If you’re looking for the must watch AEW matches that best explain the promotion’s reputation, this list is a good place to start. AEW has built its identity on matches that feel different from anything else on television — longer, stiffer, and built around genuine wrestling psychology rather than just spectacle. The seven matches below aren’t just fan favorites; they’re the ones Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter — the industry’s most-cited rating source — has scored among the highest of the last decade.
1. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. The Young Bucks (Revolution 2020)
This tag team title match is still the standard by which AEW measures every tag match that’s followed it. Omega and Hangman Page defended the AEW World Tag Team Championships against The Young Bucks in a 30-minute war that doubled as the emotional payoff to years of Elite storytelling — Hangman had spent the prior year feeling like the outsider of the group, and this match let that tension boil over on a global stage.
The finish came when Page hit the Young Bucks’ own finisher back at them before closing it out with back-to-back buckshot lariats. Dave Meltzer awarded the match six stars — only the third match in the Wrestling Observer’s five-decade history to receive that rating, and still the highest-rated tag team match ever recorded by the publication.
2. Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes (Double or Nothing 2019)
This wasn’t just a match — it was AEW’s entire pitch to the wrestling world, playing out in real time on the company’s first-ever pay-per-view. Cody, fresh off helping found the promotion, faced his half-brother Dustin Rhodes just weeks after Dustin’s release from WWE, in a match built entirely on decades of real family history.
The brawl spilled outside the ring early and turned genuinely bloody once Dustin’s head was driven into an exposed turnbuckle. Cageside Seats’ live coverage described a crowd fully behind Dustin’s comeback before Cody closed it out with the Cross Rhodes. The match went on to win Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s 2019 Match of the Year, and Dustin has said in interviews since that it gave him the “WrestleMania moment” WWE never let the two brothers have together.
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay (Dynasty 2024)
Billed as a clash between two wrestlers with legitimate claims to “best in the world,” this match delivered a 32-minute technical war that critics are still debating years later. The finish saw both men attempt their signature moves simultaneously before Ospreay connected with a Tiger Driver ’91 — a tribute to Mitsuharu Misawa — followed by a second Hidden Blade for the pin.
Dave Meltzer rated the match 6.5 stars, calling it the best match to take place on American soil in decades and second only to Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada’s fourth encounter on his all-time list. It was later voted the outright 2024 Wrestling Match of the Year across multiple outlets, beating out the Roman Reigns–Cody Rhodes WrestleMania XL main event for the honor.
4. Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa (Unsanctioned Lights Out Match, Dynamite 2021)
This was the first women’s match to headline an episode of AEW Dynamite, and it’s still cited as the moment AEW’s women’s division proved it could carry a main event on its own terms. Baker and Rosa used chairs, a ladder, thumbtacks, and a table across a genuinely bloody, no-rules brawl, with Rosa ultimately winning by driving Baker through a table from the ring apron with a Fire and Thunder Driver.
The Wrestling Observer rated the match 4.75 stars, tying it as the highest-rated women’s match in U.S. wrestling history at the time — level with Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch at WWE Evolution. Baker herself later named it her personal Match of the Year for all of professional wrestling, not just AEW.
5. Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland (Texas Death Match, Full Gear 2023)
A genuine hardcore war built on a full year of real animosity between the two AEW World Champions. Barbed wire, cinder blocks, a staple gun, and broken glass were all used across the match, and both men ended the night covered in blood before Strickland finally won by wrapping a chain around Page’s neck and hanging him long enough to survive referee Aubrey Edwards’ ten-count.
Fightful’s live results called it complete destruction from bell to bell, and the Wrestling Observer rated it five stars — a rare score for a hardcore-style match, reflecting how much genuine story and psychology was packed into the violence rather than the weapons carrying the match on their own.
6. Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay (Forbidden Door 2023)
The rematch to their acclaimed Wrestle Kingdom 17 encounter earlier that year, this time with Omega’s IWGP United States Championship on the line in front of a Toronto crowd split evenly between AEW and NJPW fans. Ospreay eventually won the title with a finishing sequence built around reversals and near-falls that had the arena on its feet for the final several minutes.
Dave Meltzer awarded this one six stars as well, and the win gave Ospreay 26 total five-star-or-higher matches under Meltzer’s system — breaking the record previously held by AEW legend Mitsuharu Misawa. Ospreay wore Misawa’s signature ring colors for the match as a tribute.
7. MJF vs. Bryan Danielson (60-Minute Iron Man Match, Revolution 2023)
A full hour, no scheduled rest between falls, with the AEW World Championship on the line. MJF entered as champion but with far less experience wrestling matches this long, while Danielson had spent the five weeks prior fighting through a gauntlet of high-stakes matches to even earn the shot. The score was tied 3-3 heading into a sudden-death extra fall, which MJF won by forcing Danielson to tap out to his own submission hold.
The Wrestling Observer rated the match 5.75 stars, the highest score any Iron Man match has ever received from Meltzer — ahead of long-standing WWE classics like Triple H vs. The Rock and Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AEW’s highest-rated match ever? Two matches share the record at six stars from the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. The Young Bucks at Revolution 2020, and Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door 2023. Only a handful of matches in the Observer’s five-decade history have ever received a six-star rating.
Who has the most five-star matches in AEW? Will Ospreay holds the record, surpassing AEW legend Mitsuharu Misawa’s long-standing total with his win over Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door 2023 — his 26th match rated five stars or higher by Dave Meltzer.
What was AEW’s first-ever pay-per-view match? Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes at Double or Nothing in May 2019, AEW’s debut event. The brothers’ emotional, bloody brawl went on to win Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s 2019 Match of the Year.
Is the MJF vs. Bryan Danielson Iron Man match worth watching if I don’t like long matches? Yes — the full hour is broken into multiple falls rather than one continuous stretch, and the Wrestling Observer rated it 5.75 stars, the highest score any Iron Man match has received, ahead of well-known WWE Iron Man classics.
Why These Matches Matter
Taken together, these seven matches show the range AEW has built its identity around — technical epics, blood-and-weapons brawls, emotionally driven family stories, and crossover dream matches with New Japan. If you’re new to the promotion, working through this list is a genuinely useful crash course in why AEW’s in-ring reputation carries so much weight among wrestling critics.
For more on the wrestlers behind these matches, see our breakdowns of MJF’s best promo wars in AEW, Kenny Omega’s second AEW title reign, and the complete history of every AEW World Champion.
About Gaurav Sharma
I am the founder, lead writer, and editor behind Wrestling Nightmare. I have been analyzing and following professional wrestling for years, with a deep focus on WWE, AEW, and TNA—spanning the Attitude Era, the Ruthless Aggression transition, and modern long-term booking eras like The Bloodline. My work centers on breaking down in-ring storytelling, creative booking decisions, and the business landscape of combat sports entertainment. When I am not breaking down pay-per-view match structures, I am tracking roster movements, injury reports, and backstage creative pivots to deliver grounded, hype-free pro wrestling analysis.
contact@wrestlingnightmare.com
