B/R Wrestling's Top 30 Greatest AEW Superstars Ever Rankings

In 2019, Tony Khan, Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega vowed to revolutionize the professional wrestling world with the creation of All Elite Wrestling.

On Sunday, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the company celebrates five years with the pay-per-view that started it all: Double or Nothing.

Ahead of the event, headlined by Anarchy in the Arena between Team AEW and The Elite, the B/R Wrestling writers celebrate the first half decade of the promotion with 30 greatest wrestlers in AEW history, all of whom are responsible for the incredible matches, intense rivalries and breathtaking moments that have defined the company.

Here is a rundown of our panel of voters:

• Chris Mueller (@BR_Doctor)
• Erik Beaston (@ErikBeaston)
• Graham Matthews (@WrestleRant)
• Donald Wood (@RingRustRadio) 
• Kevin Berge (@KevinBerge)
• Phil Lindsey (@PhilDL616)
• Eric Ball (@EBall_BR)

Which competitors made up the top 10, capping off the list o the most significant and influential wrestlers in AEW history?

Find out with the continuation of our countdown.

When compiling this list of wrestlers, several elements were taken into consideration.

In-ring ability, mic skills, drawing power and overall popularity were all significant factors weighed by the panel. Most important, though, was the historical significance these figures had on the history of the company.

Did they contribute to establishing its identity through matches, promos and other segments? Were they part of the fabric of AEW? How significant were they to the promotion away from the cameras?

Their importance to the story of AEW through its first five years ultimately decides who made the list, who did not, and where they appeared on it.

Falling just short of the top 30 were:

40. Dustin Rhodes

39. Saraya

38. Santana and Ortiz

37. Ruby Soho

36. The House of Black

35. The Acclaimed

34. Claudio Castagnoli

33. Kris Statlander

32. Ricky Starks

31. Wardlow

Accomplishments: AEW world tag team champion (with Luchasaurus), FTW champion

As Jungle Boy, Jack Perry was a popular babyface whose Jurassic Express partnership with Luchasaurus regularly had him in the hunt for the AEW World Tag Team Championship.

One of the young pillars of the company, around whom the future of the promotion would be built, he had other opportunities away from the tag division to prove himself and excelled more times than not.

A 2023 heel turn, though, brought a side of him fans had not seen. Dropping the "Jungle Boy" moniker and going by his birth name, he became an entitled and self-serving villain who taunted his opponents both on and off screen, including a dig at top star CM Punk during the All In pay-per-view that referenced a behind-the-scenes conversation the two had leading into the show.

Perry's backstage confrontation with Punk at Wembley Stadium on August 27, 2023 led to the latter's departure from AEW and a suspension for the former Jungle Boy plus questions as to whether he would be back at all.

That question was answered when he returned at Dynasty as The Scapegoat and aligned himself with The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada in The Elite.

Viler than before and with a higher-profile spot than he had previously, he is in a place creatively to have significant impact on the future of AEW television.

That could mean a revisited countdown of the promotion's all-time greats may well see him much further up the list.

Accomplishments: TBS champion, Owen Hart Memorial Cup winner (2023)

Willow Nightingale debuted in the spring of 2021 and wasted little time establishing herself as one of the most beloved members of the women's division.

Though there were few plans for her at that point, she put the work in and earned herself a spot on the AEW roster.

Within two years, her infectious positivity and power-based move set won the fans over and that connection earned her the trust of Tony Khan, leading to a defining moment on the July 15 episode of Collision where she won the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament.

Unfinished business with Mercedes Moné, and a victory over Julia Hart for the TBS Championship at Dynasty in April, has Nightingale in a position to receive her greatest exposure to date.

A rematch with Moné, who she defeated to win the New Japan Strong Women's Championship, at Double or Nothing in Las Vegas will be the biggest test of her career.

If the early work she has delivered to this point are any indication, the wide-smiling badass of the AEW women's division is about to reach a new stratosphere of stardom and that bodes well for a company putting more emphasis on its women's roster.

Accomplishments: TNT champion (3), interim TNT champion

Controversy follows Sammy Guevara, as evidenced by a suspension levied as a result of a match with Jeff Hardy in which he failed to adhere to AEW's concussion protocol, that has him sitting on the sidelines and wondering when he will again have the opportunity to set foot inside the squared circle.

Despite the uncertainty currently surrounding him, there is no doubt about his contributions to AEW.

He competed in the company's first singles match, losing to Kip Sabian on the Double or Nothing pre-show in 2019. He battled Cody Rhodes in the first match of the first episode of Dynamite. He was the inaugural member of The Inner Circle and became the first three-time TNT champion.

Add an "interim" runs into that, and he has more reigns with the secondary title than any other competitor in company history.

His penchant for death-defying stunts defined his in-ring style, despite some questioning whether it was really worth risking it all in weekly televised matches when he clearly had a long, bright future ahead of him.

Bucking logic, though, he regularly threw caution to the wind in an attempt to wow fans.

Not always a fan-favorite, whether babyface or heel, Guevara has embraced the hate and repeatedly proved he would cater to no one while building his legacy as one of the pillars of AEW and one of the great breakout stars of the company's early years.

Accomplishments: Owen Hart Memorial Cup (2022)

Adam Cole's influence on AEW television is certainly greater than the No. 27 spot on the countdown.

His debut at All Out in 2021 is one of the most unforgettable moments in AEW history while his lengthy storyline with MJF in the summer and fall of 2023 managed to make a babyface out of the most hated man on the roster before revealing that it was Cole who was the devilish manipulator all along.

Always prominent when on AEW television, it is his availability that has hurt his ability to advance past this spot on our countdown.

Cole has suffered two major injuries, the first of which threatened his career.

The former Ring of Honor and NXT world champion suffered a pair of concussions in 2022 that called into question whether he would ever be cleared to compete again.

In 2023, amid the biggest push of his AEW career and the hottest story in the company with MJF, he suffered a broken ankle while jumping off the entrance ramp at Dynamite: Grand Slam.

