We talk about a lot of things here on The Outerhaven, but one thing that many of us here love in one capacity or another is wrestling. And as you might know, we even have our own wrestling talk show via the 450 Wrestling Podcast. But the reason we made it was because of a paradigm shift in the industry. All Elite Wrestling. What started at All In in 2018 became something so much more, and with Double Or Nothing coming back this Saturday, the first year of AEW will have officially ended.

What a year it’s been. It started out with PPVs and free events like Double Or Nothing, Fyter Fest, Fight For The Fallen, and then All Out. Then came All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite and AEW Dark via Youtube, which led to Full Gear at the end of the year and Revolution this past February.

There have been rising stars like Darby Allin, Private Party, Sammy Guevara, Hikaru Shida, Riho, and many more. There has been veterans getting new life like Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Jake Hager, Matt Hardy, and Brody Lee. 

And of course, there have been amazing matches. From ones on TV, to ones of the PPVs, AEW has brought it in the best way possible. So that begs the question, what are the best matches from All Elite Wrestling’s first year? Let’s have the 450 guys pick some of their favorites.

Todd’s Picks

I can barely describe what AEW has meant to me as a wrestling fan. I started out as a WWE fan in the early 2000’s, then found TNA/Impact, Lucha Underground, Ring of Honor, New Japan, etc. But with All Elite Wrestling, you could FEEL their passion in wanting to change the industry. They wanted to make things better, and they did. Wrestling is SO much better with them in it. And my 3 picks perfectly show that. So let’s get this started!

1. Kenny Omega vs Jon Moxley (Lights Out Match, Full Gear)

Sometimes, timing just works to build something up to extreme hype levels. In WWE, Becky Lynch’s in-ring injury because of Nia Jax not only built up her legend, but helped set up an epic Main Event at Wrestlemania. And in All Elite Wrestling, they had something similar happen in their first year. Let me set the stage for you.

Jon Moxley debuted at the first Double Or Nothing and shocked the world by coming to AEW after leaving WWE barely a month beforehand. He arrived by beating the crap out of Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, two of the best wrestlers in the world. So the question was, who was he going to fight first from the two?

The answer was Omega, and we were SUPPOSED to get that fight at their second major PPV in All Out. But…then Moxley got injured. Which led to several incredible shoot segments and promos from Kenny blasting Moxley for getting injured instead of “staying safe” so that they could fight. AEW played this perfectly by cranking up the tensions between the two to the point where they had to have an unsanctioned “Lights Out Match” to settle the score.

And oh, was this score settled. The violence that these two did to one another was nothing short of shocking. This was a 40 minute match full of weapons, killer moves, and kickouts that left your jaw on the floor.

The “net” of barb wire that Kenny had The Elite bring out was an awesome spot, and that STILL wasn’t the end of the match! By the time Moxley finally got the win, I was exhausted in the best way possible, and I labeled that my first EVER beyond 5-star match.

…so imagine what the rematch will be like?

2. Riho Vs. Nyla Rose II

AEW was sure to make clear that when they were coming, there was going to be a vast and diverse women’s division. And while they haven’t always shown it off in the best way, they lived up to that hype. They have warriors from Japan, Native Beasts, an epic alien, a lady who apparently is a dentist, a girl who’s superbad, and so much more. The women’s division has surprised us in many ways over the last year, but if I am going to pick the BEST match of the year? It’s the second match between Riho and Nyla Rose.

Both of these names were NOT familiar in America when All Elite Wrestling happened. But Riho charmed her way to the hearts of the crowd, and her first win over Nyla Rose on the inaugural Dynamite was something to behold. But their rematch? It was better.

The back and forth, the way Riho would throw around Nyla, and keep enduring from her attacks, it was great. My jaw DROPPED when she did Kenny’s Dragon Suplex on her…TWICE!!! And then she endured the Beast Bomb, which made you think, is she going to win? But no, it was not to be.

Yet that wasn’t a downpoint, it was a triumph. Nyla had proven herself and Riho had her time, the Native Beast was champ, and it was awesome, just like the match itself.

