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Timeline: Matches that have AIRED between Jan. 1 2023 and March 10 2023 have been counted
Power Ranking Scoring
Wins
1 point per win
+2 for TV win (Dynamite, Rampage, BotB)
+3 for PPV pre-show win
+4 for PPV win
Tag Team and Trios wins/losses do not count. Handicap wins count if they are the singles wrestler. Gauntlet matches count each pinfall as an individual match. Mutli-wrestler matches like triple threats and battle royals count as a win for the winner but not as a loss for everyone else.
Win %
1 point for >50% wins
3 points for 80% wins
5 points for 100% wins (minimum 2)
Strength of Opponents
2 points for wins against quality opponents
.5 for losses to quality opponents
Quality Opponents are defined as those who were Top 10 ranked as of December 2022, or who have at some point been recognized as a singles champion on AEW television. (Example: Daniel Garcia and Josh Woods are both former ROH Pure champions, but since only Daniel Garcia’ was recognized as a reigning champion while on AEW, there would be a bonus for beating Garcia, but not Woods)
Title Holding Bonus
5 points for every 2023 Dynamite or PPV where the wrestler left AEW World Champion
1 point for every 2023 Dynamite or PPV where the wrestler left another AEW singles champion
Points are doubled if the streak is active.
I Am The Tiebreaker
I have put enough math into this process so I feel like I deserve to go by vibes if there is a tie.
The March 2023 Rankings:
1. MJF
Rightfully, the champion sits atop this ranking. Sure, he has only two matches this year but when a whole 50% of your matches are in contention for match of the year, defining AEW match, greatest Iron Man ever etc. you’re certainly making the most of the time you’re stepping in the ring. The most important thing is that he’s made it clear that he belongs at the top. It’s not a fluke, he’s not a good talker without a second gear, he’s a main event professional wrestler who happens to also be really good at getting under the skin of the audience. He’s not Bryan Danielson but he’s not The Miz, he’s something we’ve never seen before. He’s not taking all challengers, but he’s taking probably 3-4 more top tier challengers this year, and that’s going to be enough.
2. Orange Cassidy
There is a strange sort of parallel between OC and MJF that makes their pairing as 1 and 2 seem so right. Both of them stood out in early AEW as defined characters while most others were trying to make their name with their in-ring work. Both of them like to avoid wrestling as much as possible, though for MJF that’s usually the buildup to his matches and for Orange it’s in the middle of them. But most importantly, both of them knew that their strategy would work in the long run if they ignored the critics and stayed the course. Despite letdowns in their first few title fights, they’ve proven themselves to be guys who deserve to be at the top of the card holding gold.
3. Ricky Starks
Pretty Ricky is the furthest up the list of anyone without gold, and I don’t think there’s much disputing that. He’s got it, and it’s hard to imagine crowds not losing their minds for him any time soon. Some people might not think Juice Robinson is a believable enough opponent for him right now, but if it makes sure he’s too busy to get caught up with Jericho again anytime soon, Ricky should send Juice a fruit basket or something as a thank you.
4. Powerhouse Hobbs
This to me is the most fun ranking because he’s mostly here thanks to crushing smaller opponents consistently for 3 months. Which is very cool, but it means there is an untouched field of credible opponents that Hobbs can be taking on next. I understand some people are not QT Marshall zealots the way that I am who may worry about what their alliance means, but even if you’re not as high on this team as I am, look at the utility of the situation: all Hobbs has to do is lay a single finger on QT to become a top babyface immediately.
5. Darby Allin
This is the entry that most feels like my methodology needs to be tweaked. We finally saw him again in a promo on the last Rampage, but we hadn’t seen him in over a month, since he lost the TNT Championship to Samoa Joe, all his points came from his January run with the title. If Joe ends up spending extended time in ROH, it could leave a wide open opportunity to Darby, who hasn’t lost to anyone besides Joe in 13 months. Still, overall Allin feels more like someone who can be easily heated up right now more than someone who is particularly hot.
6. Hangman Page
Hangman’s summer feud is going to be a Rorsarch test for a lot of fans as to where AEW is right now. He’s already done the climb to the championship. He got his groove back by beating Jon Moxley* at Revolution and is once again feeling himself. So if he’s self-confident and has already held the championship, where can they go with him from here? I don’t doubt there are more emotions in Hangman’s bag to pull out, but I worry instead of building off what he’s shown already they might just go back to the well they know works, and that won’t be the type of growth he needs to stay on top and be worthy of a second title run in the future. (*Moxley is notably absent from this list due to a lack of singles matches in 2023. I can try to adjust the scoring to help him but maybe he should just take that damn vacation.)
7. Jack Perry
Nobody on this list has called their shot quite how JBJP has, all but guaranteeing that he will have a singles belt around his waist by the end of the year. It was the kind of bold stance he had to take since his feud with Christian Cage lingered for longer than anyone would’ve wanted. It wasn’t that it was bad, it was just long. Longer than anyone involved wanted it to be, and if Perry’s 2023 projection wasn’t an indicator that, calling the match “Final Burial” sure drove it home. So best of luck on your quest Jack, there’s no obvious spot right now, though the TNT belt is a known hot potato and you’ve still got 9 months, so treat this like every final paper I've ever had and remember you can always wait as long as possible to do it at the last minute.
8. Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson said last week that he’s going home. If you’re a wrestling fan that springs to mind Ring of Honor, but if you’re a normal person you’d immediately clock that as spending quality time with his wife and children. Good for you Dragon. It will probably mean you slide down this Power Ranking next month, but I have to assume this is not what you do it for. I have to imagine a triumphant summer return of kicking heads, and possibly Forbidden Doors, in.
9. Konosuke Takeshita
There is a lot of talk about whether or not Takeshita is used correctly in AEW. He’s constantly racking up wins on Dark but then tends to fall short on television. But the math I’ve devised here puts him right about where I think people would consider ideal: he’s like the 7th biggest face and he’s quickly moving up. Does this mean my math is flawed? Or are complaints unjustified? Probably somewhere in the middle. But his emerging partnership with Don Callis means he’s likely to be getting more wins on tv, more face to face interactions with The Elite, and a bigger Cinnabon budget. Things we can all get behind.
10. Mark Briscoe
Technically there was a tie here for 10th between Mark, Sammy Guevara and Brian Cage. But I decided on Mark Briscoe because he really does feel on an upward trajectory (albeit because of the worst possible circumstances) in a way that the other two don’t. Always considered to be the lesser of the two Briscoes, he now has a chance to bring his singles game up to a higher level as a way to honor his brother. There’s always a chance he gets lost in the shuffle or decides to go back to tag teams or trios, but for the time being it’s a heartwarming thing to watch.
What surprises you with these rankings? How do you think the scoring should be changed? Let me know in the comments!