He was ultimately revealed as the grand schemer, but the impact was not nearly what it would have been had he still been on TV and competing every week as the villain hellbent on taking the AEW world title off his "friend."

Barring any significant setbacks, and any further injuries, there is still plenty of time for Cole to establish himself as one of the greatest stars in the promotion's history but the frustrating roadblocks he has suffered on the journey there have stunted his elevation to that status so far.

Accomplishments: AEW women's champion

It is easy to forget how influential Thunder Rosa was to the women's division prior to the back injury that put her out of action for well over a year.

Arguably the most organically over woman on the roster, she exploded onto the scene in 2020 and, within eight months, was embroiled in an intensely personal rivalry with Britt Baker, which included the historic first women's main event in Dynamite history on March 17, 2021.

That Unsanctioned Lights Out match was brutal, violent and bloody, but beyond what happened in the ring, it shattered the glass ceiling and proved women could thrive in the AEW spotlight.

That match, and the subsequent battles she had with Baker gave the women's division a legitimate rivalry it could build around, while the hard-hitting gimmick matches erased any suggestion women could not get brutal and violent on mainstream wrestling television.

On the March 16, 2022 episode of Dynamite, nearly one year to the day after their historic first main event, Rosa defeated Baker to win her first AEW Women's World Championship inside a steel cage and in front of her hometown fans in San Antonio, Texas.

A back injury forced her to the sidelines, meaning she would never get to properly defend the title, but a return to the squared circle in 2023 has some hoping she will find her way back to the gold and continue what was shaping up to be a potentially defining run with the company.

Accomplishments: AEW women's champion

The early portion of Jamie Hayter's AEW run is one that was dotted with disappointment and defeat.

The COVID-19 pandemic halted plans for her to be a player in the women's division sooner than she was, while her eventual debut as a full-time wrestler in 2021 was met with high-profile losses. Despite those defeats, her in-ring ability and low-key charisma caught the attention of fans, who supported her more and more with every passing appearance.

An intense, aggressive worker, she was the perfect addition to Britt Baker's act, an enforcer who would make sure The Good Doctor remained in the winner's column more times than not.

The summer of 2022 saw an explosion in popularity for Hayter, though, as she continued to prove herself as a contender in the women's division. Multiple championship opportunities came and went, all with the Brit suffering disappointing defeats, until an unfortunate injury to Thunder Rosa created an opportunity for her to compete for gold one more time at Full Gear.

On that night, Hayter defeated Toni Storm to win the interim AEW women's title and firmly establish herself as the new face of the division. The reign would be officially recognized when Rosa gave up her title shortly thereafter.

Unfortunately, injury cut Hayter's own run short as she dropped the title to Storm at Double or Nothing in May 2023 and has been inactive since.

Still, her rise reminded Tony Khan of two important things: Despite his desire to sign every major free agent possible, he had a wealth of talent already on his roster just waiting for an opportunity to shine.

Secondly, and more importantly, it is imperative to listen to the audience because theycan dictate who the next big thing will be and that was certainly the case with our No. 24 entrant.

Accomplishments: AEW All-Atlantic champion (inaugural), AEW world trios champion (with Lucha Bros)

If it was not for the inconsistent appearances over the course of his five years in AEW, PAC would likely rank much higher on this list.

A major free-agent signing made at the inception of AEW, The Bastard wasted little time establishing himself as one of the premiere competitors on the roster.

A ruthless competitor who could brutalize opponents with his submission move set as easily as he could wow fans with his ability to contort his body during an aerial assault, he mixed it up with top stars such as Kenny Omega, "Hangman" Adam Page, The Young Bucks and Orange Cassidy.

He became the inaugural All-Atlantic (now international) champion at Forbidden Door 2002 with a win over Malakai Black, Clark Connors and Miro, and he teamed with Death Triangle mates the Lucha Bros to win the trios titles.

He has repeatedly been put in a position to work with the best wrestlers in the company and win championship gold, because his work speaks for itself. He is believable, reliable between the ropes, and he can turn out a show-stealing performance with any opponent.

Look no further than Revolution 2020 with Cassidy, which took place long before Freshly Squeezed became the workhorse that he did later in his AEW run.

PAC's relevancy to the history of AEW, much like his status as one of the world's best professional wrestlers, is likely underrated, resulting in his spot in the bottom third of our countdown.

Accomplishments: TNT champion

Brodie Lee arrived in AEW in 2020 with a purpose: To prove that he did not need to be a member of a family or a Bludgeon Brother to be a star in professional wrestling.

As "The Exalted One" of The Dark Order, he wasted little time establishing himself as such.

A big, nasty, no-nonsense competitor with a devastating discus lariat, he unsuccessfully challenged Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at that year's Double or Nothing but made it clear he was a legitimate contender for any of the company's top prizes.

In August, he decimated Cody Rhodes, squashing the EVP to capture the TNT title in one of the most staggering and effective one-sided beatdowns in AEW history.

Lee and his Dark Order minions would continue to make life miserable for The American Nightmare, drawing a darker side out of Rhodes before their rivalry culminated in a Dog Collar match on the October 7 episode of Dynamite.

It would be his final match with AEW.

Lee died in December 2020. The admiration his peers had for him was apparent on a special tribute episode of Dynamite, in which his rivals and friends spoke of the man and the legacy with everyone.

Lee's memory lives on in the TNT Championship he held, and his wife, Amanda, works in production for AEW and previously was an integral part of the company's community outreach initiative.

His son, Brodie Jr., routinely appeared as part of The Dark Order as Negative One, keeping his father's name alive within the faction he led.

Tony Khan officially recognized Lee as the greatest TNT champion ever and each week, Dynamite opens with Excalibur saying, "it's Wednesday, you know what that means" in another tribute.

