Top 5 AEW wrestlers of 2021 so far – Men’s Edition
5. “Hangman” Adam Page
You know how I mentioned the folks running AEW recognize their mistakes and try to rectify them as much as possible? Well, Adam Page is perhaps the biggest example of that.
When All Elite Wrestling was opened for business and they had their second-ever PPV, All Out, Page was fighting Chris Jericho to become the first-ever AEW World Champion. In that match, Page was the babyface and Jericho was the heel and yet, most people agree that Page wasn’t working as the top babyface and it was the right call to crown Jericho the champion.
It seemed Page was thrust into the spotlight too soon and we had another Roman Reigns on our hands.
“Well, how do you like me now?” says Adam Page with some sass, I’m assuming.
Page went from a one-dimensional babyface to a horse-riding, beer-drinking, Buckshot Larriating hero, beloved by young and old alike.
He was kicked out of the Elite and lost his tag partner. He was the only member of the Elite who had no powers in AEW, he was the odd one out. This ongoing saga between the Elite and Hangman Page is possibly AEW’s best story. They added layers to Page’s character that are still relevant today. On top of that, his relationship with the Dark Order is really funny, stupid, and heartwarming.
In 2021, Page took a backseat in AEW. That’s not to say he was bad, he just wasn’t inserted into the title picture until recently. Probably because the stories need time.
He was involved in feuds with Matt Hardy’s crew and Team Tazz. He had great matches with the likes of Max Caster, Ricky Starks, Brian Cage, and Powerhouse Hobbs, and also some excellent tag matches alongside various members of Dark Order.
His recent altercations with the Elite indicate there are bigger and better things in store for the Hangman and he might very well be at the top of this list by the end of the year.
4. MJF
What is there to say about Maxwell Jacob Friedman that he hasn’t already told us before?
Simply put, MJF is the greatest heel on the planet (not named Roman Reigns). At the age of just 25, MJF is slowly morphing into one of the greatest talkers in pro-wrestling history. He’s turning heads all around the globe with his foul-mouthed verbiage and his overall presence.
Along with his in-ring skills and out-of-the-world great charisma, MJF is one of the most complete wrestlers in the industry, and he’s going to dominate professional wrestling for many many years.
This guy understands what being a heel is so perfectly it’s almost frightening. He never tries to outshine the babyfaces. He talks loud and talks a lot but also gets his head dunked in a toilet seat.
MJF started 2021 as a heel tag team alongside Jericho, and they had a simple but classic good vs. evil feud with the Young Bucks over the titles. When they lost, MJF betrayed Jericho and formed his very own stable of old school badasses, the Pinnacle.
Since then, it has been gang warfare between the Inner Circle and the Pinnacle, with MJF at the center of it all.
MJF and Jericho’s verbal barbs have been legendary in this feud and both Stadium Stampede and Blood and Guts were great matches with mostly positive reactions. The finish of the Blood and Guts match was somewhat poorly received but the iconic visual of MJF on top of the cage, blood pouring from his forehead was terrifying in all the right ways.
In the singles division, MJF is like a major attraction that we don’t see as often but when we do, it’s a treat. His recent encounter with Sammy Guevarra is a perfect example. Although I thought kicking out of a middle rope Tombstone was a crime, the match showcased two of the brightest young stars in AEW going head to head, and MJF came out on top.
He’s better than us, and we know it.
3. Kenny Omega
Here’s the entry many of you may have assumed would be no. 1 on this list.
Well, the Belt Collector, Best Bout Machine, the God of pro-wrestling, The AAA Mega Champion, Impact Wrestling World champion, and AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, is only number 3.
That’s not to say he’s done anything wrong though, he’s been in top form ever since he became champion. It’s just that the two guys you see next have outperformed him in 2021, and that’s only because Omega has another show.
Considering he now has more responsibilities than AEW, Omega could genuinely be considered the best in the world. The simple fact is this, whenever Kenny Omega is wrestling in the ring, you can automatically assume the Match of the Night is going to be his.
Case in point, he gave us a Match of the Year 2021 contender against Rey Fenix within 6 days of 2021.
After that, he began an extended feud against Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, and Death Triangle with the Elite by his side. And, literally, all of these matches have been amazing, and, literally, Omega has outperformed everyone in every single one of these matches.
There’s the wild Falls Count Anywhere alongside Kenta against Moxley and Lance Archer, the six-man-tag alongside the Good Brothers against Lucha Bros and Laredo Kid, and then the same team against Moxley and the Young Bucks, in which the Bucks turned heel. The exploding barbed wire deathmatch was fantastic right up until that finish.
Then, there’s that three-way against Pac and Orange Cassidy and his most recent defence against Jungle Boy. Omega has the ability to make people start, and with the Adam Page match coming up soon, he’s going to prove once again why he’s the God of pro-wrestling.