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AEW held its first-ever weekly Dynamite episode on October 2, 2019. Since then, the show has received widespread critical acclaim as well as the financial success that has ensured the company is here for the long run. AEW was also the first company to embrace empty arena shows in the best possible manner.
AEW began 2021 with a bang with a stellar double episode special of New Year's Smash. The next two weeks were less than ideal for the company, as many fans complained about the show losing some of the momentum it had generated throughout 2020.
However, the company bounced back with a bang last week with the Beach Break episode that saw the debut of NJPW talent Kenta. His appearance has opened the door for several prospective dream matches between NJPW and AEW talents that have left fans salivating.
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Here in this slideshow, we will look back at the five best matches AEW produced in January 2021. Some of these bouts may not be the most memorable in the company's history, but they stood out for more than one reason. Do let us know your personal favorite matches in the comments section below.
#5 Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage (AEW Dynamite New Year's Smash)
TNT Champion Darby Allin is quite possibly the best seller in wrestling today. His ability to endure pain and suffering, and depict it through facial expressions, is unparalleled. While his series of matches with Cody Rhodes demonstrated his fighting spirit, here he went against an indomitable monster like Brian Cage, who played with Allin like a rag doll in the initial stages of the match.
The underdog TNT Champion put forth a masterclass in selling, and his eventual comeback elicited a strong reaction from the little crowd that was present. The brilliance of AEW and its booking was at its best when Sting made an appearance. While he could have attacked Cage, he took down only Ricky Starks and Will Hobbs, letting Allin tackle the monster by himself.
In this case, while Allin won on his own, Sting only helped to even the odds. Fantastic wrestling, smart booking, and a strong audience connection have collectively helped the TNT Champion become the main event player he is today. If he continues to perform on this level, a run with the AEW Championship in the future is a real possibility.
#4 FTR vs. Jurassic Express (AEW Dynamite New Year's Smash)
When FTR joined AEW in May 2020, after a couple of disastrous years on the WWE main roster, fans were hoping for the duo to bring their old-school Southern tag team wrestling style to the company. While AEW was never short of tag teams on their roster, mostly all of them wrestled a high-flying style, unlike what FTR presented upon their debut.
As expected, the duo had immense success in their first year as they won the AEW Tag Team Championships, and had great tag team matches with Kenny Omega and Hangman Page, and The Young Bucks. Even after dropping the titles, the two have helped the younger teams develop their skills by tangling with them.
A prime example of this was on Night Two of AEW Dynamite New Year's Smash where they took on Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt. FTR had a tremendous contest with the inexperienced duo, and while the veterans emerged as the winners, Jurassic Express showed what they were capable of doing.
It was a more mat-based contest unlike what Jurassic Express had wrestled in the past. That said, two of the performers in this match also wrestled in a classic singles bout that won plaudits across the board and will feature on this list.
#3 Tay Conti vs. Serena Deeb (AEW Dynamite New Year's Smash)
As great as AEW has been, the women's division has struggled to get going. While the male Superstars get to work with the best stories and benefit from long-term planning, female Superstars find it hard to get decent TV time. Although AEW Champion Kenny Omega has often said that the women's division is his pet project, the progress has been slower than expected.
Contrary to these criticisms, recent weeks have given hope of a renewed focus on the women's division. Tay Conti squared off against NWA Women's Champion Serena Deeb for the latter's championship in a truly great match on AEW Dynamite New Year's Smash Night Two.
The women weren't only given the time to tell a coherent story, but the in-ring work was also on a different level altogether. Serena Deeb is a veteran of the business, and she has been an invaluable addition to the company. As for Conti, she has improved leaps and bounds and certainly looks like a star that will carry this division for years to come.
#2 Dax Harwood vs. Jungle Boy (AEW Dynamite, January 27)
Dax Harwood and Jungle Boy collided in a classic pro wrestling match on AEW Dynamite featuring a despicable heel wearing down a sympathetic babyface until the face surmounted a comeback and got the better of the villain and came up victorious. It's a concept as old as the hills, but also one that's rarely attempted in the modern wrestling landscape.
At a time when wrestlers want to pack in everything in a single match, from high-flying offense to power moves to submission maneuvers, the performers in this bout focussed on the basics and delivered a spectacular contest.
A major portion of the match saw Harwood dominate his opponent, and in turn, Jungle Boy's eventual comeback generated the kind of babyface fire that is seldom seen in most of the matches across the globe. The fact that Harwood and Jungle Boy in AEW are tag team performers before being single competitors shows their range. It's also a fine example of why wrestlers shouldn't be bracketed into a certain category when they can perform on such a level.
#1 Kenny Omega vs. Rey Fenix (AEW Dynamite New Year's Smash)
When AEW came into existence, it was very much expected that Kenny Omega would be on top of the card from the very first night. However, the company and its head-honchos had different plans, as, despite Omega being in the main event scene, he never came close to the AEW Championship picture. It was a well-planned strategy that paid dividends as Omega's presence in the tag title scene ensured the division was consistently the central focus on TV.
However, on 2 December 2020, at AEW Winter is Coming, Omega became the AEW Champion after defeating Jon Moxley. His first title defense came on AEW New Year's Smash Night One, where he took on Rey Fenix. While everyone expected the bout to be fantastic, it over-delivered on every level and was worthy of being on a pay-per-view. The two performed several jaw-dropping moves that yet again reaffirmed the fact that Fenix will be on top of the mountain someday.
As outstanding as the bout was, the post-match developments where the original Bullet Club seemingly reunited stunned fans and opened the doors for cross-promotional wrestling programming that will open up endless narrative possibilities.
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