Accomplishments: TNT champion (2), AEW world champion

Amid the controversy surrounding CM Punk's sacking from AEW, and significant injuries suffered by Adam Cole and MJF that would place them on the sidelines in the winter of 2023, AEW brass badly needed to bring stability to the main event scene.

It found that in the form of the grizzled veteran Samoa Joe.

The celebrated in-ring competitor, who legitimized Ring of Honor and helped bring credibility to NXT under Triple H, defeated MJF to win the AEW world title and end his year-long reign. From there, he became an imposing, believable champion who carried a company that was in turmoil from a star-power perspective.

Along the way, he elevated Swerve Strickland and put him over at Dynasty in April 2024, dropping the title to him and creating a new main event star.

Before that, Joe had his fair share of success, winning the TNT Championship on two different occasions and bettering that title, too.

The unstoppable force has positively influenced every promotion he has worked for and it is no surprise that the B/R panel recognized his significance to AEW since his debut in 2022 and ensured his spot on this countdown.

Accomplishments: AEW continental champion

There is no AEW star more organically popular and genuinely loved by fans than Eddie Kingston.

An "every man" in the same vein as Mick Foley or Terry Funk before him, he fights with purpose and determination. Whether it was for a job and his future in professional wrestling against Cody Rhodes in a TNT Championship Open Challenge match, or for the AEW title against friend Jon Moxley, he does so with raw emotion that makes it almost impossible for fans not to connect in some way with him.

An underdog who has had his value and legitimacy called into question by more celebrated, traditional wrestlers like Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson, Kingston has never shied away from proving himself against those athletes, sometimes even beating them at their own games.

He is the embodiment of the fighter mentality that AEW has adopted from the get-go in its pursuit of wrestling excellence.

Still a fan who watches as much wrestling as he can, he is a representative for any fans who feel undervalued and overlooked.

His victory over Danielson to become the first AEW continental champion in March was one of the great moments in company history as it reflected an underdog overcoming his doubters, achieving a goal and proving that hard work and dedication do pay off.

The emotion on display there, and when a bloodied Kingston carried a gas can to the ring and woozily dared Danielson to bring the fight, has helped Kingston leave a mark in AEW.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion, AEW world tag team champion

Swerve Strickland took a challenging path to the top of AEW.

He signed fresh off a shocking release from WWE in 2021 and struggled to find his footing early on before linking up with Keith Lee and winning the company's world tag team titles. An eventual breakup of that union left him somewhat directionless while Khan and the creative team sought a direction for him.

Mogul Industries never really materialized the way it was intended to, but a partnership with Prince Nana and the formation of Mogul Empire allowed Strickland to build momentum.

Nana's dancing to his theme, "Big Pressure," was significantly more important than anyone could have imagined in terms of helping Strickland to strike a chord with fans on another level beyond what his dynamic in-ring style already did.

It was his feud with Hangman Page and the depths to which they would go to punish each other over the span of a handful of matches, most notably the Texas deathmatch at Full Gear in November 2023, that catapulted Strickland into the world title conversation and gave him the upward momentum he had been missing.

Show-stealing battles with one of the faces of the company did not hurt.

That momentum ultimately paid off in April at Dynasty, where he defeated Samoa Joe to win the AEW world title, making history in the process as the first Black man to capture the top prize in the company.

Like Jamie Hayter, Strickland came from nowhere to become a breakout star who fans threw their support behind. They demanded he get the push that had eluded him and, within months, had voiced their support to him in such a manner that Khan and Co. had no choice but to push him and give him the world title.

Though he was a free-agent signing, Strickland became the star he is today in AEW and his ascension felt like an organic rise for one of the bright young competitors in the company at a time when it felt like management may have been leaning a bit too heavily on acquiring new talent and leaning on the same handful of stars.

Accomplishments: AEW international champion (Rey Fenix), AEW world tag team champions, AEW world trios champions (with Pac)

Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo are AEW originals. They signed with the company prior to its launch in May 2019 and immediately established themselves as one of the best tag teams in wrestling, thanks in large part to a feud with The Young Bucks.

A ladder match for the AAA tag team titles wowed fans inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Vegas at the inaugural Double or Nothing while a steel cage match two years later at All In saw them finally defeat Matt and Nick Jackson to take home the AEW World Tag Team Championship.

Always in the hunt as a tag team, they also proved formidable in trios competition, teaming with PAC as Death Triangle and defeating Kenny Omega and the Bucks to win the AEW world trios titles.

Penta and Fenix have proved to be superb individual competitors, too, with the latter even striking gold as AEW international champion. Penta, meanwhile, has not hesitated to go hardcore, throwing all caution to the wind and bleeding for his art.

While the team has not been as prominently featured on AEW television of late, thanks to a slew of injuries, the impact the tandem had on AEW threw its first handful of years is indisputable.

They helped establish the in-ring style, brought credibility to the tag team division and gave the Bucks one of their best rivalries to date.

No matter what happens from here, the luchadors are simply building on their elite legacy.

Accomplishments: TBS champion

Jade Cargill may be tearing it up in the rings of WWE now, but the phenom got her start in AEW, where she exploded onto the scene in a high-profile tag team match that pitted her and NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet.

It was apparent that while she needed some guidance between the ropes, she checked every other box when it came to potential box-office appeal. She was a superhero come to life.

The former collegiate basketball star was discovered by WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry, and she went on a tear in AEW, becoming the inaugural TBS champion and holding the title for 508 days. It remains the longest championship reign of any in AEW history to this point.

Cargill essentially learned on the job, competing with the likes of Tay Conti, Nyla Rose, Willow Nightingale, The Bunny, Leila Grey and Velvet.

Never the most polished wrestler on the roster thanks to her inexperience, she made up for it with unbridled confidence in her promos and a natural charisma in front of the camera that made her captivating.

She ultimately dropped the TBS Championship to a returning Kris Statlander at Double or Nothing 2023 and wrestled her last match for AEW against her that September.

