Ranking the 10 WWE and AEW MVPs Halfway Through 2024

Just past the midway point of 2024, It is apparent that professional wrestling is in as strong a position as it has been in decades, thanks to unprecedented success in WWE and a rabid fan base that continues to support All Elite Wrestling in its quest to revolutionize the industry.

It can also be attributed to the incredible performances and successes of the men and women in those companies.

From world champions to bona-fide internet trolls, the crop of talent that has stood out across WWE and AEW in 2024 is a who's-who of superstars.

Who are they and why did they earn recognition on this top 10 countdown?

Find out with this in-depth look at the companies' MVPs.

There is an argument to be made that Mariah May belongs on this list, perhaps even ahead of the reigning AEW women's world champion, but her role does not become what it is without Storm's relentless commitment to character and storyline.

The Australian-born competitor has been nothing short of extraordinary, picking up where 2023 left off as the stuck-in-classic-Hollywood character who is extraordinarily over the top. Despite her superb character work, though, Storm never lets it get in the way of her in-ring performance.

She is still a solid striker who can throw hands with more brawl-centered competitors while mixing it up on the mat against more technically sound wrestlers, such as Serena Deeb or Deonna Purrazzo.

She is about as well-rounded a performer as there is in the AEW women's division and her dedication to portraying this "Timeless" persona, without losing the typical manipulative elements of a villain, has helped elevate the story with protege May.

From telling the Brit, "I see myself in you and I love me" to fighting for her adoration while feuding with May's "soulmate" Mina Shirakawa, Storm has carried the gold and been at the center of one of AEW's best stories in 2024.

A consummate professional wrestler, a great character, and an even better storyline makes Storm one of the undisputed MVPs of the promotion.

Samoa Joe earned his spot on this list by carrying the promotion as its world champion through the first four months of the year.

At a time of upheaval and uncertainty following the firing of CM Punk and significant injuries to top stars, Joe did as he has done multiple times before, bringing stability to the top of the card as a grizzled veteran and heel champion.

Joe was believable in the role, had the respect of the fans, and carried himself like the champion the company needed at that point in time.

He ultimately lost the gold to Swerve Strickland at Dynasty, putting him over and propelling him to the main event level.

The Samoan Submission Machine was selfless, professional, and heightened the significance of the AEW world title during his reign with it.

That he has taken a hands-on approach with helping to solidify Hook as a star of the future in the company only enhances his contributions to the company thus far in 2024.

Bryan Danielson is the best wrestler of his generation, not only a technical master but someone who can throw fists in a chaotic brawl when the time calls for it.

Through the first half of 2024, Danielson has done just that, wrestling a whose-who of international stars such as Hechicero, Zack Sabre Jr., and Kazuchika Okada, then engaging The Don Callis Family in a Bunkhouse Brawl and The Elite in Anarchy in the Arena.

Along the way, he had an instant classic with Will Ospreay that set the tone for the rest of his year and the stage for another all-timer against The Aerial Assassin at some point in the near future.

Two superb matches against Shingo Takagi and Pac have helped elevate the overall quality of the Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament, in which he is one of the favorites to win as his career as a full-time professional wrestler winds down.

The American Dragon is a future Hall of Famer and his name already exists in the same atmosphere as Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Eddie Guerrero, Terry Funk, and Rey Mysterio as the best to ever lace a pair of boots.

With one more half-year to go in his full-time career, expect Danielson to show up and show out, determined to leave no question about his status as one of the greatest of all time. In the process, no matter what is going on in or around the company, he will continue to elevate his sliver of AEW TV.

Jey Uso has evolved into a legitimate main event competitor and star.

The second-generation star has embraced his singles run, developed "YEET" as an insanely over catchphrase, and become the most popular star on Monday Night Raw not-named CM Punk.

Even then, the reaction for his theme music, the electricity of his entrance, and the support of the fans may have elevated him to that level of popularity, something that would have been considered previously impossible.

Uso defeated his brother, Jimmy, at WrestleMania and played a key role in Cody Rhodes' victory over Roman Reigns in the main event of Night Two. He proved his value as an in-ring performer against the likes of The Judgment Day, Ilja Dragunov, and Gunther (twice).

As if the kickoff to 2024 has not already solidified a banner year for Uso, the second-half looks to be even more eventful, with potential programs against the dangerous Wyatt Sicks and a reunion with his brother and Reigns as they look to take down the new Bloodline, led by his other brother, Solo SIkoa.

For some, including this writer, Uso's ascent is not particularly surprising. That he is as wildly popular as he is and that WWE appears to have bought into the hype with consistent booking on the flagship show, is.

The belief of the company, and the presence and the performance of the man, have helped make him one of the best stories of 2024.

Will Ospreay made his long-awaited AEW debut in 2024 and has not looked back, quickly establishing himself as the franchise of the promotion.

At a time when the product is far from the best it has ever been, and both TV and ticket sales numbers are not what anyone would hope them to be, Ospreay has provided a consistent excellence while bringing a superstar aura with him that cannot be mass produced or replicated.

He feels like the guy AEW needs at this time to help steady the ship and advance it forward.

Widely considered one of the best wrestlers in the world today, he has backed that label up in the ring, having strong matches with Danielson, Konosuke Takeshita, and Swerve Strickland on pay-per-view, not to mention the contests he has wrestled on television against Kyle Fletcher, Rey Fenix, Brian Cage, and Daniel Garcia.

