10 Best AEW PPVs

Since the promotion's founding in January 2019, All Elite Wrestling have cemented themselves as one of the top pro wrestling companies in the world alongside the likes of WWE and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

In keeping with pro wrestling tradition, AEW have adopted the pay-per-view model for their biggest events of the year and fans have been treated to plenty of entertaining evenings over the years to the point a good show from AEW is an expectation rather than a hope.

The promotion currently has a slate of four pay-per-views per year with Revolution, Double or Nothing, All Out, and Full Gear, while AEW co-promotes Forbidden Door with New Japan.

With the latest anniversary of Double or Nothing 2019 - the promotion’s first show in May of that year - having passed not too long ago, AEW have ran 20+ pay-per-views in their short history.

The question is, however, which ones are worth going out of your way to see.

Check out the 10 best AEW pay-per-views in the promotion's history below!

Disclaimer: This list was put together before AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2023.

10. Full Gear 2019

Only the promotion’s fifth-ever pay-per-view, Full Gear 2019 emanated from Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on November 9, 2019.

This show is primarily remembered for two things. First, we had MJF finally turning on Cody Rhodes, costing him not only the AEW World Title against Chris Jericho, but the chance to ever compete for the championship again.

The other memorable moment occurred during the main event/non-main event of Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley in a Lights Out Match. The bout was more violent than expected, featuring a ton of barbed wire - including a barbed wire platform - glass, trash cans and a screwdriver. Jon Moxley would ultimately pick up the win, avoiding a Phoenix Splash from Omega before he hit a Paradigm Shift on the exposed wooden boards in the ring.

The rest of the show was solid rather than spectacular, but when you save the best for the last two matches on the card, that’s probably a good sign rather than a bad one - and it’s not like the rest of the card was bad. Riho defended her AEW Women’s World Title against Emi Sakura, Santana & Ortiz beat the Young Bucks, SCU had a fun three-way with the Lucha Brothers and Private Party over the AEW World Tag Team Titles, and Hangman Page tied his series with PAC at one win apiece - the only member of the Elite to actually win on the night.

We also must not forget about Shawn Spears vs. Joey Janela.

9. Full Gear 2020

After the disaster that was All Out 2020, Full Gear had a big task on its hands. Luckily for AEW, it seemed like one of those shows where everyone turned up with their working boots on and really had a point to prove.

The main drawback of the show was that it featured matches fans had seen before in Darby Allin vs. Cody Rhodes - this time for the TNT Championship - and Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose in a rematch from Double or Nothing 2020.

The action throughout the night was consistently high, though, and there was a nice variety of matches as well, from a high-octane opener between Kenny Omega and Hangman Page to the brutal “I Quit” main event between Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston for the AEW World Championship. We also saw some lighter action in the form of Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara’s cinematic ‘Elite Deletion’ match, as well as MJF and Chris Jericho both playing the shameless bad guy in their heel vs. heel clash.

The best match of the night, though, probably goes to the Young Bucks and FTR. The match had incredible expectations but it amazingly lived up to the hype, with the ‘No Flips, Just Fists’ FTR losing after Cash Wheeler crashed and burned following a Springboard 450 Splash and ate a Superkick from Matt Jackson as the Bucks became AEW World Tag Team Champions.

8. Double or Nothing 2020

Double or Nothing 2020 presented a unique challenge for AEW, as the first pay-per-view of the pandemic meant that their only crowd consisted of the promotion’s own roster and staff. So what did Tony and co. do? They got creative.

The Stadium Stampede match of The Elite (and honorary member Matt Hardy) vs. The Inner Circle is still widely regarded as a triumph - one part empty stadium brawl, one part Broken Universe cinematic experiment. It had just the right blend of action and comedy to succeed, and is seen by many as the peak of COVID-19 pandemic-related cinematic matches.

The wackiness of the main event aside, Double or Nothing 2020 felt like a very focused effort to entertain an audience stuck at home in the early days of lockdown. The AEW World Title match between Jon Moxley and Brodie Lee delivered, as did the AEW Women’s World Title clash between Hikaru Shida and Nyla Rose that saw Shida come out on top to begin her one-year-plus reign with the gold.

Elsewhere, MJF proved that a great wrestler lies beneath all the scheming and heelish antics with an impressive victory over Jungle Boy, and Cody Rhodes defeated Lance Archer to become the inaugural TNT Champion with Mike Tyson at ringside - the beginning of a very good reign that would lead to the likes of Eddie Kingston and Ricky Starks signing with AEW.