Cargill was the first real home-grown performer in company history. She was discovered, presented like a star and given an opportunity to establish her on-screen presence. That she never had the opportunity to develop her in-ring game in a measurable way hurt her development, and the company was probably not equipped at the time to devote to getting her ready in a way that WWE was when she signed with them in late 2023.

Still, AEW gave Cargill a platform and she thrived, establishing herself on a worldwide telecast and legitimizing the TBS Championship from its infancy.

Accomplishments: AEW world tag team champions (2)

The best tag team in professional wrestling, bar none, made their AEW debut on May 27, 2020 and quickly made history, becoming the first team to hold world tag team titles in both their new promotion and their old one, WWE.

It was the first of two reigns as champions in a four-year span that saw them blend old-school psychology and physicality with the drama and lightning pace of modern in-ring work, making them appealing to different audiences.

Despite repeated attempts to turn them heel, FTR became one of the most over tandems in wrestling, thanks to the appreciation fans had for their commitment to their craft, which was on full display against The Young Bucks, Best Friends, Jurassic Express, The Briscoes, SCU, Sting and Darby Allin, United Empire and The Gunns, among countless other teams.

Reminiscent of The Midnight Express, Harwood and Wheeler countered the raw athleticism of their opponents with a smashmouth approach that earned them their fair share of victories.

Even in defeat, their excellence has been undeniable, with many a show stolen by the seven-star tag team.

Their battles with the Bucks, in particular, cemented their status as top guys in AEW. Instant classics, such as a Collision showdown with Jay White and Juice Robinson, kept them in that spot.

There have always been questions about how willing the creative forces in AEW are to book Harwood and Wheeler to lose, especially against the Bucks and during their recent battles with The Blackpool Combat Club, but the strength of their performance keeps them over in a way others would not be in under similar circumstances.

Other teams on the roster may refer to themselves as the best in the business, but FTR backs it up every time they hit the ring, with matches that are inherently different than the ones that preceded it.

In a company often defined by a breakneck pace and a willingness to take higher risks than sometimes necessary, FTR continuously brings to AEW a methodical approach to the in-ring game that sets them apart from the rest of the roster.

Accomplishments: TNT champion (2)

It was a decade ago when it looked like Christian Cage would never compete inside a squared circle again.

Ravaged by concussions that threatened his long-term well-being, he stepped away from the industry he helped revolutionize by way of the iconic Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches, and into the uncertainty of early retirement.

Then, in 2021, upon medical clearance and with his contract with WWE expired, he signed with AEW.

All he has done since is develop the best heel persona in the industry as the leader of The Patriarchy and capture the TNT Championship on two different occasions, all while cutting the best promos of his career and having bangers with the likes of Jack Perry, Wardlow, Darby Allin and Sting, Daniel Garcia and longtime friend and partner, Adam Copeland.

He has done so while surrounding himself with Killswitch (formerly Luchasaurus) and the mother-son combo of Shayna and Nick Wayne.

The look and feel of the group has only served to elevate Cage's stature as he is the clear centerpiece of it and a legitimate contender to any championship in AEW.

Prior to the heel turn, he headlined All Out 2021 against Kenny Omega in a match that was excellent but overshadowed by the debuts of Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson immediately afterward.

A great, cowardly heel who is unafraid to get real heat by infuriating crowds with uncomfortable digs at their favorite wrestlers, he has brought a wealth of knowledge to the AEW locker room and reinvented himself in front of the camera, providing the company with a legitimate star they can book stories and feuds around.

And there are no signs of him slowing down, either.

Ultimately, his legacy in AEW will be defined by his heel persona and how those young stars he has worked with benefited from sharing the ring with him.

Accomplishments: AEW women's world champion (3)

There may not be another star in AEW's brief history more underrated than Hikaru Shida, which is quite the statement considering her three women's titles.

One of the consummate in-ring performers in the women's division, she is responsible for outstanding matches with everyone from Nyla Rose to Britt Baker, Toni Storm to Thunder Rosa.

For whatever reason, and despite the fanbase recognizing how great she is, Shida rarely garners the same attention as some of her counterparts.

All she has done is tie the record for most reigns as champion and brought credibility to the division with her consistently strong work between the ropes.

A physical, hard-hitting competitor, she ups the intensity of her matches. Her contests look different than those elsewhere in the division, the product of a veteran competitor who knows how to lay her strikes in harder, tell a more complete story and even unleash her trusty kendo stick when the time calls for it.

Her work in the division helped lay the groundwork for what we see today, with more matches and promo time being offered to women in high-profile feuds. Without her carrying the ball, there is a real argument to be made that the state of women's wrestling in AEW would be significantly worse off.

It would have been nice for her to benefit from the exposure that the women are getting on Dynamite, Collision and Rampage now, but there is still plenty of time for her to jump back into the mix, chase a history-making fourth title reign and further solidify herself as one of the foundational pieces of the women's division in AEW.

Accomplishments: AEW women's world champion (3)

It is difficult to imagine another performer in AEW who has recreated themselves to the extent Toni Storm has.

Exploding onto the scene fresh off her release from WWE, she struggled to get over in the rock-and-roll gimmick she had had dating back to her days in the independents.

Her ring work was great, and management trusted her enough to book her to win the women's title on two separate occasions, but the fans did not fully buy into her on-screen persona.

Upon the end of her second title reign, she underwent a complete character overhaul, apparently descending into madness as she became a throwback to classic Hollywood actresses such as Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Rita Hayworth.

Engulfed in black and white, with a hairdo right out of a Marilyn Monroe movie, she spoke as they spoke and overacted in nearly every scenario.

The result? An indisputably over character that connected with fans because it was so fresh and unlike anything they had seen. She had taken a giant risk and tried something different and hit paydirt.

Her shtick popped the fans, not to mention her co-stars, nearly making the always professional Renee Paquette break in one infamous promo segment.

