Ranking the 5 best match stipulations in AEW

#4. Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match

In early 2021, AEW announced Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley at Revolution pay-per-view for the world championship in an Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match. This dangerous stipulation was made famous in Japan and hadn't been seen in North America in decades.

Tony Khan, in an interview with Mike Johnson of PWInsider, revealed that the company discussed plans to hold this match almost a year in advance:

"It came up a long time ago, almost a year ago. I had it in the back of my mind as something we can do. It's a great idea and the timing is right now, it's a great main event for Revolution and it's something we can do here. It's something I think we can do and will be great for the match and, look, it's an exploding barbed-wire death match, I think people can expect this to be a savage match and that's what they're going to get."

"It's going to be one of the craziest matches ever on pay-per-view. Jon and Kenny tore the house down and I paid a pretty big fine in Baltimore. I think this will be crazier and better and I can't wait for Revolution. Revolution last year was my favorite wrestling show and set a huge standard to live up to and it's going to be a tremendous show, I'm really excited about it."

The match had great expectations. Moxley is one of the best hardcore wrestlers of his generation, and Omega was early into his run as the world champion. Both sought to settle their blood feud in the most violent match possible. For those who remember, the bout itself was excellent and delivered brutality and drama in spades.

Unfortunately, AEW's presentation of this match will forever live in infamy for completely botching the ending. The explosives set to go off after the battle looked like sparklers and ruined the titanic performance of both men. It is such a shame, and we hope AEW can rectify this blemish and deliver an unforgettable match that will make up for this dud.

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#3. AEW Blood and Guts

Blood and Guts is AEW's interpretation of WarGames created by Dusty Rhodes in the 1980s for NWA. It consists of two factions of wrestlers, battling in two rings shrouded by a cage. The right to the name of the gimmick is owned by WWE, so AEW decided to rename it but kept the concept close to the original.

It was originally slated to take place between The Inner Circle and The Elite in 2020, but the pandemic thwarted those plans. When it finally took place, Chris Jericho's team became the de facto babyfaces facing off against MJF and The Pinnacle.

The hype for the event was at an all-time high, and the match delivered its advertised violence. Unfortunately, the brilliance of the match was marred by another anti-climatic ending.

MJF and Chris Jericho battled at the top of the cage, and the young star threatened to throw Jericho off the top, which led to Sammy surrendering on his group's behalf. The camera work made it too obvious that Jericho landed on crash pads. Despite the error, the match concept should be an AEW tradition and be used to blow off big faction rivalries.