PAC is set for a big AEW return but where does he fit in the stacked roster?

All Elite Wrestling has a ridiculously stacked roster. The men’s division features performers like Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Ricky Starks, MJF, Malakai Black, and others who could easily be main event players. Throw in recent acquisitions like Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, Swerve Strickland, and Jay White to push the bandwidth off the charts. But there’s one name that many have forgotten. Gravity included. PAC is set for a big return to AEW and it will be interesting to see where he fits on the roster.

PAC is one of the best performers in wrestling today. The scattered nature of his work with AEW may put some holes in that argument, but at any moment PAC can put on an epic match with any opponent standing across from him. Imagine him in matches with Ospreay, Okada, White, and Strickland, or look back to some of the classics he’s already put on in the company. PAC can go with anyone. That’s a fact.

But the scattered nature of his work also raises questions about where he will fit upon his return. His last match was a victory against Gravity back in July. In 2023 he had six matches. In both 2022 and 2021, he had 29 matches both years. In 2020 he had 10 matches, but this was due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. That’s a low output when compared to some of the other names in this piece. Taking a deeper dive into the data shows how PAC is protected. From 2022 through 2023 he’s only suffered five losses in 1-on-1 matches. That’s some of the best booking across the entire company.

His video during AEW Revolution mentioned that he’s coming back soon, but where does he fit on the card? He can’t go right into the title picture. Samoa Joe is riding a wave of support as champion and fans are rallying behind Strickland. Roddy Strong just picked up the International Championship, which PAC held for 108 days back when it was the All-Atlantic title. Eddie Kingston is seemingly heading into a confrontation against Okada. The TNT Championship is the lowest of the mid-card titles, wrapped up in the Christian Cage versus Adam Copeland story. PAC doesn’t fit in any of those places. He feels and should be presented as a bigger star than that.

Yes, there are several great matches that PAC will have when he returns. He can stay active battling the likes of Kyle Fletcher, The BCC, and others who aren’t directly in the title picture. But what’s the story that elevates him to a main event title challenger? That is harder to unpack.

PAC’s once again making a return to All Elite Wrestling. He’s coming at a time when the roster is built around the best performers in the industry, all ready to welcome him back – but without open arms.