The character became so over that there was no choice but to give her another run with the women's title, a run that continues today as Storm continues to evolve while flanked by butler Luther and mega-fan Mariah May, who will almost certainly become her greatest opponent if wrestling history is any indication.

A performer who has been tapped for superstardom since she first appeared in the Mae Young Classic at the infancy of her WWE run, she has finally begun to achieve it in the most off-the-wall, fun, and captivating way.

In the process, she has laid the groundwork for others around her to think outside the box, embrace the original, and reap the rewards.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion (2)

There will be those who jump through hoops to argue CM Punk was a greater detriment to AEW than anything, and no argument is going to change their minds.

For everyone else, there is one certainty in AEW history: Punk is the single biggest, most successful and important free-agent signing in the company's history, and it's not even remotely close.

His return to professional wrestling after eight years away drew a sell-out crowd to Chicago's United Center and 1.129 million viewers to the August 20 episode of Rampage. Double or Nothing 2022 became the first million-dollar gate in the history of the company, thanks in large part to The Straight Edge Superstar's presence.

That success would continue, with four consecutive pay-per-views drawing similar gates and the September 21 episode of Dynamite: Grand Slam at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York also surpassing $1 million.

Punk became the centerpiece attraction for AEW, a guy who fans went out of their way to see.

During his first few months with the company, he worked with young stars, including Powerhouse Hobbs, Darby Allin, Daniel Garcia, Lee Moriarty, FTR, Max Caster and John Silver. His overarching feuds with Eddie Kingston, MJF and Page took on greater magnitude and were must-see, thanks to his ability to cut promos and hype those culminating matches up.

Injuries prevented him from going on a long run as AEW world champion when he defeated Page for the title at Double or Nothing, but he bounced back and defeated Jon Moxley in the main event of All Out 2022 to regain the title.

His legacy in AEW will be tied to a media scrum in which he unleashed a curse-filled rant on the backstage environment in the company and beef with certain EVPs, all of which could have been avoided had the issues with the parties in question been addressed previously.

A brawl ensued backstage and instead of those animosities healing by way of constructive conversation, Punk and the EVPs remained at odds.

The Chicago native returned to the company amid the creation of a third AEW television property, Collision, a star vehicle for him. Backstage situations again reared their head in front of the cameras, leading to the confrontation with Jack Perry backstage at All In at Wembley Stadium in August 2023 that resulted in his termination from the company.

There was plenty of controversy to sink one's teeth into or point to as evidence that Punk was bad for AEW, but it would be foolish to ignore just how much he helped grow the company's business.

More viewers, bigger houses, hotter main events, and further proof that a guy who had always succeeded because of his connection to the audience still had the juice to be a top guy in an industry some believed had passed him by.

That he ranks at 13th is debatable, at best.

Accomplishments: TNT champion (2), AEW world tag team champion (with Sting)

Darby Allin has made a name for himself throughout his AEW tenure as the competitor most likely to risk his own well-being in an attempt to vanquish the opposition.

Whether he is hurling himself over the top rope and somersaulting onto his rival or launching himself off a ladder and onto a pane of glass, few can lay claim to the number of jaw-dropping moments that the face-painted antihero of AEW can.

Allin is far from a stuntman, though.

The Washingtonian has won some of his most unforgettable matches by out-wrestling his opponent, including a signature win over Cody Rhodes at the 2020 Full Gear pay-per-view, where he captured his first of two TNT titles.

As much as he accomplished alone, it is irresponsible to discuss Allin and not mention Sting. Following The Icon's debut in December 2020, they became linked. The former WCW and TNA world champion took the young star under his wing, and they went on a run in the company that would see them spend just over three years undefeated as a tag team.

With every outing, Allin's star burned a little brighter and on the February 7 episode of Dynamite, the pairing captured the world tag titles. Weeks later at Revolution, he ensured his hero and mentor would leave on a happy note, throwing caution to the wind as the duo outlasted The Young Bucks in the night's main event.

There is reason to be concerned that what Allin is as a performer now is not sustainable, that he will not physically be able to continue to treat his body the way he does and have a future in the industry. With that said, it is the style that has defined him to this point and helped make him one of the first true breakout stars in AEW.

Changing it now betrays what the audience latched on to and risks disenfranchising them, so expect Allin to continue to enthrall with physical feats most would never be willing to try, all while pursuing a career that puts him among the best to do it in an AEW ring.

Accomplishments: AEW international champion (2)

On the surface, Orange Cassidy is a comedy wrestler with an attire straight out of Wet Hot American Summer, a demeanor that spits in the face of serious professional wrestling and a character that will never get over with the fans.

Beneath that, though, is a wrestler who has spent the last five years proving doubters wrong with a resume of contests better than expected.

Freshly Squeezed shook the "comedy" label early on in a phenomenal match against PAC at Revolution 2020. If that did not silence the critics, other strong outings against the likes of Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega should have.

Then there was the long run as international champion in 2023 that saw him wrestle on a near-weekly basis, against any and all challengers, allowing him to show off his evolving in-ring game. He sold well, too, putting over the intense toll the matches took on him.

It was the feud with Jon Moxley that really put him over the top as a legitimate star for the company, though.

At All Out in September 2023, he bled buckets while losing his title to Moxley. The defeat only further legitimized him in the eyes of the fans, though, so that his eventual victory over the Death Rider would ultimately mean more.

It did, too.

Cassidy entered the promotion with a character that he had fine-tuned on the independents, the slacker of all slackers; a wrestler who could not be bothered by the overly aggressive nature of his peers or the utter seriousness of it all.

He was himself and that separated him from a roster full of focused, intense and sometimes prototypical wrestlers. Without it, he may never have achieved the level of success that he has throughout his AEW run.

Accomplishments: AEW world tag team champion (with Darby Allin)

The arrival of Sting on the December 2, 2020 Winter is Coming episode of Dynamite was a watershed moment for AEW as a company on the brink of becoming the first real competition to WWE in two decades.

