As we move into year four of the the AEW experiment, I wanted to take a look at the roster as it currently stands and evaluate how everyone is doing in their given roles.
I’ve attempted to place wrestlers in tiers based on how AEW uses them. The grade provided isn’t meant to strictly reflect my perception of a wrestler’s abilities or talent. It’s my take on how well they are performing in their slotted role in the company. An undercard wrestler doing great in that slot may earn a better grade than a top star who isn’t delivering as well in a prime position. That doesn’t mean I’m suggesting the undercard wrestler is better than the star. They are just doing better in their given role.
Tier one is reserved for the biggest megastars, Tier two is for acts who consistently main event, Tiers Three through Five make regular television appearances, and everyone else moves in and out of the bottom tiers in between being relegated to YouTube or forgotten entirely.
I expect many of you will disagree at times. This is okay!
Tier One (Superstars)
CM Punk: Punk, amazingly, is a better in-ring wrestler after seven years on the sidelines than he ever was at the height of his career. His matches are thoughtfully laid out and he doesn’t try to match the younger wrestlers with athletic highspots. Instead, he’s become a thinking man’s wrestler and someone making the most of the gifts he has.
Of course, building a match that isn’t packed with stunts and complicated dosey-do routines is easier when you’re over as hell—and Punk is. A rare free agent signing that has been an unqualified success. GRADE: A
Jon Moxley: You can tell by how and where AEW uses him that Moxley is a draw for the company. When he’s on-screen, people are watching.
You can see a difference in Moxley since his return from a stint in rehab. His wrestling is more focused and he is finally getting the hang of some of the shootstyle stuff he’s been trying to mix into his act. Overall, just a badass pro wrestler and one of the AEW originals who hasn’t missed a beat since the first Double or Nothing show back in 2019. GRADE: A
Chris Jericho: AEW’s elder statesman and the man who gave the new promotion an important boost of legitimacy in the early days. Unfortunately, his star is fading before our eyes and I sense a bit of audience fatigue. The master of reinvention has failed for the first time in recent memory trying to reinvent his act. The “wizard” thing is not happening, no matter how many times you repeat it on television.
A fifty-something legend, it’s hard for Jericho to keep up with the modern sport, where matches move at a million miles-an-hour. His current faction, the Jericho Appreciation Society, feels like a downgrade from the Inner Circle, a collection of talent that doesn’t feel ready for the big stage.
Without getting overly political, he’s been a lightning rod for controversy because his family’s right-wing politics are at odds with many of the promotion’s most hardcore fans. GRADE: C+
Tier Two (Main Eventers)
Bryan Danielson: In the ring, Bryan Danielson remains the best technical wrestler in the world. He’s also an underrated presence with a microphone in his hand. His early stint with AEW, where he went out and worked a series of fantastic matches constructed especially for his opponent, was a master-class. He makes the sport better just by being part of it. GRADE: A+
Kenny Omega: Omega’s heel run as champion (in this writer’s opinion) was fantastic. Despite a body being held together by super glue and hope, Omega delivered the kind of workrate classics his fans expected.
His over-the-top character was hilarious to some and a complete embarrassment to others. To me, his partnership with Don Callis and the Young Bucks was the perfect way to cement his induction in any serious wrestling Hall of Fame. Whether you like his brand of shenanigans or not, the long-term story of “The Elite” culminated with Adam Page succeeding his mentor as the promotion’s top champion.
Currently on the shelf with no timetable for his return, Omega remains capable of grabbing the business’s attention with a single tweet. GRADE: A
Adam Cole: With the loss of Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho to injury, Moxley to personal demons and Cody to the WWE, AEW suddenly looked a little weak on the top of the card. Cole’s timely signing gave the promotion a viable top level wrestler capable of plugging right into the main event scene. Personally, his brand of overly choreographed, performative wrestling is my least favorite style. But the crowd seems to enjoy him and, hell, what do I know? GRADE: B
The Young Bucks: We haven’t seen much of the Bucks in the ring this year, but you can tell they are considered a top act by AEW based on how much television time they get even when not stepping in the squared circle. BTE remains must-see weekly programming on YouTube and I think they have completely nailed their heel turn.
Their unique fashion sense, swagger and Nick’s Macho Man impression get me every time. Plus, the Bucks continue to deliver a unique blend of comedy and highspots when they do wrestle. One of the great acts of their era. GRADE: A-
MJF: The last true heel in wrestling, Max has been featured consistently since Dynamite’s debut back in 2019—despite almost never actually wrestling. Which is kind of a shame, because he’s actually very good in the ring, eschewing many of the tropes his peers have fallen into and taken the calculated approach that, in the age of the cooperative spot, less will be more.