One of the rare top-tier free agent signings that has come into AEW and lived up to every expectation, he is the guy in Tony Khan's company, even if he does not have the world title to show for it just yet.

That time will come, potentially here in 2024. Until then, Ospreay will continue to set the tone for the rest of the company with his dedication to his craft and some of the most consistently great performances between bells.

It is almost inconceivable that there was a time when The Judgment Day was nearly done away with following a less-than-stellar roll out. Fast forward two years since Edge, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley formed the rough foundation of the group and you have a faction whose potential has been fully recognized.

The Judgment Day has become a central focus of WWE's flagship show, Raw. The faction, which includes reigning world heavyweight champion Damian Priest, world tag team champions Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, Dominik Mysterio, and the injured Rhea Ripley, is embroiled in several ongoing storylines, too.

Priest is seeking to prove his independence, Balor is in a passive-aggressive power struggle with The Archer of Infamy, McDonagh is seemingly feuding with Braun Strowman, and Mysterio finds himself fending off the advances of women's world champion Liv Morgan, who is hell bent on taking everything from Ripley as part of her revenge tour.

Add to that the extent to which WWE Creative leans on the group to carry the brand between the ropes, with several members of the group competing on a weekly basis, and you realize just how significant to the entire three-hour production of any given episode of Raw the group is.

The second-half of 2024 will likely see Ripley's return, a big feud with Morgan, and Mysterio left to choose between them, all while Priest and Balor's mounting tension comes to a head. As a result, do not be surprised if (and when) The Judgment Day ends up on the list of MVPs from the second-half of the year.

Swerve Strickland built considerable momentum for himself as 2023 came to a head, thanks in large part to a feud with Hangman Page. He carried that momentum into the new year, where he quickly became the most over guy on AEW television.

He failed to win the world title from Samoa Joe in a Triple Threat Match also involving Page at Revolution but made good on his vow to elevate himself to the top of the AEW mountain shortly thereafter, with a clean victory over Joe at Dynasty.

His run throughout 2024 has not been perfect, thanks to some questionable booking that saw him somewhat de-emphasized following his victory, but a quality win over Christian Cage at Double or Nothing and a successful defense of his title over Ospreay at Forbidden Door put an exclamation point on a momentous first-half of 2024.

The question will be whether he can get back to the pre-championship level of popularity he enjoyed prior to Dynasty.

If so, Strickland will be in many a conversation for Wrestler of the Year awards.

On the surface, it may seem somewhat questionable to rank Rollins as high on this list as he is considering he missed two months of action, but there is no denying how important he was to WWE early in the year.

The Visionary not only started the year as world champion and WWE's resident workhorse, he also was at the center of several ongoing storylines, including rivalries with Drew McIntyre and CM Punk.

Even when he suffered a torn meniscus and was rendered unable to compete regularly, Rollins remained at the forefront, becoming essential to the top storyline entering WrestleMania XL.

For the first time since his unadvertised Money in the Bank cash-in nine years earlier, Rollins competed in the main event of the biggest show of the year, partnering with Cody Rhodes against The Rock and Roman Reigns.

He defended the World Heavyweight Championship in the opening contest of the next night's show, dropping it to McIntyre. Roughly two hours later, he limped out to the ring with a steel chair in hand, ate a Superman Punch from Reigns, but ultimately proved to be exactly what he claimed: the only man uniquely qualified to be Rhodes' shield.

His presence and rich history with The Tribal Chief was the distraction The American Nightmare needed to finally finish his story and win the WWE title.

A return in late June, and a premium live event match with Damian Priest for the world title, capped off a monumental return that should set The Visionary up for an equally big conclusion to 2024.

Drew McIntyre became the embodiment of an internet troll in 2024, following up a heel turn early in the year by making point, cutting criticisms, comments, and social media posts about his most hated rival, CM Punk.

As if injuring Punk and costing him a spot in the WrestleMania main event was not bad enough, The Scottish Warrior taunted him from the keyboard of his cell phone, creating posts that played on different elements of the Chicagoan's Hall of Fame career, all while chasing the World Heavyweight Championship.

Unfortunately, poking the proverbial bear has cost him on more than one occasion as Punk directly prevented him from living out his dream of being world champion on three different occasions, including in his home country at Clash at the Castle.

Still, despite his failures to secure the world title, he became a central figure in WWE programming and more importantly, signed a long-term contract with the company.

A top-tier star who has found himself as a bitter and out of control villain, he is poised to dominate the rest of the year, with a marquee match against Punk on the horizon.

All Cody Rhodes has done in 2024 is win the Royal Rumble, outlast The Rock in a battle for the hearts of the WWE Universe, defeat Roman Reigns to end his historic run as Undisputed WWE Universal champion, and emerge as the face of pro wrestling's top promotion for years to come.

If that is not enough, he wrestled two outstanding matches against AJ Styles on premium live events and became the franchise player on WWE's network TV production, SmackDown.

The top babyface in the industry, a man whose journey defined two nights of WrestleMania, and the hero WWE needed as it sought its next top babyface, Rhodes has had a year that is untouchable by any other star in the industry.

It does not appear to be ending any time soon, either.

The American Nightmare is the guy in professional wrestling, a standard-bearer.

If that is not enough to earn him the top spot in this ranking of MVPs, nothing is.