AEW: 5 stats/analytics the promotion should implement

One count pin attempts and nearfalls per match.

In wrestling, few elements of a match are more dramatic and nerve-racking than a well-timed nearfall. Of course, all nearfalls don’t carry the same impact. With more matches now relying so heavily on finishing moves — specifically in WWE — some fans view most nearfalls as a procedural exercise that has to run its course before the contest reaches its climax.

This has forced wrestlers and road agents to draw up more innovative means to manufacture drama, which why we now occasionally see wrestlers kick out of big moves at the count of one. In both cases, these storytelling devices serve a similar in-canon purpose: establish a wrestler’s resilience and fighting spirit.

There aren’t many easier ways to illustrate how important wins and losses are than nearfalls and opportune one-counts, which is why AEW should consider tracking how many of these wrestlers collect per match.

To be clear, this wouldn’t hold much bearing on the company’s ranking system, but it would provide fans with a statistical representation of a wrestler’s ability to withstand punishment and remain in the fight. It would be an excellent way to tell apart the lower midcard talents who fold early and the stars who can hang around in matches for an extended period of time.