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In the last installment of these rankings I questioned if things were getting stale as there wasn't much movement or development within the groups. The biggest thing to happen in early summer was the debut of Bullet Club Gold who quickly made their presence known with the addition of the Gunn Club and some big wins. Things changed quickly within AEW as we've had faction shakeups and groups dissolving entirely.
Factions on Hold Varsity Athletes: Mostly featured on ROH programming at this point.
Factions Disbanded:
Jericho Appreciation Society: Everyone within the group, with the exception of Sammy Gueverra, were tired of playing second fiddle to Jericho. Every story beat that involves Jericho at this point in his career and I can't help but wonder if it's setting up his eventual in-ring retirement angle. We'll also have to wait and see if the former members of JAS spin off their own faction after leaving.
CMFTR: I've said it before and I'll say it again, you can't choke your co-workers and expect good things to happen. This may have been the most volatile group in AEW in regards to actions outside of the ring.
Factions to Watch:
The Kingdom: It feels like this group just got put into the oven, once they're fully baked (and maybe with a sprinkling of Kyle O'Reilly) they certainly will be making an impact on AEW television. As it is, Roderick Strong is still wearing a neckbrace and Adam Cole hasn't officially aligned with the group (it's doubtful he ever will).
Rankings
#15 Spanish Announce Project (no change)- I was so excited when I heard that Serpentico got a win on Rampage, but it turns out it was a un-televised dark match. I haven't been keeping track of dark matches and while I want to see SAP with a non-zero strength score, I want to be consistent. Strength: 0%
#14 Butcher, Blade, Bunny (and Kip) (previously un-ranked)- I've seen some refer to this group as the "Deadly Alliance" but I haven't seen AEW refer to them as such. I like everyone in this faction and wish they were higher up on this list. Strength: 19.6%
#13 Los Faccion Ingobernables (up one spot)- Now that Rush has his contract renewed, it looks like LFI is in line for an actual storyline. Things are moving in the right direction as their vignettes remind me of Lucha Underground in the best way possible. There's lots of work that will need to be done as the group's strength score is poor. Strength: 36.0%
#12 Hardy Party (down two spots)- This group hasn't really done much of note lately except loose. Strength: 49.3%
#11 Triple J (down one spot)- This article does not recognize the Texas Chainsaw Championship as a legitimate title. Strength: 46.9%
#10 Dark Order (down two spots)- I've been a broken record for months. Dark Order need to recruit one new member for them to move up the rankings. I guess they could win a title as well but I think that's even less likely. Strength: 72.9%
#9 QTV (up four spots)- What to do when your faction is floundering? If you're QT Marshall, you go down to Mexico to win a AAA Championship to boost that all important attainment score. However, the group's strength score is still sub .500 and I can't rank them above other groups for this reason. Strength: 41.2%
Champions: QT Marshall (AAA Latin American Championship)
#8 The Elite (down one spot)- Will the Elite regain gold before the year is out? I'm doubtful at this point but I don't think that's a bad thing. While I would love to see Hangman regain the World title, none of the other members of the Elite need a championship at this point. Strength: 62.2%
#7 Bullet Club Gold (down one spot)- Collision might as well become the Bullet Club Gold variety show at the point. Big things on the horizon for this group. Strength: 74.6%
#6 House of Black (down five spots)- The most dominant faction of 2023 has been knocked off the top position following their title loss at All In. Strength: 81.4%
#5 Mogul Embassy (up four spots)- Lots of big losses for Mogul Embassy but at least they have some ROH gold to bolster their standing. Strickland looked liked a main event star in the waiting during his Wembley entrance. Strength: 49.0%
Champions: Brian Cage/Kuan/Liona (ROH Six Man Tag)
#4 Outcasts (down one spot)- Despite some inner conflict within the group (resulting in a "mid" cohesion score) Saraya's title win keeps this faction in the top 5. Based on recent actions of Toni Storm, the Outcasts may not be a unit too much longer. Strength: 71.7%
Champions: Saraya (AEW Women's World Title)
#3 Best Friends (down one spot)- There was a small moment from All In that was one of my favorite of the night. Post Stadium Stampede as the Best Friends were walking up the ramp, Chuck Taylor had a look on his face that was a mix of derangement and bliss. For a guy who was contemplating retiring from wrestling a few years ago due to lack of opportunity, to working a show with his Best Friends in front of 80,000+. Life must be a dream for the Kentucky Gentleman. Strength: 65%
Champions: Krist Statlander (TBS Champion)
#2 Blackpool Combat Club (up two spots)- The BCC had a great night at All Out with all four members picking up wins, the biggest of course being Moxley's win of the International Championship. Moxley's going to be a great champion and I see him taking the belt with him as he does his tour of independent shows. I questioned whether this group could continue when Regal left. It could be argued that they're stronger than ever. Strength: 71.1%
Champions: Claudio Castagnoli (ROH World Championship), Jon Moxley (AEW International Championship)
#1 The Acclaimed: aka House of Ass (up four spots)- I fully bought into Billy Gunn's "retirement". Good to see the group back together. After losing the tag titles some thought this group would lose momentum. Nothing could be further from the truth as crowds still love them as evidenced by the world's largest scissor party at Wembley. Strength: 85.5%
Champions: AEW Trios Tag Championships
The Acclaimed's win of the Trios Championship coincided with them taking the #1 position for overall win percentage. It's been a good month for Billy and his boys. The Elite had some big losses that resulted in their standing yo-yo-ing. Butcher/Blade make their debut as a lonely island in the 20% range, while Spanish Announce Project continue their steady, losing, flatline.
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