3. Orange Cassidy vs. Pac

This match…dear gosh…this match. Orange Cassidy has been one of the “King of the Indies” for a long time because of his “sloth-like” gimmick. It works, and it’s awesome. Pac was a man burned by WWE in various ways, got released, did his time in “waiting” and then went to dominate the world of wrestling once again. Even going nearly 2 years without a single loss because of his wrestling epicness.

So, when Orange Cassidy’s first singles’ match (he was in a 6-man tag with Best Friends on AEW Dark before) against Pac? You KNEW this was going to be something special.

And yeah, it really was.

Comedy wrestling isn’t what you’d think it is, and it can’t be done by everyone, and it can’t be done all the time. Because you need the right partner. Pac was the perfect partner for Cassidy, and these two basically stole the show. Every time Pac would get the upperhand, Cassidy would endure and do his “King of Sloth Style” stuff to get back into it, and then even pulled out some high-flying moves himself to make things even better! At times, Pac was stunned by how well Orange was doing, and of course, the crowd was loving every minute of it. Including a solid minute of Orange rolling from one side of the ring to the other…as Pac marched around the ring to meet him, only for Orange to smile and roll right back.

This match was everything Revolution was billing. The ONLY bad thing was that the ending kind of got ruined because of outside interference. But even then, this match is worth a watch in every way that matters.

Over to you Matt and JJ! *gives Orange Cassidy thumbs up*

J.J.’s Picks

For me, AEW brought professional wrestling back. There was something missing on television each and every week and, to be honest, what was on tv was killing any and all passion I had for wrestling. Sure, I could watch New Japan but I was already subscribed to the WWE Network for NXT and the occasional WWE PPV that showed promise but outside of that, I didn’t really watch much.

When AEW was announced, I was highly interested because it looked different and I felt that it could be a breath of fresh air. Maybe… just maybe… it would revitalize my passion for pro wrestling.

Guess what?

It did.

Sure, AEW isn’t perfect. I’m not going to sit here and claim it is THE answer to professional wrestling. The promotion is young, it has its problems, and it has areas that it could vastly improve in. Despite that, to come this hot straight out of the gate means that they have been doing something right. One of the things they have done right is to deliver some of the best pro wrestling on U.S. soil in quite some time. Here are just a few picks for some of my favorite matches!

1. Cody vs Dustin Rhodes (Double or Nothing 2019)

As a sucker for old school wrestling, nothing personified that more than this brother vs brother encounter! After pitching to the head honcho of “the other guys” a storyline that would have culminated at the biggest event of the year and being denied, they took matters into their own hands in AEW. The match was a bit slow-paced but every move had meaning and there was no wasted motion. Then, Dustin gave himself some color and soon you didn’t have to worry about his red face paint wearing off because his entire face had become a crimson mask… so much so that it brought out genuine concern from the fans in attendance and the ones watching at home. After the match, after the hatchet had been buried and the score had been settled, Cody called out to his brother in an emotional plea for help for a tag team match against the Young Bucks at the next big AEW event.

Story. Passion. Drama. Emotion. 

This match had it all and it combined it all with a phenomenal professional wrestling match! All the stars aligned and this was one of the very few matches I gave five stars to in my own personal ratings! Even if you don’t like AEW… if you’re just a fan of pro wrestling, this match is a must-see!

2. The Elite vs The Elite (Revolution 2020)

Spot monkeys. MOVEZ~~

Those are terms to describe any match done by The Young Bucks. What happens when you put them in the ring with, arguably, the best overall wrestler on the planet today in Kenny Omega, and someone who can mix power and speed like Adam Page? You get a match that, not only told a story, but delivered action rarely seen in any other promotion on U.S. soil. For a hard-hitting, catch-as-catch-can tag team match like this, you would have to roam the halls of the Tokyo Dome or even Kuroken Hall. 

However, no Japanese halls would be traversed on this day as members of The Elite squared off for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Adam Page’s personal storyline about feeling as if he is just “that extra guy” in The Elite brought forth animosity with Matt Jackson that pulled both Kenny Omega and Nick Jackson into it via its own gravity and undertow. You saw all of those emotions come to a head as Page and Matt wanted to tear each other apart. Soon, Kenny and Nick who tried to be the voice of reason were overcome with the spirit of competition and, by proxy, those emotions flowed through them as well.

