Ranking the top 5 AEW men's wrestlers in PWI 500

Darby Allin: #14 in PWI 500

Darby Allin is the best AEW homegrown talent.IMO. pic.twitter.com/VDh5VYDQc4

— HD#PunkSZN (@harshitdwivedi_) August 29, 2021

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.

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Chris Jericho: #19 in PWI 500

Nobody rises to the moment like @IAmJericho. He is ageless. He is timeless. He is legendary. #WK14 pic.twitter.com/iX3NqgFh7v

— Kyle (@FLWrestlingFan) January 5, 2020

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.