The Best (& Worst) Edition Of Every Current AEW PPV
Even though AEW’s weekly programming gets some criticism now and again, their PPV events have been pretty much a hit on every single occasion. Of course, there have been a few duds here and there, but for the most part AEW produces the best PPVs out of every professional wrestling company on the planet.
It is interesting to look at their “big four” of Revolution, Double or Nothing, All Out, and Full Gear, and to see which of those events have been the best and the worst edition. For some PPVs it is harder than others to pick out a definite best and worst, as the gap in quality is much tighter with certain events.
8 Best Revolution: 2023
The 2023 AEW Revolution benefits from being the most recent AEW PPV, but it does feel like one of the most well-rounded events in the history of the company. Two instant classics in Bryan Danielson vs MJF and Adam Page vs Jon Moxley took place on this card, which elevated it in a major way.
Elsewhere, matches like Ricky Starks vs Chris Jericho, The Elite vs House of Black, and Jungle Boy vs Christian Cage delivered. Even though some matches like the Women’s Title and Tag Title bouts weren’t as strong, they were not bad by any means, and worked well to help the crowd refresh for the next banger. The likes of 2020 and 2022 were both phenomenal shows too, but this had one too many show stealers to get beaten to first place.
7 Worst Revolution: 2021
This wasn’t necessarily a terrible show, but it had a lot going against it. For instance, a brutal Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch main event was overshadowed by a dud explosion which left the show going off air with boos. Additionally, the Face of the Revolution ladder match was very poor, and the tag team match which saw Miro & Kip Sabian take on Best Friends didn’t feel PPV worthy.
Young Bucks vs Chris Jericho & MJF, Team Taz vs Sting & Darby Allin, and Hikaru Shida vs Ryo Mizunami may have all been good matches, but nothing on this card really wowed in the same way other matches on AEW PPVs do. The lack of something special and the poor finish led to this being the worst Revolution to date.
6 Best Double Or Nothing: 2019
Even though 2021 felt special due to the return of live fans, there is something about AEW’s first ever PPV that may never be beaten. The atmosphere of this event and the change it meant for professional wrestling ensures that unless something truly spectacular comes along, this will be the best Double or Nothing of all time.
SCU and Stronghearts opened the show with a bang, the six-woman tag team match was a lot of fun, Young Bucks vs Lucha Brothers was a breathtaking tag match, and Cody Rhodes vs Dustin Rhodes is still up there with the best AEW matches ever, with an emotional, bloody, and intense match. There were several debuts and surprises too, notably Jon Moxley’s appearance after the Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega main event.
5 Worst Double Or Nothing: 2022
The opening match between MJF and Wardlow could’ve been something special, but the controversy surrounding MJF led to this match not being as hot, and it led to a strange feeling across the whole show. The House of Black vs Death Triangle and Anarchy in the Arena were both great, but much of this card was simply just average.
The likes of Jade Cargill vs Anna Jay, both Owen Hart Tournament finals, and the mixed trios match were all let downs, and made the middle portion of the show really hard to sit through. It must be said that the second half of the show was fantastic, with great match after match, but it wasn’t enough to stop this from still being the weakest Double or Nothing PPV.
4 Best All Out: 2021
All Out 2021 is often looked upon as the greatest AEW PPV ever, and for good reason. CM Punk’s return to the ring was a spectacle, Young Bucks and the Lucha Brothers had arguably the greatest Steel Cage match of all time, Ruby Soho debuted to win the Casino Battle Royale, and Kenny Omega & Christian Cage closed the show with a beautifully wrestled main event. There were plenty of other matches which delivered too.
Additionally, the closing segment of this PPV was an all-timer, as both Adam Cole and Bryan Danieslon shockingly made their AEW debuts.
3 Worst All Out: 2020
The Matt Hardy incident at this show ruined the whole event, as it left an uncomfortable atmosphere in the aftermath. That being said, the show opened in a horror show with the awful Tooth & Nail match between Britt Baker and Big Swole.
Even strong matches like Jon Moxley vs MJF, Hikaru Shida vs Thunder Rosa, and FTR vs Kenny Omega & Adam Page couldn’t quite overcome the uneasy feeling held by both the fans in the arena and those watching at home. Due to some underwhelming matches on the card, even without the Matt Hardy injury, this would have still likely been among the worst AEW PPVs.
2 Best Full Gear: 2021
AEW’s Full Gear PPVs have been the most consistent in AEW history, so picking the best is a tough task. However, 2021 just about beats the others, mostly due to it hosting the conclusion of arguably AEW’s best ever storyline as Adam Page dethroned Kenny Omega to become AEW World Champion.
Other matches such as MJF vs Darby Allin, Christian & Jurassic Express vs The Superkliq, and CM Punk vs Eddie Kingston were all match of the night contenders too.
1 Worst Full Gear: 2019
For the same reason that choosing the best PPV is hard, choosing the worst Full Gear is just as difficult as all have been very strong. Even the 2019 event had some brilliant matches like Chris Jericho vs Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega vs Jon Moxley, and Adam Page vs PAC.
However, the other events were just so good that they were better than this - but not by much! The triple threat World Tag Team Title match was quite underwhelming, and Shawn Spears vs Joey Janela was not of a PPV quality, so they brought the event down a little. For the most part though, this was still a terrific event, but is still the “least great” out of all Full Gear shows.
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