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For the majority of the year figuring out the rankings was a fairly simple formula. Titles (attainment) took the most importance, followed by a faction's win/loss record (strength). Any tie breakers or fine tuning came down to cohesion and purpose scores. That formula hasn't been working as well these past few weeks as certain factions with titles have poor strength scores (QTV) or factions with a good strength have a poor purpose score (Dark Order). Momentum has gained importance and while not an official category it has influenced these rankings.
Factions out of Contention:
Spanish Announce Project: The joke that was this team's winless streak has been run into the ground at this point. Now Luther is taking bookings as Toni Storm's butler or driver or something? We're still rooting for Serpentico to get that elusive win this year! Angelico's still cool.
Butcher, Blade, Bunny, Kip, Penelope: With The Bunny out of AEW and the relationship between Butcher, Blade, and Kip being tangential at best, this group is out of the rankings. I'm digging Kip's new look of all sleeves no jacket though.
The Rankings:
#16 Los Faccion Ingobernable (Down 1 spot): Momentum is building for LFI as good things seem to be on the horizon for them. Still, no championships and a poor sub-500 win percentage. It's going to be an uphill journey to make LFI contenders. Strength: 40.6%
#15 Triple J (Down 1 spot): Give me more Jarrett! I'm in the (vast) minority in wanting to see him entered into the Continental Classic. Strength: 44.6%
#14 Hardy Party (Down 2 spots): This party is not hopping. Strength: 47.0%
#13 Snake Army (NEW): Jake Robert's newly formed group looks formidable and it gives Lance Archer some direction (something he's lacked for a while now). Like many groups on the lower half of this list they need to start getting some wins. Strength: 63.2%
#12 Dark Order (Down 2 spots): Stagnation, your name is Dark Order. Even a heel turn hasn't done much to revitalize this group. I like all the members personally but as a pro wrestling act they've lost something that I'm not sure they're going to get back. Strength: 67.2%
#11 QTV (No Change): Johnny TV deserves better. This guy could be having solid matches against former Lucha Underground vets like Penta and Swerve. Even QT should be featured on TV more as he's a solid heel. QTV has the lowest win percentage of any faction on this list. Strength: 38.9%
Championship: AAA Latin American (QT Marshall)
#10 The Elite (Down 5 spots): Oh no! What has happened to the Elite? Well, you have members that are focused on personal matters (Hangman v Swerve, Omega v Callis) and you have dissension in the ranks as the Young Bucks don't trust Kenny's association with Jericho. Things within the group have gotten rocky in the past, we'll have to see if this instability resolves or leads to a break up. Strength: 62.3%
#9 The Kingdom: The neck strong angle isn't working for some but I still find it very entertaining. You can do it Roddy! Strength: 75.9%
#8 Blackpool Combat Club (No Change): Of all the members of the group, it really feels like Wheeler has the best chance to make some waves at the end of 2023. Strength: 68.2%
#7 Bullet Club Gold (No Change): Full Gear wasn't kind to the Bang Bang Gang as nobody won and Juice Robinson was MIA. Strength: 73.3%
#6 Mogul Embassy (Up 7 spots): Swerve is on a lot of fan's armchair booking sheets as the next AEW World Champion. After his performance at Full Gear, this should be obvious. Also a plus is the ROH titles that the rest of the group attained. Strength: 44.4%
Championship: ROH Trios (Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun, Toa Liona)
#5 Callis Family (Down 1 spot): They lost the Sega Street Fight (yes I know it's called Dragon something something, I don't care) but they have Will Ospreay's signing to be happy about. Callis never stops plotting, this group may have a surprise or two before the year is out. Strength: 67.9%
Championship: IWGP UK Championship (Will Ospreay)
#4 The Patriarchy (Down 1 spot): If presentation were a factor they would have gotten bonus points for the Turtlenecked Children's Choir at Full Gear. It's a testament to Christian Cage that this act has gotten over because on paper it should never have worked. Strength: 50.0%
Championship: TNT Championship (Christian Cage)
#3 Best Friends (Down 1 spot): Statlander may have lost but Cassidy's 2nd reign with the International Belt is keeping the Best Friend's standing high. Strength: 64.2%
Championship: AEW International (Orange Cassidy)
#2 House of Black (Up 4 spots): Julia Hart has the most momentum of anyone in the group right now, being the only HoB Champion coming out of Full Gear. For the first time this year, the group has dropped below 80% in strength score. Strength: 79.5%
Championship: TBS Championship (Julia Hart)
#1 The Acclaimed (No Change): Not having a match at Full Gear probably benefited the group as they had nothing at risk going into the weekend and could sit comfortably at the top. Only faction in AEW with a win percentage over 80%, which given how late we are in the year is impressive.
Strength: 85.6%
Championship: AEW Trios (The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn)
The Acclaimed and House of Black have been the two leading competitors for top strength, but this month the Acclaimed were able to put some distance between themselves and the #2 House. With only six weeks left in the year, it's doubtful that the House will be able to catch up. They would have to win some mulit-man matches and quickly to get those numbers up.
The Callis Family dropped a little bit which is to be expected when you bring on a new member. Kyle Fletcher is a good addition to the group, but he brought in several losses on his record with him.
LFI got themselves out of the basement which is nice to see. QTV are now the strength bottom dwellers