His current program with Wardlow has been the highlight of recent Dynamites. I don’t know if it’s sustainable, but the decision to make his every match feel like an event really separates him from everyone else in the business. GRADE: A+
Adam Page: The Hangman has turned into one the sport’s top in-ring performers. In a world of ballroom dancers, he stands out as one of the last bangers around.
His title reign started with a fantastic series with Bryan Danielson, but has been hampered by the promotion’s lack of heel characters. The crowd wants to love him—but it’s hard for a wrestler being pushed to a new level to stand steady when his opponents are better established acts like Adam Cole or legitimate legends like Punk and Danielson.
I love Page. But, as champion, he often feels like an afterthought in his own promotion. In some ways, it reminds me of a young Chris Jericho. Sure, he had that WWE strap. But ,with Stone Cold and Rock around, no one was really buying he was the top guy no matter how shiny his belt was. May end up landing as a Tier three or four middle-of-the-card wrestler. Which is perfectly respectable. GRADE: B
Tier Three (Upper Midcard/Consistent Dynamite)
Wardlow: This storyline has been perfect and Wardlow has delivered. But lots of guys have had strong AEW stories, only to disappear for weeks or months at a time. It’s too early to say where Wardlow will land once he doesn’t have the super-capable Mr. Friedman across the ring from him. GRADE: INC
Britt Baker: Britt was the AEW women’s division breakout star. She was the promotion’s most-pushed female act before strapping on gold and remains the top star after losing her belt to Thunder Rosa. Her accomplishments here are notable: she single-handedly put the women’s division on her back and made people care.
Like Jericho and others, Baker has to work really hard to be a heel. The crowd wants to cheer her and chant along with her catchphrase, making many of her segments feel a little incoherent as her dastardly acts and harsh harangues are met with adoring cheers.
In the ring, she often bites off more than she can chew. The ideas presented in some of her bouts, quite often, are too advanced for her skill level, a problem with many of the matches in the division. GRADE: B+
Darby Allin (with Sting): Darby was the first wrestler the AEW crowd picked out and embraced whole-heartedly. He’s a unique, death-defying performer in the mold of Jeff Hardy, adorable but with an edge. Unfortunately, he ran into the glass ceiling that has halted the careers of many promising young wrestlers and Tony Khan’s continued snatch and grab of WWE refugees has just pushed him further and further towards the back of the line. He exists in AEW limbo—too good and over to be ignored, but not someone they are willing to push as a top star. GRADE: B
Eddie Kingston: This beloved veteran is one of the promotion’s most compelling performers. He all but bleeds out emotionally on screen and his limitations as an athlete prevent him from trying to mimic the modern workrate style, much to his benefit. A hard-hitting slugger who feels like he was imported right out of 1987.
Smart veterans like Chris Jericho and CM Punk have tried to attach themselves to him, hoping a little of his authenticity might rub off on them. But it’s unclear if AEW would allow him a bonafide run on top. GRADE: A
Jade Cargill: Cargill has obvious physical tools, but is inexperienced and raw. The Goldberg push has to end at some point. What then? Until that question can be answered, no one knows anything. GRADE: INC
The Hardys: Matt Hardy has been an inescapable presence since his signing. That’s the real indication of how AEW views a talent. If they are constantly around, always in a program, that’s a good sign. Most people do a program and then disappear for weeks or months waiting for their next opportunity. Matt (and now Jeff) Hardy does numbers—so he sticks around, for better or worse. Look, I love the Hardys. But I also loved them in 2001. You know? GRADE: C
Tier Four (TV Wrestlers)
Jungle Boy: From day one, the AEW audience fell in love with Jungle Boy, almost demanding a push that exceeded his experience level. And Jack Perry responded in a big way, improving quickly and constantly, becoming the wrestler the crowd wanted him to be. He’s a clever and ever-improving wrestler, still working on his promos and presentations as he looks to transform into a “top guy.”
But he’s reached a locked door he can’t penetrate, stuck on the midcard with no exit available. It’s a frustrating problem that’s increasingly common for AEW originals. GRADE: B+
FTR: The best tag team in the world is used inconsistently at best despite their often epic work. Plagued by weird booking and injury, the top cosplay team in the world is one of many great pairs AEW can plug into a match on any given week and be guaranteed a banger. GRADE: A
Toni Storm: I was excited for this signing, but so far she’s been mediocre on the mic and listless in the ring. I have seen enough of her elsewhere to be hopeful that she’ll turn it around. GRADE: C+
Sammy Guevara: An athletic marvel, he just doesn’t have a main eventer’s aura. Is that nebulous analysis? Yes. But there’s something missing I can’t put my finger on. He doesn’t have the menace to be a great heel and his face his way too punchable to be a great babyface. A midcard guy who you can use in action matches, but will never resonate on an emotional level required to headline a promotion. GRADE: B-
Scorpio Sky (with Dan Lambert and Ethan Page): Sky is deceptively old and not over enough to justify his push. He’s a competent worker but just one of many replacement level workrate guys on the roster. Probably belongs on Dark or Elevation and not occupying a top spot in a national promotion.