One of the biggest stars in the industry's long history and one of those rare performers to earn the "icon" label, he instantaneously legitimized AEW as a destination for free-agent stars.

In return, the company offered the former WCW world champion a shot at going out on his own terms after he was forced into premature retirement due to a neck injury suffered during his brief run in WWE.

Sting would team with Darby Allin almost exclusively throughout his run, accumulating an unbeaten record while mentoring the younger, face-painted enigma. Together, they battled and defeated top tag teams such as FTR, whom they vanquished at the inaugural Dynamite: Grand Slam in September 2021.

The veteran's star power elevated whatever he was involved in while simultaneously spotlighting one of the four young pillars of the company in Allin. His presence alone elevated the stature of AEW within the industry.

In October 2023, having contributed all that he could physically at 64, he announced his impending retirement at the following March's Revolution pay-per-view. Along the way, he and Allin earned their first and only tag team title with a win over Big Bill and Ricky Starks.

In his final match, Sting turned back the clock one last time, turning in a phenomenal performance in which he and his partner successfully defended against The Young Bucks in an awe-inspiring war of attrition.

Sting, as he did with his unforgettable debut, provided AEW a defining moment with his emotional retirement at the Greensboro Coliseum, home to so many of his legendary battles with Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Lex Luger and others during his time as the franchise star of WCW.

A locker room leader for whom everyone behind the scenes had the utmost respect, he went out as a winner and what he had long been touted: The Icon.

Accomplishments: Co-founder of AEW, TNT champion (3; inaugural)

Tribalism is funny because it often results in narratives spun to reflect any group's agenda. Take the assertion that Cody Rhodes' impact on AEW was never what it was made out to be.

The same Rhodes who bet Wrestling Observer Newsletter creator Dave Meltzer that he, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega could self-finance a major indie show and sell out 10,000 seats for All In, an event that would serve as the unofficial jumping-off point for AEW.

History tells us they did just that, with Rhodes' confidence in the fan fervor surrounding him and his friends fueling his decision to accept the wager.

From there, he was one of the co-founders and EVPs of AEW, the face of its major media push ahead of the inaugural Double or Nothing in 2019, and the centerpiece of one of the show's biggest drawing points: an emotional showdown with his brother, Dustin.

Rhodes was also instrumental in developing three of the four pillars of AEW.

On the debut episode of Dynamite, he squared off with Sammy Guevara in a match that spotlighted The Spanish God. He engaged MJF in one of the most emotional rivalries in AEW history and feuded with Darby Allin over the TNT Championship, eventually dropping the title to him at Full Gear in 2020.

There was the rivalry with Brodie Lee that heightened awareness for the talented big man and resulted in some unforgettable battles, including a brutal and bloody Dog Collar match.

Away from the show, he was the face of AEW, appearing on every possible platform in an attempt to draw attention to a product he was intensely proud of. Perhaps that is why some still struggle to come to terms with his departure in 2022 and return to WWE.

We may never know what ultimately forced Rhodes back to the most prominent promotion in the industry, but his decision to return should not cloud anyone's perspective when it comes to his significance to the history of AEW.

He has never uttered a bad word about the company or those he came together with to create it and it is unlikely he ever will, thanks to the pride he still feels for having changed the wrestling world by creating a legitimate alternative.

The B/R Wrestling team has used a fair voting scheme on our rundown, but there is an argument to be made that Rhodes is ranked way too low, even at No. 9.

Accomplishments: AEW women's world champion; Women's Owen Hart Cup

From day one, it was apparent that Tony Khan and Co. saw something in Britt Baker that told them she was the face of the AEW women's division for the foreseeable future.

Faced with the immense pressure that such a label carries with it, not to mention running her own dentistry office, Baker thrived and became one of the biggest and most over stars on the roster.

There were bumps in the road, including a failed babyface run and a Tooth and Nail match against Big Swole at All Out 2020, ranking as one of the worst ideas and executions in AEW history.

Once she discovered her confidence as a heel, though, she became one of the show's centerpieces.

Her feud with Thunder Rosa, culminating in their infamous Lights Out Unsanctioned match, put her on the map while strong performances against the likes of Hikaru Shida, Ruby Soho, Tay Conti and a partnership with Jamie Hayter kept her there.

Charismatic above all else, Baker has carried herself like a star and the result is someone fans can invest in and care about, whether they want to see her succeed or get beaten up by one of the many talented women on the AEW roster.

A performer who has already accomplished just about everything there is to in the company, she could easily step away, focus on dentistry and move on.

Instead, she figures to be a significant part of AEW's plans once she is officially cleared to return to action, building on a resume that has already seen her win the top prize in the women's division and capture the inaugural Women's Owen Hart Cup.

Baker, for as great as she has been from a character standpoint, has missed significant time over the last year due to injury, with no clear-cut indication of when she will be back in the ring. It will come, though, and all will be right with the world, even if only for a moment.

The Good Doctor wouldn't have it any other way.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion, AEW world tag team champion (with Kenny Omega)

"Hangman" Adam Page was the heart and soul of AEW through its early years.

An anxious millennial cowboy, he saw his friendship with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks tested early, only to partner with The Best Bout Machine to capture the company's world tag team titles and successfully defend them against Matt and Nick Jackson.

He overcame his demons to challenge for the world title. To accomplish his goal and capture the top prize in AEW, he would have to defeat the man he teamed with originally, Omega.

At Full Gear in November 2021, he did just that, blasting the longest-reigning world champ at the time with the Buckshot Lariat to win the gold and stand atop the AEW mountain.

His reign would be short-lived and the follow-up was nowhere near as engaging or captivating as the journey to the title was.

That is until he uttered a now-infamous promo that ignited backstage tensions between The Elite and CM Punk that culminated in the messy All Out media scrum and backstage brawl.

Page stayed out of the weeds, avoided suspension and continued to be one of the most consistent in-ring performers in AEW and a character fans could easily relate to and invest in.

