Darby Allin. Ruby Soho made an awesome debut by winning the Women’s Casino Battle Royal. Miro and Bryan Danielson reminded everyone what WWE could have done with them. Not to be outdone, the main event between Kenny Omega and Christian Cage was good too (albeit not as good as their first fight).
But the match to remember was the Steel Cage match between AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks and Lucha Bros (The Elite again). The Young Bucks did everything they could to retain their titles; remember the thumbtack shoe? The Elite was in the middle of their heinous heel run where they couldn’t stop cheating to win, so the Bucks tried all they could to defeat their storied Lucha rivals. In the end, the Lucha Bros wouldn’t be denied their time in the spotlight, as they defeated the Young Bucks in an astounding match. This was easily the match of the night.
Oh, and Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson made their surprise debut at the end of the show. This show had everything. Unfortunately, it also had Paul Wight facing QT Marshall in a short comedy match. It didn’t take away from the show, but this hairline crack in the armor caused the esteemed show to drop to number two in favor of AEW’s most recent show.
#1-Revolution 2023
Call it recency bias all you want, but AEW Revolution 2023 was a perfect show. It was the most “complete” show since All Out 2021, except there was no short comedy match that took away from the show ever so slightly. This was a four-hour bloody tale of wrestling perfection.
Ricky Starks and Chris Jericho, Wardlow and Samoa Joe, and the Tag Team Four-way were the matches with the lowest grades, but they had their perfectly crafted spot on the card. These matches would still win a match of the night on any given Dynamite. There will be no slander of The Gunns, Jay Lethal, or Jeff Jarrett here! They play their parts and play them well.
And then we have the intense matches, to which there were aplenty. Jack Perry and Christian Cage tore the house down as Cage got buried, Hangman Adam Page had one of the best Deathmatches ever, and the Iron Man match was mind-blowing. I obviously gave it the perfect rating. It was too good not to.
And that’s my list! What did you think?! Let me know on Twitter. And don’t forget to share your lists!