7. Double or Nothing 2019

Following the launch of All Elite Wrestling in January 2019, the promotion held their inaugural pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, on May 25, 2019 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fans had been screaming out for an alternative to WWE for years and there was hope that would be the case after the success of 2018’s All In - the pay-per-view promoted by The Elite - and there was a real air of defiance around Double or Nothing weekend with fans loudly supporting a genuine alternative to Vince McMahon’s brand of pro wrestling.

Double or Nothing 2019 is probably still the most similar show they’ve ever done to All In - a real carnival atmosphere, and a mixed bag of wrestlers from all corners of the wrestling landscape. Bearing in mind this was the company’s first-ever show, the fact that the card had a lineup including Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Aja Kong, Best Friends, Christopher Daniels, Cima and Dustin Rhodes, you know you’ve pulled off something totally unique.

There were great matches to back it up as well - from the big fight feel of the main event between Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho (a rematch of what led to the creation of AEW from NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12), to a tag team classic between The Young Bucks and The Lucha Brothers, to what many considered Match of the Year between Cody Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes in an emotional masterpiece.

The show also saw MJF prove himself on a worldwide stage, even going toe-to-toe in a promo segment with Bret Hart as the Hitman unveiled the AEW World Championship with Jack Whitehall of all people.

Beyond all of that, there were some surprise arrivals that received a mixed reaction. Dark Order was not warmly received but their popularity would later blossom, but the biggest surprise was saved for last as Jon Moxley headed through the crowd and attacked Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega following the main event to kick off his storied feud with The Best Bout Machine.

6. Revolution 2020

Emanating from Chicago, Illinois on February 29, Revolution 2020 maybe represents the peak of AEW’s early pay-per-views. Built around Jon Moxley’s defeat of Chris Jericho in the main event, it was backed up by two incredible matches on the undercard.

The first remains one of many people’s favourite AEW matches of all time - Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. the Young Bucks in a half-hour epic for the tag team titles. It’s perhaps the ultimate counterargument to those who class the Bucks as style over substance, as while the action was definitely exciting, the real story was told in the damaged friendship between the four men.

A little later on, a real odd-couple pairing of PAC and Orange Cassidy (in his singles AEW debut) threatened to steal the show as well - as, in the words of Chuck Taylor, Cassidy actually tried. PAC may have ultimately got the win, but the moments where Cassidy finally started to run wild were legitimately goosebump-raising.

Moxley’s climactic win over Jericho put a satisfying cap on a show that, while not perfect from top to bottom, certainly holds its own pound-for-pound against AEW’s more epic later efforts.

5. Revolution 2022

From one Revolution to another Revolution, the 2022 edition of AEW’s first pay-per-view of the year had a nasty edge to it, with the main culprit being the Dog Collar Match between CM Punk and MJF that saw both men batter each other and was capped off by Wardlow (after months of tension) finally turning on MJF.

The tone was set early on as Eddie Kingston dropped Chris Jericho on his head in the opening moments of their match that saw Jericho lose to Kingston and then refuse to shake The Mad King’s hand, going back on his word in the process. The bad blood only continued in the main event as Hangman Page defeated Adam Cole in a match that delivered, even though it wasn’t one of the most-anticipated matches on the card.

There was also a shock debut as William Regal headed to the ring following the clash between Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson, slapping both men in the face and forming Blackpool Combat Club in the process.

The less-heralded matches even delivered in their own way, from Sting jumping off the balcony, to a chaotic Face of the Revolution Ladder Match, to a better-than-expected match between Jade Cargill and Tay Melo.

4. Full Gear 2021

Full Gear 2021 on November 13 in Minneapolis, Minnesota was a real heavyweight offering from AEW, featuring one of the promotion’s most exciting cards on paper which then lived up to expectations.

The main aspect of the show was the culmination of AEW’s most acclaimed storyline - the fall and rise of Hangman Adam Page back to world title contention. His defeat of former friend Kenny Omega wrapped up many threads; the heel title run of Kenny Omega, Hangman’s rebuilt confidence with the help of the Dark Order, the underestimating of Hangman by the rest of the Elite, and his overall redemption arc too, having lost to Jericho in the company’s first-ever world title match at All Out 2019.

