I think it’s fair to say that AEW has handled the pandemic much better than any other promotion in the world. In these trying times with no fans where Raw and SmakDown are usually a pain to watch with some meager bright spots and even NXT’s struggling, AEW has consistently and definitively beaten WWE when it comes to fan satisfaction.
While no wrestling promotion can ever be deemed perfect and AEW face routine criticism by the likes of Jim Cornette, it’s undeniable that AEW has some of the best wrestling on the planet. What works most for AEW is that they have variety. Almost every single match on the weekly shows or the PPVs is a different style, so there’s usually something in each show for everyone.
Technical wrestling, Lucha Libre, Japanese strong style, hardcore death matches, story-driven matches, cinematic matches, comedic wrestling, the million moves per hour indie style, you name it. AEW shows have every aspect of pro-wrestling covered and they employ some of the very best pro-wrestlers to do it.
AEW is a well-oiled wrestling machine with all the parts moving smoothly. With Dark and Elevation along with Dynamite, and with so many YouTube vlogs, every single roster member and even enhancement talent have characters and feuds. Storylines bleed into one another and wins and losses matter.
Another thing admirable about AEW is that whenever they make a mistake, they immediately recognize it and try to rectify it. For example, Britt Baker wasn’t working as the top babyface or the “Face of the Women’s Division” so she was turned heel and now she’s the AEW Women’s champions and she is, in fact, the face of the Women’s division.
Hence, while it was difficult to pick 5 best wrestlers from WWE because nobody shined enough, this list was difficult because so many guys did so much that it was difficult to pick just 5. So, here are some honorable mentions.
Jon Moxley, Orange Cassidy, and Chris Jericho. Rey Fenix, who almost solely represents the high-flying Lucha Libre part of AEW, and God’s favourite champion Miro. And this might be a spoiler, but Matt Jackson for being one-half of the best tag team in the world.
There’ll also be a Women’s piece for AEW so stick around for that.
Here are the 5 best male AEW of 2021.
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.
2. Nick Jackson
I promise you, this is not a slight. In fact, this can be considered a Young Bucks entry. Sorry, Matt Jackson. You’re amazing.
What I love most about the Young Bucks is how committed they are to being douchebags. They’ve been so good since they turned heel. Not that they weren’t good before, as the tag title match with Jericho and MJF proves, but heel Bucks are the best Bucks of all the Bucks, in every conceivable way.
The expensive shoes, the stupid facial hair, their bits on BTE where they say “… we can do this now that we’re heels.” I’m all in for all of that.
While some people may consider it exposing the business or some might consider BTE a bit too much, I feel they have an audience that absolutely adores them. It’s probably the reason why they win the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Award for Best Tag Team every year.
Most of all, their matches. Heel Bucks give everything to the babyfaces in their matches. Their match with Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley was perfect pro-wrestling. It was the best tag match I’ve seen all year, and it was in no way a spot fest.
AEW has the best tag team wrestling in the world and the Bucks are a big reason for that. Matt Jackson deserves all the praise in the world for his expressions and his charisma and his mic skills. But, Nick is the real hero in my eyes.
When it comes to in-ring ability, Nick Jackson can rival any other wrestler in the world.
He performs other-worldly maneuvers at the speed of a million miles an hour, and he rarely, if ever, fails to make an impression.
His incredible selling is being highlighted more now that he’s bumping like a madman for all the faces in AEW. Words cannot do justice to Nick’s talent, but matches can. So, go watch literally any single of the Bucks’ tag title matches this year, and be prepared to be amazed by Nick Jackson.
1. Darby Allin
Yes, the best overall wrestler for AEW in 2021 was Darby Allin or Jeff Hardy in his prime booked right.
Darby Allin is an enigma. Out of the crop of AEW’s young stars like MJF, Sammy Guevarra, Ricky Starks, and Jungle Boy, Darby Allin is AEW’s first home-grown star. Everything about him, from his face paint, skateboard and attire, to his theme and overall persona, is spot on.
Darby, with the TNT title on his shoulder, ticked every single box a wrestler is supposed to tick. Even though so many believed he was too small, he drew consistently high numbers week after week and main-evented Dynamite several times against various opponents, and delivering in every single match.
He doesn’t talk much, he just works his ass off every single time. His selling is incredible, twisting into a ragdoll and falling onto…. “things” for our entertainment. When a performer gives so much of himself to the audience, it’s hard not to root for him. Darby is one of those guys who elicits sympathy from the crowd in every single match.
He started the year with a bang, beating long-time rival Brian Cage in a brutal title fight.
He had amazing title matches with the likes of Joey Janela, Pres10 Vance, Scorpio Sky, Matt Hardy, and Jungle Boy.
He found a soul brother in the form of Sting and the two of them together has been must-see TV. Their tag match against Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page was a genuine highlight of the show and it was so heartwarming to see Sting wrestle again and absolutely kill it. A well-deserved “You still got it” chant.
He put over Miro in spectacular fashion, losing consciousness in his arms and going limp like a lifeless doll. His selling made Miro look like a monster, and while the rematch isn’t advertised, I cant wait to see it.
Darby Allin is the “Please don’t die” chant personified and for all the bumps he’s taken and for all of the things he’s fallen off of, he is the best male AEW wrestler of 2021.