5 most emotional moments in AEW

AEW has had some intense story-telling qualities in its booking since its inception. And where there's story-telling, there's emotion involved. It isn't an easy task to invoke an emotion in a person, let alone an audience.

But the Jacksonville-based company has achieved just that and head booker Tony Khan, who also owns the company, should get some credit for that. Here's a quick list of some of the most emotional moments.

#5. Moxley's Return at WrestleDream 2023 made the crowd emotional

Jon Moxley has been a story that hardcore fans know by rote. They know about his stint in WWE, his coming to AEW, and his struggles with injuries. One of his most serious injuries was the concussion that he suffered at Grand Slam in September 2023.

That botch quickly went viral, and so did concern for Moxley's health. With no news about his return, wrestling fans were restless - and The Street Dog wowed them with his return at WrestleDream in October, albeit in a non-competitive role. But his very presence in the arena was enough to turn it all emotional for the crowd.

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#4. Anthony Bowens had a moment on AEW Rampage in 2023

Anthony Bowens is queer - one of the few professional wrestlers on national television who openly identifies as such. And that made for a heartwarming moment in-ring. Bowens was once propositioned by a woman in-ring, as a storyline.

Bowens retorted with what quickly became the idea behind a chant that pointed out Anthony being queer. Everyone in the ring immediately understood what had happened - an iconic and emotional moment was infused. This is, of course, a milieu away from how mainstream entertainment's audience reacted to the LGBTQ population a while ago.

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#3.CM Punk's return to wrestling and arrival at Tony Khan's company was a true moment

CM Punk has had a difficult timeline, but back in 2021, when he made his AEW debut, he had the crowd eating out of his hands just by being in the ring. For them, he was the one man who had brought a global brand to its knees.

Everyone knew what The Voice of the Voiceless was capable of in the ring, and seeing him perform in the ring again made the crowd pop. And they weren't wrong to do so - Punk has given the wrestling audiences some of the finest matches and feuds of his time to AEW.

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#2 Saraya winning the AEW Womens Championship at Wembley Stadium was surreal

If a wrestling promotion doesn't know how to make the crowd pop for the hometown wrestler, the promotion should take some scriptwriting lessons. AEW definitely doesn't need any - that they proved by putting their Women's Championship belt on Saraya at All In in August 2023, at Wembley Stadium.

For British Saraya, winning the Championship at 'the' Wembley Stadium was an emotional moment - seen by the celebrations that went on for a while. AEW personalities came out to congratulate Saraya, marking what an important event it was.

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#1 Brodie Lee's Celebration of Life sparked something special in the wrestling world

Brodie Lee is considered to be one of the most underrated and underused wrestlers in recent times. The outpouring of emotion at the news of his sudden demise was real. AEW came up with a unique way to pay tribute to Brodie Lee and made a special show out of it - Brodie Lee's Celebration of Life, which took place in December 2020.

The only thing, most of the matches were non-canon and didn't have to do anything with the current storylines. This even led to Eric Rowan popping into the show for an appearance in the main event. The entire show had emotionally tinged moments, including Jim Ross using Lee's iconic catchphrase, "It's Wednesday night. You know what that means."

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It's moments like these that take wrestling far beyond feuds and moves. Which is your most emotional moment in AEW? Tell us in the comments section.