.png)
Hello friends and welcome to the latest edition of the AEW Power Rankings and this week we are focusing on the tag team division.
To say this edition has been a hard one to compile is an understatement. With an lot of inactivity from teams in the division and a lot of matches between contracted talent and non-contracted talent (the 2021 term for squash matches I guess) ranking the teams of AEW has been akin to ranking college football teams from 2nd-10th after Thanksgiving weekend.
So who has moved up and down our kayfabe rankings in the last month?
#1- Lucha Brothers (Up 1 Place)
#2- FTR (Down 1 Place)
After their controversial loss to FTR who dressed up as The Super Ranas to claim the AAA Tag Titles, Fenix and Penta El Zero got their win back to retain their AEW World Tag Team Titles at Full Gear but again controversary reared its head when Penta pinned Cash Wheeler who was the illegal man at the time.
In the next week we will see The Lucha Brothers and FTR face off twice in two different promotions with each teams championship on the line in separate matches with Fenix/Penta defending their AEW belts in a 2/3 Falls match on Friday Night Rampage and FTR defending their belts on AAA's Triplemania Regia show the night after Rampage.
This pair of matches are aimed to bring finality to the rivalry between the two teams which has also reeled in Cody Rhodes, PAC, Andrade El Idolo and Malakai Black which saw a tremendous 8-man tag on this past Dynamite. Whether it does or not we will know in seven days time.
#3- The Acclaimed (Up 6 places)
Since their disappointing defeat to The Lucha Bros in early October, Max Caster and Anthony Bowens have bounced back quickly with victories over Brock Anderson/Lee Johnson and Dark Order members Alan Angels/Colt Cabana. Anthony Bowens has also impressed in defeat to PWM Power Ranking Top Ten Male wrestlers Bryan Danielson and Jungle Boy.
After the weekend's pair of matches between Lucha Brothers and FTR, chances are we'll need new contenders for whoever the AEW Champs are. The Acclaimed sub-6 minute loss could be a barrier for another chance at tag gold in the short term but should Caster and Bowens keep on winning they cannot be denied a title shot or least an opportunity in an Eliminator Match.
#4- Jurassic Express (New Entrant)
While tied up in a feud with members of The Elite climaxing in the 5-star Falls Count Anywhere classic between Luchasaurus/Jungle Boy and Christian vs The Young Bucks and Adam Cole, The Jurassic Express have a tag win under their belt with victory over the team of Adam Cole and Bobby Fish which was without any dispute a very impressive victory.
The next month will be an interesting one with this team being one of many in the hunt for the next shot after Rampage. What Jurassic Express cannot afford is any distractions even if they are forced upon them.
#5- The Gunn Club (New Entrant)
Apologies if you are not a fan of College Football as you won't get this reference but Gunn Club are that Group of Five football team which has gone undefeated but with the problem that they haven't beaten a Power Five Conference team and everyone is judging them for it and with Gunn Club having gone undefeated in AEW with their toughest test coming in Nick Comoroto and Aaron Solo in early August before they turned heel the week before All Out, the masses have cried out for Billy Gunn and his sons to face sterner tasks.
This Wednesday will see AEW's answer to the Cincinnati Bearcats come across their Notre Dame in the team of Sting and Darby Allin in a match AEW are billing as a match of the undefeated teams. Will The Gunn Club take the spoils? With one of the greatest tag team wrestlers of all time as the father of the team, could The Gunn Club actually defy the oddsmakers and pull off the upset or will Wednesday be the smoking gunn in the evidence that Billy and co don't belong in the top ranks of AEW's top division?
#6- Santana and Ortiz (No change)
As we draw into the final month of 2021, if you were to play word association with Santana and Ortiz's year, the most applicable word would be either loyal or distracted depending on your point of view. The Inner Circle's resident tag team have been focused on fighting battles that have centred on their leader Chris Jericho's disputes with MJF and American Top Team but with Jericho it seems entering a storyline involving Eddie Kingston and 2point0/Daniel Garcia, this might be the opportunity for Santana and Ortiz to get into position for a shot at the titles.
#7- Shawn Spears and Wardlow (Up 3 places)
Yes, the love-in between the tag power rankings and the team of Shawn Spears and Wardlow continues but unlike many teams in All Elite Wrestling, Spears/Wardlow have been active and been winning even if they are in danger of facing a " Gunn Club problem" in their strength of schedule.
A victory over the team of Arik Cannon and Renny D was quick and decisive but challenges in their future need to be tougher if Spears and Wardlow are to climb the rankings and get a title shot
#8- Too Fast Too Fuego (New Entrant)
If you're not a watcher of Sammy Guevara's vlog or of the YouTube shows under the AEW banner you have probably just gone "huh" when seeing the name of Too Fast Too Fuego. Well the team of Fuego Del Sol and his friend Fuego II have come a long way from when they've began with victories on Dark and Dark: Elevation.
There has been speculation on the identity of Fuego II including that it is a grandson of a plumber that is the man behind the mask but yet no confirmation has come that it is TL Hopper III that is Del Sol's partner.
What isn't a mystery is that more wins under their belt and the Fuegos might end up top of AEW's tag team kingdom and rule the division.
It is just going to be a Top 8 this time round because quite frankly, the AEW tag scene has been sparse for the last few months with 4 teams that made our Top 10 last time not being active in 2 vs 2 action.
Sting/Darby Allin have spent their past two months warding off MJF and his friends/employees and now The Gunn Club. As detailed, the Wednesday night match against Billy and Colton will be an indicator on Sting and Allin's standing in the tag division.
The Young Bucks have not wrestled a tag match since losing the tag belts at All Out making up for lost time with Adam Cole wrestling trio matches.
Men of The Year haven't wrestled a tag match since the edition of Rampage held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in September. In the time being, they were part of teams that have traded wins with the Inner Circle in multi-man tags while teaming with members of American Top Team.
Private Party's last match as a tag team was 15th September on Dark: Elevation with their last match on Dynamite or Rampage in 2 vs 2 action being 20th August.
Meanwhile Lio Rush and Dante Martin were due to be in this edition's rankings at the #3 position but on Dynamite Dante Martin shocked the world by signing a contract with Team Taz hinting that the team of Lio Rush and Dante Martin are no more.
Also an honourable mention goes to Orange Cassidy and Tomohiro Ishii who beat The Butcher and The Blade on the post-Full Gear episode of Dynamite while a win onAEW's flagship show would be enough to grant a team a place in our rankings at this time, the chances are that we won't see Ishii on AEW television for awhile so this one and done deserves an honourable mention but nothing more.