It was the connection with the fans that made him such a valuable piece of the AEW puzzle and allowed him to succeed at the highest levels. It was with the company that he realized his fullest potential and brought genuine emotion to top storylines, something few performers were able to do initially.

When the fans were ready for a change and demanded a heel turn in 2024, he gave it to them. Routinely touting the injustice that kept him from a one-on-one world title match with Samoa Joe, he became the cry-baby he often fought against earlier in his AEW run.

Though he finds himself on a hiatus now, Page figures to be one of the centerpieces of AEW's long-term creative efforts. And when he does return, he should find his home in the revamped Elite, ensuring many more stories, rivalries and in-ring classics follow.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion (inaugural), FTW champion

There would be no All Elite Wrestling without Chris Jericho.

Regardless of anyone's opinion now, Jericho's star power alone made the upstart company a possibility. Without that one era-defining star signing on to Khan and The Elite's brainchild, AEW would have struggled to find an audience beyond the niche fanbase its core competitors had achieved.

The announcement that Jericho was All Elite changed the game, created interest and served as a statement to the rest of the wrestling world that the company was not a billionaire's vanity project but was a legitimate attempt to revolutionize the sport.

With great power comes great responsibility and Jericho embraced it, competing against and defeating Kenny Omega in the inaugural Double or Nothing main event, becoming the first AEW world champion and leading the Inner Circle faction that would become a centerpiece of the company's creative efforts early on.

Feuds with Cody Rhodes, Jon Moxley, Orange Cassidy and MJF were top-shelf programs that were essential to further establishing the company as a true alternative to his former stomping ground, WWE.

An originator and innovator, Jericho competed in the first Stadium Stampede match against The Elite, joined his Inner Circle brethren in battle against The Pinnacle in the first-ever Blood and Guts match, and partnered with the revamped Jericho Appreciation Society in war against The Blackpool Combat Club in Anarchy in the Arena.

A star who repeatedly proved capable of reinventing himself, rarely allowing himself to grow stale. When confronted with that possibility in 2024, and facing an audience's whose appetite for the future Hall of Famer was waning, he introduced a "Learning Tree" persona that obliviously soaks in the "adulation" of the fans.

Has Jericho's work been the best it has been in AEW? No, but while that pill may be tough to swallow for the performer and his most ardent supporters, there is no denying his place in the company's history and just how significant he has been to the development and evolution of the product.

A world-class competitor who fought on every major stage that there is, and who squared off with every major star from Steve Austin to The Rock to Shawn Michaels, he was the first to put his stamp of approval on what Khan and The Elite hoped to do with their new creation.

The importance of that decision alone is enough of an argument for him being even higher on this countdown than No. 6.

Three years into his run with AEW, and it feels very much like the company was made for The American Dragon.

Some of the handcuffs placed on him in WWE from a stylistic standpoint were off and Bryan Danielson was allowed to reintroduce a physical, aggressive style that was tamed a bit in the biggest company in the industry.

Almost immediately, he had a five-star classic against Kenny Omega at Dynamite: Grand Slam in September 2021. That match was so eagerly anticipated that before the two every locked up, fans greeted their staredown with positive chants. They delivered on the potential of the encounter and the fans ate it up, just as they would most of what Danielson has accomplished in the years since.

Matches with Hangman Page, Miro and Dustin Rhodes would further establish the type of work we would see from Danielson, who appeared to be on a quest to remind everyone of who the best wrestler in the world actually was. His no-nonsense in-ring approach meshed perfectly with that of Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta, and the Blackpool Combat Club was born from there.

As he nears the end of his full-time in-ring career, the 43-year-old often finds himself wrestling the matches he wants, against stars from around the world he admires. He also went out of his way to put Eddie Kingston over strong, losing to him in the finals of the AEW Continental Classic and showing him a sign of respect after the match.

A selfless worker from the standpoint of wins and losses, he is everything one would want from a top star: He is believable, respected, shows respect in kind and excels at every facet of his job.

He is excellence personified but never carries himself like someone superior to those around him. He simply loves to wrestle and elevate those around him. He is, arguably, the greatest free-agent signing in company history. And while his days as an everyday competitor are nearing their end, he has reiterated that he does not intend to ever fully retire.

The wrestling bug is so strong within him that fans can still count on a classic whenever he decides to step back between the ropes.

Accomplishments: Co-founders of AEW, AEW world tag team champions (3), AEW world trios champions (2; inaugural, with Kenny Omega)

Love them or loathe them, The Young Bucks are two other stars without whom AEW would not exist.

The co-founders along with Elite brethren Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes, set out to change the wrestling landscape and they did. Fans who followed them throughout their days of competing in Pro Wrestling Guerilla and New Japan Pro-Wrestling gleefully went along for the ride from the inception of AEW.

Brash and bordering on arrogant, the tandem knew they were capable of doing dazzling moves and offensive combinations that few could replicate. What they did between the ropes helped lay the foundation for the AEW style that other teams would attempt to replicate but fail to match.

It was on full display in their early battles with Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix and meshed well with the traditional ground-and-pound style of FTR, making Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler their greatest opponents under the banner of AEW.

From a storyline perspective, they were at the heart of the tale involving the dissension within The Elite that included an instant classic match against Omega and Page at Revolution 2020. They would reunite to take down The Inner Circle at Stadium Stampede.

The ability to transition from babyface to heel proved valuable for the team, too, as they filled roles as needed based on injury or storyline demands. One minute they were cheating on behalf of Omega; the next, they were tearing down the house as the babyface challengers.

No matter what they did, they remained relevant.

In 2024, the team returned from a hiatus and again found themselves in the role of villains, embracing their EVP status as heel authority figures on top of their detestable wrestler selves.

Their work as disingenuous employers has seen them return to the main event while capturing their third AEW tag title, making them the first team to accomplish that feat.

