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PWI released their annual list of the top 500 professional wrestlers in the world, the PWI 500, and none other than AEW world champion Kenny Omega topped the list.
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As is the case every year, there were plenty of talking points from the list, none bigger than the Kenny Omega vs. Roman Reigns debate about who deserved the top spot. Do let us know in the comments who you think should be number one.
PWI 500 follows a specific criteria set in kayfabe. The criteria are as follows:
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- win-loss record
- championships won
- quality of competition
- major feuds
- prominence within a wrestler's individual promotion(s)
- overall wrestling ability
The decision is based on a wrestler's performance between June 30 and July 1 of the next year, so it is not calculated on a January to January basis.
A number of AEW wrestlers showed up on the list, unsurprising considering the year the company had. AEW had two names in the top 10 and five in the top 20.
Let us look at the five AEW wrestlers who ranked the highest in this year's PWI 500 list.
Kenny Omega: #1 in PWI 500
Kenny Omega is number one in PWI 500 for the second time in his career, a remarkable achievement that establishes how great the Belt Collector is.
During the consideration period, Kenny Omega captured the AEW World Championship, IMPACT Wrestling World Championship and defended the AAA Mega Championship, meaning he held three major world titles.
Also, in the initial months of the consideration period, he was the AEW tag team champion and defended the title multiple times before losing out to the FTR.
He consistently put on excellent matches on AEW and defended the AAA Mega Championship against Laredo Kid in an outstanding match. His crowning moment came at AEW Winter is Coming when he defeated Jon Moxley to win the AEW World Championship, a title he's still holding.
Jon Moxley: #6 in PWI 500
The second entry from AEW in PWI 500 top ten is former AEW world champion, Jon Moxley.
It can be argued that the former Dean Ambrose has had an underrated year. He carried the AEW World Championship during the pandemic, consistently putting on excellent matches with various opponents and wrestling in both AEW and occasionally in NJPW.
Mox also held the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship during the consideration period, defeating the likes of Yuji Nagata and KENTA to retain his title.
Some of the most memorable title matches during Moxley's reign came against Brian Cage, Lance Archer, Eddie Kingston, MJF, and Darby Allin. That's a pretty solid list of wrestlers to have retained your title against.
Jon Moxley also put up a high-octane contest with Kenny Omega in an Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match which will always be one of the most violent matches in AEW history.
There's no doubt Mox is deserving of a top ten spot in the PWI 500.
Cody Rhodes: #11 in PWI 500
Cody Rhodes was a workhorse for AEW during the pandemic and a selfless worker throughout. He narrowly missed out on the PWI 500 top ten.
The EVP of AEW won the inaugural TNT Championship just before the consideration period. Since then, he has defended his title in an astounding 12 matches across two title reigns.
His open challenge for the title helped many wrestlers get over, none bigger than Eddie Kingston, who has become one of the company's top babyfaces.
Cody Rhodes lost the title to Mr. Brodie Lee and Darby Allin and put them both over in a major way. Darby Allin has gone from strength to strength since then, and he has Rhodes to thank for it.
The American Nightmare has had an excellent year and fully merits his high ranking in PWI 500.
Darby Allin: #14 in PWI 500
Darby Allin's high ranking in PWI 500 is a testament to two things: his own greatness and AEW's unwavering faith in him.
Darby Allin defeated Cody Rhodes to win the TNT Championship, and he defended the title in numerous matches. His matches against Matt Hardy and Jungle Boy, in particular, were excellent.
The face-painted star was part of history as well when he and Sting fought Team Taz in a street fight at AEW Revolution 2021 in a cinematic match before partnering with the Vigilante in a tag team match at Double or Nothing.
Darby Allin is one of the greatest success stories in AEW, and his ranking on PWI 500 is justified for anyone who has been a fan of him.
Chris Jericho: #19 in PWI 500
Chris Jericho is 50 years old and just cracked the top 20 in PWI 500. If this does not emphasize the timelessness of the Demo God, nothing else will.
Le Champion is no longer the crafty high-flyer he once was, but he still possesses the ability to put on a good match. Jericho played a big part in establishing three players in AEW's roster: Orange Cassidy, MJF, and Sammy Guevara.
Jericho holds a magnanimous win-loss record against MJF and Cassidy, consistently putting over the two. Meanwhile, MJF turning on Jericho established MJF as the greatest heel in AEW.
The inaugural AEW world champion was also part of the excellent Stadium Stampede and Blood and Guts matches, while he and MJF hawon numerous matches as a tag team.
While he's clearly slowed down, Chris Jericho has had an excellent year, and the PWI 500 spot is totally merited.