Dan Lambert? He must have soooo much blackmail material on the Khan family. Nothing else explains the endless time he’s granted weekly on the microphone while poor Ethan Page has to stand there in seething silence. GRADE: C
Samoa Joe: A bonafide legend during his heyday in the aughts, Joe is no longer quite at the level of the promotion’s top in-ring performers. He’d be great as a tough guy terrorizing undercard heels, but will quickly be lost in the shuffle when he’s forced to fight for time on Dynamite. GRADE: B
Red Dragon: A mid-tier tag team in a crowded division that gets pushed ahead of more established and popular teams for political reasons. Got destroyed as one of the top NXT acts in the Wednesday Night Wars only to come into AEW and supplant many of the same teams that out-drew and out-performed them just months earlier. GRADE: C+
Miro: Remember Miro? GRADE: INC
Tier Five (More TV Wrestlers)
Thunder Rosa: Her title reign has died on the vine, victim of the same problems that plague the division generally—lack of polished opponents, inconsistent booking, and issues creating believable and notable rivalries with other women in the promotion. She may hold the belt, but every indicator tells me AEW still sees Baker as the top act. GRADE: B
Death Triangle: Utility players who Tony Khan likes to get onscreen. But they’re primarily going to be used as foils for other acts, filling TV time with workrate matches that get the crowd going. That’s a fine role and you can make a living that way. But, for a time, it felt like Rey Fenix might be destined for more. GRADE: B
Ricky Starks: His potential seems unlimited. Lots of AEW talents can deliver a modern match in the ring. Starks is one of the few who exude charisma as well, as skillset that’s very hard to teach and often takes wrestlers years to figure out. After years battling injury and fighting his way onto television, he’s finally getting the chance to show what he has. GRADE: A
Keith Lee: Approaching 40, Lee is past the point it makes sense to talk about his potential. He is what he is. And that’s a pretty good thing.
He’s a fun wrestler to watch in-ring, but lacks the passion and presence to be a consistent main event act in a major national promotion. GRADE: B
Swerve: There are almost no cool wrestlers. Most of them these days are muscled up theater kids worrying on their phones about what trolls are saying online. Swerve though? He has a legitimate swagger about him that wrestling sorely needs. He isn’t playing a role. He just is.
Inside the ring, he does a lot of unique things. And, unlike many others who try to innovate and push the bar, he manages to pull off athletic, cooperative maneuvers without ever looking like he’s performing in a gymnastics meet and not in a fight. Sky is the limit here. GRADE: A
Andrade: He’s had a couple of stellar performances but has the same problems here that he had in WWE—outside the ring, he’s fairly dull and doesn’t seem capable of presenting the kind of passion required for either a top babyface or heel. In some ways he almost looks bored all the time.
The more I see of him, the less I’m convinced he has the potential for anything more than filling a spot on the middle of the card. GRADE: B-
Christian: A veteran who delivers when asked. Has a lot to teach the next generation and is likely very useful in that role. GRADE: B
Powerhouse Hobbs: Ready to see him take the leap. Amazing potential. GRADE: B+
Tier Six (On the Verge)
Jay Lethal: For weeks a WWE media proxy online made a big deal about how little AEW was using Jay Lethal on television. Well, now he’s here, complete with a pal and a really tall guy. And it’s a bit of a dud.
Lethal can wrestle in the modern style and is a good guy to work young wrestlers and to gauge how well they are coming along. But he’s not a consistent television act in the year of our Lord 2022. GRADE: C
Hook: The potential here is obvious. His wrestling style is unique and fans were willing to go along with the idea that he’s something special. But he just doesn’t wrestle enough. Someone his age and at his level of experience should be in the ring all the time. But he’s not—in part, I suspect, because a winning streak would force AEW to push him too fast based on their occasional reliance on “rankings.”