When the dust settled, we were left with the U.S.’s first and only 6-star rated match by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and a match that left all wrestling fans’ jaws on the floor. I don’t think there could have been a more perfect tag team match than that!

3. Rey Fenix vs Nick Jackson (AEW Dynamite)

The Lucha Bros. and The Young Bucks were the initial tag team rivalry in AEW. In fact, tag team wrestling was all that they knew for most of their careers so when these two faced off in a singles match, many wondered just how well they would gel with one another.

The answer was VERY WELL. This match opened up the November 11, 2019 edition of AEW Dynamite and it was absolutely insane! Nick Jackson paid very close attention to detail in this match as there were times he looked to his corner only to find Matt not there.

Rey didn’t do that but he didn’t need to. His explosive offense and jaw-dropped moves were what made Nick look for his partner but Nick is no slouch in the ring, either. He is just as flexible and amazing as Rey Fenix and the two styles clashed in an epic battle that could have headlined any PPV event! Because this was on free TV, it helped make it stick out among the bevvy of matches we would come to witness each and every week!

Over to you, Matt!

Matthew’s Picks

 All Elite Wrestling, this young upstart promotion that has rocked the wrestling landscape within a year with admiration and scorn. What does this promotion mean to me, a long time relapsed wrestling fan? For a long time I’ve grappled with how to answer this question. Does the fact that majority of the time when compared to the other wrestling show on the “Wednesday Night War” AEW wins in the viewers and ratings? Maybe it’s just the tongue and cheek nature of AEW’s promos, video packages, and interviews where poke fun at the industry and/or their alleged competition. 

For me the best way I can describe what AEW means to me is the revival of my love of wrestling. As a lapsed fan for years there was one promotion that held majority’s of the world’s wrestling talent and ran majority of matches in the same way with mundane spots, predictable finishes and absurd story lines as Le Champion says 

AEW revived my love for wrestling where now thanks to the internet I’m watching other independent and international promotions. For the 1st time as a wrestling fan I have this sense of hope and love for the wrestling industry where I’m not just going “It doesn’t matter Bork Lazer and Karen Concubine is going to win the belts and (insert wrestler) is going to eat the shovel”.

1. Pac vs Kenny Omega (All Out 2019)

Seeing the bastard Pac was a treat. He’s been tearing it up at Dragon’s gate since 2018 for over a year. I for one was excited to see this match. This match being booked because JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON MOXLEY (Thank you Justin Roberts I can take it from here) was injured really put a lot of people in a bind. Can Pac and Kenny deliver a quality match in such short notice? Yes, Yes they can. This match was very hard hitting and a very brutal finish.

2. Cody vs Darby Allin 2 (AEW Dynamite 2020)

This match is a great opening match that really shows the growth of the Darby Allin in AEW.  If you thought Darby was just another high flyer with face paint then you thought wrong. There was a lot more in ring psychology and working a body part in this match than a typical Darby match.  In fact, this was Darby’s most impressive in-ring outing. It’s clear to see from this match has room to grow and is a future star in AEW.

 

3. MJF vs Cody (Revolution 2020)

As J.J (no relation to Dillon) mentioned on the 450 Wrestling Podcast “where we always make splash on wrestling” (Shameless plug done Todd) Cody is the master of Southern Wrestling. This match has it all, a Heel, Color, and a story building about friendship, betrayal, and revenge. MJF was phenomenal in this match from how he sold every attack Cody delivered and his reaction to how the match has finished. Cody was so intentse and brutal in the match. My favorite part in the match is when Cody took off the weightbelt and was going to whip MJF the ref was going to stop him. Cody yelled at the ref “COME ONE HE WHIPPED ME TEN TIMES!” The Ref turned away and Cody whipped MJF like a dog.  This is how you book a fued boys.

What are YOUR favorite All Elite Wrestling matches from year one? Let us know in the comments below!