AEW: 20 Best Matches of 2023 (Part 2)
We’ve counted down the best events that AEW produced in 2023, and we have now began our journey to see what the best match All Elite Wrestling produced in the past 12 months. In part one alone, we have already covered five matches that some people would put at the top of their own personal lists, which should give you an indication of how good the matches yet to feature will be. So, let’s not wait around any longer and see what part two of this countdown has to offer.
My name is Sam Palmer from Vendetta Sports Media and here is the 20 best matches AEW produced in 2023, part two!
15. Kenny Omega vs. MJF [AEW World Championship] – Collision (Oct. 28):
As the weeks and months rolled on in 2023, many people noticed that MJF’s reign as AEW World Champion was dangerously close to breaking Kenny Omega’s record of being the longest-reigning AEW World Champion in company history. Max already had the likes of Samoa Joe, Wardlow and Jay White to worry about, as well as the mysterious “devil” figure who was targeting anyone he came into contact with. Putting someone like a refocused Kenny Omega on top of all of this seemed like an impossible task to overcome, but remember, MJF is a generational talent.
Kenny and Max beat the snot out of each other for over half-an-hour in an attempt to leave Connecticut as the AEW World Champion, with both men leaving it all in the ring. There is an argument to be made that this had no business being on free TV given the importance of it, but if you’re complaining about getting one of the best matches of the year on TV, you probably need some help.
In the end, it was the youthfulness of MJF that proved to be the difference maker as Omega simply couldn’t reach the level he wanted by the finishing stretch. Hopefully, there will be a rematch when Omega is fully healthy as these two seem to have that unique chemistry where virtually everything seems to click.
14. Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita – All Out:
While MJF was able to outlast Kenny Omega, Konosuke Takeshita straight-up beat The Cleaner into submission. These two men crossed paths at All In the previous week, with Takeshita pinning Omega in front of over 80,000 people. To prove that it wasn’t a fluke, Don Callis requested a one-on-one match between Omega and Takeshita for All Out, where Don could finally rid AEW of Kenny and gloat about the fact that the “Best Bout Machine” couldn’t get the job done without “The Invisible Hand” in his corner.
If there is one thing that Kenny Omega has become fantastic at over the past year, it’s being able to make his opponents look incredible when they’re in the ring with him. Takeshita has faced Omega many times in the past thanks to their history in DDT, but he truly came into his own in this one. The avalanche Blue Thunder Bomb will go down as one of the most awe-inspiring moves of the entire year, and even the Callis interference towards the end worked well which was a rarity in 2023. While AEW hasn’t done a great job in showcasing Takeshita since this match, for this one night, he looked like the baddest man on the planet.
13. Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland – WrestleDream:
The first chapter in what looks to be one of the defining rivalries of All Elite Wrestling: Swerve Strickland has always been seen as a star by his loyal fans, but All Elite Wrestling hasn’t done a lot to make him feel like a main event guy.
However, this feud changed all of that to the point where I can genuinely see Swerve holding the AEW World Championship in 2024. Strickland always believed that if he was given the same chances Hangman Page had been given in All Elite Wrestling, then he would have been champion by now, and with that, the feud began.
This also felt like a true reset of Hangman Page’s character as well, who despite being featured in feuds with the Blackpool Combat Club and Jon Moxley for the majority of the previous 12 months, Swerve Strickland truly felt like the man he was destined to do this with forever. In front of Strickland’s home state of Washington, these two proved why they are two of the best wrestlers in the world.
They wrestled with enough skill to prove they were better than their opponent but with enough hatred to add a little bit of extra force behind each of their moves. In a year filled with star-making performances for AEW, WrestleDream felt like Swerve’s true coming out party.
12. Kenny Omega vs. El Hijo del Vikingo – Dynamite (March 22):
Portions of the internet seemed to pull their own hair out when Tony Khan dubbed this a “dream match” back in March. However, it seems that those portions of the internet don’t have Google, because if they did, they would know that this is a match that fans had been dying to see for over a year. Omega and Vikingo were meant to face each other in Dec. of 2021 in AAA, but due to Kenny being held together by paperclips and glue, the match was cancelled so he could get healthy. Now that Kenny was healthy, Khan brought El Hijo del Vikingo to AEW for this match and it was wonderful.
Looking back at it, all it really is is a showcase match for Vikingo to get over with a larger audience while Omega acted as a base. However, considering that Vikingo has continued to get booked in All Elite Wrestling and Ring Of Honor since this match, it’s safe to say that this match did its job. Vikingo is a walking gif of a wrestler who can do things that aren’t physically possible, while Omega was able to play more of a heel in this match to get the crowd on Vikingo’s side.
The AAA Mega Champion might not have gotten the win in this one, but he makes everyone stop and pay attention whenever he is on screen, and it’s all thanks to this match.
11. Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy [AEW International Championship] – All Out:
The end to what was the best AEW title run of 2023. When the International Championship debuted in 2022 as the All-Atlantic Championship, it was dismissed as another midcard title with no real purpose. By the time Orange Cassidy was done with his first reign as champion, it was seen as one of the most sought-after titles in all of wrestling. This was largely down to the work Cassidy put in during his reign, managing to escape with the win each time while getting more injured as the weeks went by. It seemed as if no matter who AEW put in front of him, Orange Cassidy was going to walk away with the belt…then he faced Jon Moxley.
All Out 2023’s main event was a perfect example of a “David vs. Goliath” bout where the destination isn’t really in any doubt, but the journey to that destination makes you think that there might be a detour; 99 percent of the Chicago crowd knew Jon Moxley would win, and he did, and rightly so. However, there were glimmers of hope for Orange Cassidy that made people believe that he was actually going to get away with the belt again. Cassidy is currently enjoying his second reign with the belt, so it’s unclear what he’s going to do this time around, but if it’s anything like his first reign, it’s going to be something special.
That’s the end of part 2! Stay tuned to see what the best AEW match of 2023 will be! Don’t forget to follow myself and Vendetta Sports Media on all of your favorite social media platforms!
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