Forget that dumb shit and get this kid in the ring. Every week. Dark, Elevation, ROH, wherever. Wrestlers learn by wrestling. Let the kid wrestle. GRADE: A
Danhausen: The new Orange Cassidy came into a promotion that wants to love him. But it’s not clear yet what he is or can be, in part because an injury has kept him from fully participating. GRADE: INC
House of Black: It feels like AEW has been teasing us forever with this group. The audience is interested. They have a cool aesthetic and entrance. We know Murphy and Brody King can wrestle their asses off if you just let them.
But you have to DO something with them at some point that isn’t just beating up Brian Pillman’s kid. Until that happens, it’s hard to say how far they can go. GRADE: B
Wheeler Yuta: The promotion is behind him in a big way and he gets a lot of credit just for being in the company of the likes of Regal, Danielson and Moxley. He’s a good in-ring performer—but I’m not sure he’s good enough in-ring to warrant his push if he isn’t able to pick up his performance in the other areas a top wrestler must excel. Needs to learn how to emote better and to tell his story better outside the ring. He’ll get a shot though. And that’s generally half the battle. GRADE: B
Dante Martin: AEW uses him a lot and he’s got athletic potential like none other. He does something almost every time I see him that makes my jaw drop. But his character work is almost non-existent and that’s kind of a big problem when you’re competing with so much camera-ready talent for just a handful of spots.
Who is Dante Martin? What is he about? Why should we care about him? Until you can answer these questions, he’s going to be Juventud Guerrera at best and not Rey Mysterio. No one ever became a top act based strictly on how high they jump. GRADE: B
The Ass Boys (with Billy Gunn): I like this team, but they get a lot of television time relative to their ability. GRADE: B-
Jericho Appreciation Society: Daniel Garcia has everything it takes to make it. I’m less convinced by the former “2.0” guys. The problem with all of them is that they were inserted into the main event scene without earning it. The Canadians, in particular, all but debuted on Dynamite in a series of television matches without ever being really introduced to the audience. It’s been weird and, as a result, they all feel like strangers at the family cookout. GRADE: C-
The Acclaimed: Everybody loves the Acclaimed. GRADE: B+
Tony Nese: A solid wrestler, but doesn’t seem to have anything special beyond the mechanics. GRADE: B
THE WOMEN
Outside of Britt Baker and Jade Cargill, almost every woman in the promotion belongs here, somewhere between undercard fodder and consistent television act. They float up and down the card for the most part, replaceable cogs filling the role of “opponent” for whoever the pushed act dujour is.
Nyla Rose: Sometimes delivers an excellent match. Sometimes appears lost and the match falls apart. I think she’s good enough to maintain a role of some kind, probably as an undercard heel for the YouTube shows. GRADE: B
Anna Jay: She’s going to get a lot of opportunities based on her look, but so far hasn’t stood out in the ring or in skits backstage beyond being very nice to look at. GRADE: C
Ruby Soho: When she’s on, can deliver a solid match. But she looks like a dancer who is constantly going over the steps in her head. There’s something robotic about her wrestling and it fails to connect with me on any emotional level. GRADE: B-
Kris Statlander: When I saw her wrestle Joey Janela in an intergender match I was sure she’d be a mega-star. She’s found a good look that works better than the alien gimmick and she’s ready. It’s just a matter of scrapping and fighting her way onto television consistently, which is a huge challenge for everyone in the division. GRADE: B
Hikaru Shida: Her recent work in Japan is a reminder of what she’s capable of with the right opponents. But the Joshi revolution never really happened and then COVID killed it completely. Outside the ring, she hasn’t shown a knack for the kind of interviews or interplay that are an important part of being a high level American wrestler. GRADE: B
Serena Deeb: I just don’t see what others do. Some have even called her the female Bret Hart—meanwhile her segments are met with large swaths of the crowd piling out of the arena for a bathroom break and a demonstrable decline in television ratings. A decent enough performer on a technical level, but not over and seemingly incapable of filling an on-camera role that requires delivering promos or making the audience care about her.
Combine these weaknesses with a personal life that seems likely to eventually create PR issues for the company, and her elevation above her peers makes even less sense. GRADE: C-
Jamie Hayter: This woman can wrestle and she has the look. A good midcard heel if the division ever gets to the place where it has a midcard. GRADE: B
The Bunny: I sat live in spitting distance for her bloody classic this year and was wowed. A solid veteran with a good look and a presence that jumps off the screen. She’s delivered when asked. There just aren’t enough opportunities. GRADE: B+
Tay Conti: Her progress in the ring seems to have halted and her promos have shifted from calling everyone a BITCH to telling everyone about how much she FUCKS.