While the main event may have been the most satisfying part of the show, it wasn’t the only major thing to happen. MJF beat Darby Allin with a headlock takeover in another reminder of how good MJF is inside the squared circle, Christian Cage and Jurassic Express overcame Adam Cole and The Young Bucks in a Falls Count Anywhere clash, Bryan Danielson took down Miro to earn an AEW World Title shot, and CM Punk and Eddie Kingston had one of the best 10-minute matches you’re ever likely to see.

Elsewhere, there was the Minneapolis Street Fight between the Inner Circle and American Top Team, The Lucha Brothers defeated FTR, Britt Baker successfully defended the women’s title against Tay Melo, and the thrown together team of Cody Rhodes and PAC picked up a win over Andrade El Idolo and Malakai Black.

3. Revolution 2023

Arguably AEW’s most divisive pay-per-view, the 2023 edition of Revolution emanated from San Francisco, California on March 5, and provided fans with a thrilling night of professional wrestling.

The Texas Deathmatch between Jon Moxley and Hangman Page promised plenty of grisly action and then over-delivered on that promise, with both men producing some of the most horrific scenes you’re likely to see in a major promotion, including Hangman hanging his opponent over the top rope until Jon Moxley tapped out.

The most memorable bout of the night arrived in the main event as MJF and Bryan Danielson produced arguably the match of the year when they went to war in a 60-minute Iron Man Match for the AEW World Championship. The match saw both men busted open and contained plenty of high drama before Bryan Danielson tapped out to his own LeBell Lock (after being hit with an oxygen tank) after the clash went to sudden death.

We also must not forget the excellent trios match between The Elite and House of Black, Jack Perry exacting revenge on Christian Cage in a Final Burial Match, Ruby Soho’s heel turn, and Ricky Starks’ big win over Chris Jericho.

2. AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2022

The initial idea of a cross-promotional super show between AEW and New Japan was met with great enthusiasm, but as June 26 drew closer, fans waited for an epic build that just didn’t materialise. Instead, we were left with a card of matches that at best felt a little thin, and at worst were completely thrown together.

Add to this the fact that AEW were scrambling to book around injuries to CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, and it seemed like Forbidden Door was set to be a huge let down.

How wrong we all were as the show turned out to be a night of pure enjoyment for fans of both promotions. The sheer fun of this event would be hard for any show to top, from great matches like Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Will Ospreay vs. Orange Cassidy to the fantastic debut of Claudio Castagnoli as Zack Sabre Jr.'s mystery opponent.

Even those seemingly thrown-together multi-man matches paid off in spades, with particular highlights being Le Sex Gods with Minoru Suzuki, and The Dudes with Attitudes of Darby Allin, Sting, and Shingo Takagi.

Other excellent matches saw FTR win the IWGP Tag Team Titles, and PAC become the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion.

1. All Out 2021

All Elite Wrestling were on fire throughout the summer of 2021 and that all led into All Out 2021 on September 4, a show that can only be categorised as AEW’s best pay-per-view so far.

While not the main event, much of the hype around the show revolved around CM Punk’s first match since he walked out of WWE in January 2014, with the Straight Edge Superstar having debuted in AEW on the second edition of Rampage only a few weeks before All Out. Questions lingered around if Punk still had it and Punk emphatically answered, putting together a widely-praised match against Darby Allin that saw Punk come away victorious in front of his hometown crowd in Chicago.

The match that did go on last, the AEW World Title match between Kenny Omega and Christian Cage, delivered in spades to build on their very good match on the first episode of Rampage that saw Cage defeat the Best Bout Machine for the IMPACT World Title.

The post-main event happenings are what immediately come to mind, though, as Adam Cole made his AEW debut and joined The Elite, reuniting with his former Bullet Club faction mates in the process. That looked to be it but just before All Out ended, Bryan Danielson made his own AEW debut, providing All Out with a truly unforgettable one-two punch to end the event. When you factor in the shock appearances of Minoru Suzuki and Ruby Soho earlier in the night, you’re left with an unbelievably exciting show and the best pay-per-view in AEW history.

Elsewhere, match of the night was the Steel Cage clash between The Young Bucks and The Lucha Brothers, while Eddie Kingston and Miro fought over the TNT Title in a spirited opener. Chris Jericho also ended his long-running feud with MJF, finally earning a singles victory against The Salt of the Earth, while Jon Moxley defeated Satoshi Kojima, and Britt Baker successfully defended the women’s strap against Kris Statlander.