The centerpieces of this era of AEW alongside Jack Perry and Kazuchika Okada in the revamped Elite, the Bucks figure to make more history and create more moments, ensuring their place in the company's history and, potentially, sending them further up this list by the time it is revisited years from now.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion, Dynamite Diamond Ring (2019-2023)

It was clear from the moment the young, loudmouthed and arrogant MJF first appeared on AEW at the inaugural Double or Nothing that he was a star of the future.

Few could talk and infuriate a crowd like him, despite his relative inexperience. More importantly, he could back up his trash-talking between the ropes.

He proved it, too, working with top stars early in his AEW career as those in power recognized his potential.

Lengthy feuds with Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho and CM Punk positioned the Long Island native as the heel of the future. He could hang with those talented orators on the mic, then go out and have a show-stealing match with them, making him the single most valuable young pillar in the promotion.

His work to constantly improve and evolve as an in-ring worker, coupled with his willingness to get heat by saying just about anything to annoy the fans and his peers, paid off in November 2022 when he defeated Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at Full Gear.

The focal point of the company's creative efforts for the next year, he would successfully defend against fellow pillars Darby Allin, Jack Perry and Sammy Guevara, Adam Cole and New Japan Pro-Wrestling legend Hiroshi Tanahashi.

The feud with Cole, which saw MJF develop the first real friendship of his adult life, turned him into a beloved babyface, only for his new buddy to betray him moments after the heartbreaking loss of the AEW title to Samoa Joe.

Unfortunately, the months-long storyline was never adequately followed up thanks to injuries to both MJF and Cole. The former has not been seen since his loss to Joe, sparking speculation about when he may be back and what AEW has in store for him creatively.

Regardless of what that may be, there is no denying his place this high on the list.

From uncomfortable lashings of Rhodes with a leather belt to signing with Chris Jericho in a segment right off of Broadway, to going toe-to-toe with Punk on the mic and wrestling an Iron Man match with Bryan Danielson, he has established himself as one of the faces of AEW's brief history and the star most likely to guide it into the next decade.

Accomplishments: Co-founder of AEW, AEW world champion, AEW world tag team champion (with Hangman Page), AEW world trios champion (2; inaugural, with The Young Bucks), first AEW triple crown champion

The most decorated star in AEW's first five years.

Kenny Omega left a highly successful and lucrative run in NJPW, where he established himself as The Best Bout Machine via classics with Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito and others, to establish his legacy stateside as part of a promotion he hoped would change the wrestling landscape forever.

The former leader of Bullet Club joined The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes and Tony Khan in conceptualizing and introducing AEW to the world and wasted little time establishing what he would bring to the company.

One half of the main event of the inaugural Double or Nothing, he lost to Chris Jericho in another great match between the two, then immediately transitioned into a rivalry with the incoming Jon Moxley. Their matches were brutally violent, proving Omega was not simply a standard wrestler but could go hardcore when the occasion called for it.

Later, he teamed with Hangman Page to win the tag titles, defeated the Bucks in a classic, and stood victorious beside his Elite friends after the first Stadium Stampede.

It was his heel turn and run as AEW world champion that represented his best work, though. As The Belt Collector, he showed up to Dynamite with the AAA and Impact Wrestling world titles to go along with his AEW version, a reminder of his excellence. During his reign, he defeated Moxley and Christian Cage, among others.

He wrestled a time-limit draw with Bryan Danielson in what might be the greatest match in Dynamite history, before dropping the title to Page in the emotional culmination of Hangman's story.

Omega continued to churn out dazzling performances and win gold, mostly with the Bucks in trios action, but he still managed to break Dave Meltzer's star rating system from time to time, especially following a showdown with Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door 2022.

Currently sidelined due to the effects of diverticulitis, it remains to be seen when we will see Omega back in the AEW ring, but his legacy is secured either way.

One of the visionaries of the company and a star who lived up to the lofty expectations of fans, he remains one of the most popular and beloved stars in the industry by those who have long supported him and will continue to, regardless of what the future may hold.

Accomplishments: AEW world champion (3), AEW interim world champion, AEW international champion

The moment Jon Moxley emerged from the crowd at the inaugural Double or Nothing in May 2019 and attacked Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, it felt very much like pro wrestling would never be the same again.

Moxley introduced a paradigm shift that immediately established AEW as an alternative to WWE and cemented his status as one of the faces of the promotion.

His no-nonsense, grizzled in-ring style and willingness to go through anything if it meant beating his opponent captured the attention of fans and made him one of the most popular guys on the roster.

It was only a matter of time before he captured the world title, defeating Jericho to become champion at the first Revolution PPV in February 2020. The victory came on the heels of an intensely violent feud with Omega that left no doubt in anyone's mind that Moxley was able and ready to lead the company.

He did and has continued to do so ever since.

Far greater than his many rivalries, victories and other accomplishments is the reliability and consistency he has brought to AEW. In a company that has seen injuries ravage the roster and adversely affect creative plans, or real-life controversies lead to swift changes to booking, Moxley has always been ready to pick up the ball and run with it.

When CM Punk was injured in 2022, Moxley reigned as interim world champion. When Punk was suspended as a result of the backstage brawl with the EVPs at All Out of that same year, Moxley again ran with the title.

Even after he fended off his own demons and returned from an inpatient alcohol treatment program, Moxley stepped right back into the mix and thrived as a member of the Blackpool Combat Club.

He has been steadily consistent, can thrive as champion or simply by beating people up on the undercard. He has been successful as a singles star or in tag teams, as witnessed in his and Claudio Castagnoli's victory over FTR at Dynasty in April.

Adaptable and dominant, Moxley is the star many believed he could have been as Dean Ambrose in WWE. Almost guaranteed to bleed at some point in his matches, he has given everything he has for AEW, making him its MVP and savior in the toughest of times.

His style is not for everyone, and some may find fault with him seemingly never losing, but there is no denying what he has meant to the organization or how many times he has bailed it out of tough situations.

Moxley is its leader and tone-setter, more so than any EVP or pillar could be, and he tops our list because of that.