She’s struggling with the burdens of this minor level of celebrity. Seems like a disaster waiting to happen on some levels. Definitely a work in progress and national television may not be the best place to do that work. GRADE: C+
Riho: A lovable babyface and good in the role. She hasn’t shown the capacity, however, to develop a character that really resonates, which makes it hard to tell stories with her. At best a staple of the YouTube shows who can leap onto television and deliver a solid match at any point. But she doesn’t have the skillsets to be a television presence in America. GRADE: B-
Penelope Ford: Does she still go here? GRADE: INC
Emi Sakura: A great performer on the YouTube shows, but no potential to move beyond that. GRADE: B
Red Velvet: The “Baddies” are clearly management favorites. Wrestlers with potential yet unrealized. I think Velvet is going to be better as a heel than a babyface. GRADE: B
Mercedes Martinez: She is likely moving to Ring of Honor. Martinez hasn’t really made much of her time in AEW. GRADE: C
Abadon: I’m not sure this gimmick works in 2022. AEW has given her a strong undercard push, but this may not be an act you can use on television without risk of much mockery. GRADE: C+
Leyla Hirsch: I love her style but size is always going to be an issue. Currently on the shelf with an injury. GRADE: B
AQA: A developing young talent who may be in over her head. GRADE: INC
Tier Seven (YouTube/???)
Dark Order: A beloved act that has lost its way. They can be a fun YouTube and BTE act forever and I hope they all stay gainfully employed in that role. But, outside of Preston Vance, there doesn’t seem to be much hope for advancing any further up the card. GRADE: C+
Best Friends (with Orange Cassidy): AEW appears to have given up entirely on this group. Which is too bad. They consistently outperformed their position on the card and had some legitimately great AEW moments. They seem particularly at a loss for what to do with Cassidy, who has seen his place on the card as “the ironic wrestler” usurped by Danhausen. I worry about the future for all these guys, who I love dearly. GRADE: A
Dustin Rhodes: A classic. GRADE: A
Private Party: The truth is, they just haven’t developed to a place where they can compete with the Young Bucks, FTRs and Lucha Bros of the world. GRADE: C-
Angelico: I liked his act with Jack Evans as an undercard tag team. As a single, doesn’t hold my interest. GRADE: D
Shawn Spears: A solid veteran who makes every segment he’s in better. GRADE: B+
Varsity Blondes: Pillman has regressed since I saw him in MLW but Griff Garrison appears to have some potential. Right now, at a level below everyone else on television, to the point they stand out like sore thumbs when they make the occasional appearance. GRADE: D
Frankie Kazarian: There were times it was unclear Kazarian still worked for AEW. In a television role right now, but seems destined to disappear again. Is capable of putting on a good match when used, but his TV character doesn’t quite reflect the charisma he’s shown on YouTube. GRADE: B-
Lance Archer: No one goes from title shot to witness protection faster than Lance Archer. I think he could hang around terrorizing jobbers on YouTube, but isn’t quite good enough to fight his way onto television on a regular basis. GRADE: C+
Butcher and the Blade: These guys have a great look and work well in the ring. But the competition is fierce. GRADE: B
Jake Hager: His role appears to be “guy who stands behind Chris Jericho.” I guess he’s pretty good at that. GRADE: C-
Matt Sydal: A great wrestler who makes everyone look great too. Give him eight minute matches until the end of time. GRADE: A
Lee Moriarty: A promising young wrestler who will have to work his ass off to escape the atmosphere and launch to stardom. He has the ring acumen to potentially pull it off. Everything else is a work in progress. GRADE: B
Proud and Powerful: Santana and Ortiz are the goods. When asked, they’ve delivered every time. Their inconsistent push has been frustrating to me as a fan (and I’m sure to them too) and I don’t fully understand the promotion’s decision to leave them on the shelf for extended periods. GRADE: A
QT Marshall: The perfect undercard heel. Really great in the role. GRADE: A
Lee Johnson/Brock Anderson/Nick Comarato/Shawn Dean/Aaron Solo/Nic Nemeth: I see potential in all these guys. There is danger in being a television job guy too long, however. At some point the audience will be unable to see you as anything else. If they can’t get a push, some of these guys would be better off if AEW released them to develop on the indies rather than by typecast as enhancement talent. GRADE: C
Anthony Ogogo: I don’t think he has it. GRADE: C-
Sonny Kiss: Has only wrestled seven times this year. Doesn’t seem to have anything that’s going to elevate him onto television because of the huge glut of talent in front of him. GRADE: C+
Kip Sabian: Not clear on his status. GRADE: INC
Enhancement Talents: Serpentico, Luther, Michael Nakazawa, Peter Avalon, Fuego Del Sol, JD Drake GRADE: B