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With the return of AEW's official rankings I wondered if this list would feel redundant or even necessary. There's a couple of things that set our system apart from AEW however. First, they rank trios not factions and there are a couple of key differences. A trios is limited to three while a faction can be many more. Secondly, a couple of the trios on AEW rankings really feel like limited partnerships and not long term groups. FTR and Daniel Garcia are fun, but will they last into the summer? I doubt it. Lastly, our methodology of determining rank differs from AEWs. In the past the AEW rankings were (in theory) based on win-loss records. Our ranking system developed by fellow PWM writer @SergeiAlderman takes into account the following factors:
Strength: The win loss record of the group as a whole. If a member has singles matches, their record reflects on the group. Multi-Man matches can swing numbers in a big way.
Attainment: The gold star that is championship titles. AEW titles rank higher than ROH belts, while titles from other promotions that are featured on AEW programming offer a small boost. ie the NJPW Strong Title.
Purpose: What's the group's "mission statement"?
Cohesion: Can they co-exist and not get in each other's way?
With the absence of Dark and Elevation there are simply less matches in 2024. Last year Dark Order had a great strength score because they were featured heavily on YouTube and stacked up wins. This will not be the case this year. I toyed with the idea of including ROH win/losses but at the end of the day I simply didn't want to. "Tony Khan's Wrestling Multi-Verse Faction Power Rankings" is not a good title for an article.
Groups Not Eligible for Ranking:
Either due to injury or lack of bookings, several groups don't have the ring time to be contenders for this list. Hopefully this changes by the time Revolution rolls around.
Ingobernables (RUSH and Dralistico with no matches)
Top Flight (Action Andretti with no matches)
Outcasts (Cameron with no matches)
Triple J (No matches from anyone!)
The Rankings:
#10 Snake Army- This group sounded like a good idea on paper but not much has been done with them in AEW. They've had additional ring time in ROH, Lance Archer looked like he had fun in Japan and on the Jericho Cruise, but I'm not counting those. If they don't have additional AEW ring time by March they're off the list. Strength: 0%
#9 Mogul Embassy- Despite Swerve being on a hot run and having the AEW World Championship in his sights, the Mogul Embassy as a whole doesn't have a great win loss record. Strength: 38.9%
#8 Dark Order- I find Being the Dark Order on YouTube very entertaining! Are they making waves on AEW cable shows? Not really. Strength: 60%
#7 Callis Family- Almost didn't make the list but a singles match from Kyle Fletcher was just enough to qualify. Will Ospreay is rumored to debut for AEW sometime this month. It will be interesting to see if he aligns himself with Callis, or if he goes another direction. Will he potentially pull Fletcher away from the Callis family? Strength: 40%
Attainment: ROH TV Title (Fletcher)
#6 The Patriarchy- Just barely qualifying for the rankings thanks to a last minute match on Collision. That match ended up in a loss so their strength score is poor but as long as Christian clings to that TNT title the Patriarchy will stay out of the cellar. Strength: 25%
Attainment: TNT Championship (Christian Cage)
#5 House of Black- HoB were mainstays towards the top of the 2023 rankings with a long Trios Titles run, followed by Julia Hart's ascension towards the top of the women's division. It's been a rough start in 2024 for them though. Strength: 36.4%
Attainment: TBS Championship (Julia Hart)
#4 Blackpool Combat Club- BCC has become the pillar of the factions rankings. Always there, always doing something interesting, always with an aura of dominance. I do expect the roster to change during the year, either Danielson going into semi-retirement, Yuta leaving the group, or a new member joining. My fingers are crossed for a female member sometime this year.
Strength: 84.6%
Attainment: ROH Pure (Yuta)
#3 Undisputed Kingdom- They ended 2023 on a high note as their revelation as a group rocketed up the standings. They've made their intentions for championship gold clear, it will be interesting to see if they are able to claim any. It will also be interesting to see how long until Wardlow turns on Adam Cole (I give it four months). One of only two factions to have an undefeated record for 2024. Strength: 100%
Attainment: ROH Tag (Bennet and Taven)
#2 Best Friends- If BCC is the pillar of the factions, Best Friends are the comfort blanket. I'm still including Statlander in the group even if she's spending more time tolerating Stockley Hathaway lately. Strength: 83.3%
Attainment: AEW International (Orange Cassidy)
#1 Bang Bang Scissor Gang- I believe this is the first time in my rankings that a faction super group has been featured. Their cohesion so far has been good but I do expect cracks to start forming before too long. Strength: 100%
Attainment: AEW Trios (Acclaimed), ROH Six-Man (Bullet Club Gold)
This early into 2024 it's clear to see what groups are destined for big things. Both Undisputed Kingdom and Bang Bang Scissor Gang are undefeated, while both also have the seeds of division starting to germinate (Wardlow for UK, pretty much anyone for BBSG). By the time Revolution has passed more groups will have ring time and the list will grow. I'm still hoping for something to happen with Los Ingobernables, and who knows, maybe a sleeper group like Top Flight will makes waves. Lots can change this early in the year and Revolution is going to be a momentous show.