'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
2) Former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega - The belt collector
Trending
Kenny Omega's run in AEW had been much maligned heading into 2021. Fans of the Cleaner from his time in NJPW felt they weren't getting the same Omega, while new fans didn't know the big deal after key losses in the early days of All Elite Wrestling to Chris Jericho, PAC and Jon Moxley. However, 2020 changed the course for the Best Bout Machine.
He started off the year winning the AEW World Tag Team Titles with Hangman Page. After losing the gold and beating his partner to become number one contender, Omega defeated Jon Moxley to end 2020 as AEW World Champion thanks in large part to Don Callis. This proved to be the start for this "Belt Collector".
Did you know a top WWE Superstar just wrestled outside the company? More details HERE
Omega arrived in IMPACT Wrestling and said that he wanted to become a belt collector by claiming the IMPACT World Championship to go along with the AEW World Title and his AAA Mega Championship. At Rebellion 2021, he did just that by beating Rich Swann to win the title. This became a portrait of the year when Kenny Omega became a huge television star.
The Cleaner was on top of AEW during the most successful period in the company's history with the four largest pay-per-view buy-rates and record-setting television ratings. He also helped IMPACT Wrestling get their biggest buy-rates in years and increased television viewership there. The Belt Collector was the latest moniker that Kenny Omega took to greater heights than many imagined.
1) Former AEW TNT Champion Miro - God's Favorite Champion/Redeemer
With the phenomenal year that Kenny Omega had, it would be tough to imagine another AEW gimmick outdoing the Belt Collector. But Miro did just that with a character invention that has been one of the most consistently entertaining of any this year.
After suffering his first loss in a tag team contest that he wasn't pinned in, Miro beat down his former friend Kip Sabian and ventured to be on his own.
He defeated Darby Allin to win the AEW TNT Championship and immediately started transforming before our eyes. There were no more video games or playing around for Miro. He was on a mission.
The former Rusev cut a series of promos with a new TNT Championship, donning the Bulgarian flag colors and claiming to be God's Favorite Champion. These vignette-style promos became a highlight of every AEW Dynamite episode, while Miro's destruction of up-and-coming babyfaces like Brian Pillman Jr., Lee Johnson and Fuego Del Sol was a blast to watch.
Miro would often cut his promos speaking to his God and wanting to thank him for his flexible wife. His diatribes evolved from calling himself just God's Favorite Champion to the Redeemer, which led to some hilarious banter with Eddie Kingston. Whether against the Mad King or Lance Archer, Miro was a beast in the ring and on the mic.
2021 might be remembered as the best year of Miro's career. His AEW run started slow, but this year proved why so many felt he was under-utilized in WWE. His 140-day TNT Championship reign will be regarded as one of the best in AEW this year and his fantastic promo work makes him one to watch in 2022 as well. That's why Miro's God's Favorite Champion gimmick was the best in AEW of 2021.
What is your favorite gimmick in All Elite Wrestling right now? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
