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For the second year in a row, AEW will hold a World Title Eliminator Tournament that will culminate at the Full Gear pay-per-view. Eight participants will take part in this tournament and will look to repeat the success of the last winner. Kenny Omega defeated Hangman Page at Full Gear 2020 to win the first World Title Eliminator Tournament.
Omega parlayed that victory to defeat Jon Moxley to win the AEW World Championship on "The Winter Is Coming" special of AEW Dynamite last year. The participants in this year's tournament range from established top talent to rising stars who will be looking to achieve the biggest win of their career. It makes the competition very stiff and everyone is willing to lay it all on the line to advance.
With the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament set to kick off next Friday on Rampage, it is the perfect time to look at this year's field and determine who will be the most likely winner. There will be some with a better chance than others due to their track record or matchups during the bracket. In this article, let's rank the participants of this year's AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament.
8) Dark Order's 10 - AEW
Dark Order's 10 has been given time to shine on several occasions in AEW. Preston Vance is a graduate of the Nightmare Factory and was taken under the wing of Brodie Lee. He got his spot in the Dark Order and worked as an enforcer for the stable. 10 has actually gotten the opportunity to headline a few episodes of AEW Dynamite over his time in the promotion.
Dark Order's 10 was part of a Brodie Lee Jr.-chosen dream team with Orange Cassidy and Cody Rhodes on the Brodie Lee Tribute Show in December. He also faced then-TNT Champion Darby Allin on the April 28th, 2021 episode of AEW Dynamite. These occasions have helped him grow and shown that he has the potential to be a star for the company.
The reason why Dark Order's 10 has the least likely chance in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament is because of his first-round matchup. Vance will be up against the former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley. It will be tough to advance to the finals with any of the competitors, but Moxley may be the toughest test of Preston's young career.
7) Dustin Rhodes - AEW
Another competitor in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament who didn't get the luck of the draw is Dustin Rhodes. He will contend with red-hot Bryan Danielson, who is riding a three-match singles win streak and has had a ton of momentum since arriving in All Elite Wrestling back at All Out 2021.
Dustin Rhodes has faced the best of the best since he came to AEW himself. His classic encounter with his brother Cody at Double Or Nothing 2019 remains one of the best matches in company history. He has squared off with Brodie Lee, Lance Archer and Malakai Black since then, giving all of those men a run for their money.
Despite crucial wins in the Buckhouse Brawl against The Butcher and The Blade as well as in a Bullrope Match against Nick Comoroto, Dustin Rhodes doesn't have the best track record in high profile contests. He will always put in an exceptional effort, but seems to always be on the losing side of these affairs, which makes many believe the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament will be the same.
6) Lance Archer - AEW
Lance Archer is another star who hasn't been that successful in high stakes encounters since debuting for AEW. He came in hot on a winning streak with Jake The Snake Roberts in his corner and made it to the Finals of the TNT Championship Tournament. However, he was defeated by Cody Rhodes at Double Or Nothing 2020 when the title was on the line.
Archer received an opportunity at the AEW World Championship as well in a losing effort to Jon Moxley on the AEW Dynamite First Anniversary Show. He was able to avenge that loss this summer with a huge victory over Moxley in a Texas Death Match to win the IWGP United States Championship.
His first-round matchup sees him go against Eddie Kingston and really is a toss-up. Kingston doesn't have the strongest win-loss record in high profile matches himself. These two men have their own past with one another. They traded victories last year and were on opposite sides during a Lights Out Tag Team Match featuring Moxley and Minoru Suzuki back at the AEW Rampage Grand Slam.
5) Powerhouse Hobbs - AEW
Powerhouse Hobbs may be the dark horse of the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. The Team Taz member has seen some huge chances to shine recently. He secured a pinfall victory over Brian Cage and had his biggest match yet against CM Punk on the Rampage Grand Slam special.
His first-round matchup in the World Title Eliminator Tournament brings a full circle momentum for Powerhouse Hobbs. He debuted last year on Dark against Orange Cassidy, with Hobbs losing in seconds after the Orange Punch. This rematch will see a totally different Powerhouse Hobbs who has grown expendentially since that last meeting.
4) Orange Cassidy - AEW
Orange Cassidy is among the most popular stars in the promotion and has been in the top 5 rankings for a while. Cassidy lost to the World Champion Kenny Omega in a three-way match with PAC back at Double Or Nothing 2021. He also recently came up short in the Casino Ladder Match on the Dynamite Second Anniversary Show as well.
The World Title Eliminator Tournament may present the final opportunity for Orange Cassidy to achieve the top prize in the promotion. He will face Powerhouse Hobbs in the first round and may just be the most unpredictable contest in the opening round. Either man could walk away with the victory and advance. It is an enormous challenge ahead of Cassidy.
3) Eddie Kingston - AEW
Eddie Kingston has been a revelation for AEW since turning babyface earlier this year. He has so many endearing qualities. Kingston is easy to root for due to his authenticity. Eddie has fought for everything in this business from the very beginning. He is a competitor who contemplated quitting wrestling altogether before signing with All Elite Wrestling.
Eddie Kingston's partnership with Jon Moxley is among the most popular tandems in the business today. However, Kingston has come up short in singles competition quite a few times. Moxley defeated Kingston twice for the AEW World Championship, while he has also lost to both Cody Rhodes and Miro with the TNT Championship on the line.
His first-round contest against Lance Archer could go either way. Both men have defeated one another in the past. Archer has been a constant thorn in Kingston's side and could really come down to whomever has more in the tank. Whoever comes out on top will have to face the likes of Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley and Orange Cassidy, which could be quite the obstacle.
2) Jon Moxley - AEW
Jon Moxley is a former AEW World Champion and still one of the top stars in the promotion. He has seen his struggles since losing the top prize and being a victim of the numbers game from The Elite. Moxley has won huge matches in the past few months against the likes of Satoshi Kojima, Minoru Suzuki and Karl Anderson, but he also lost in the Casino Ladder Match to Hangman Page just last week.
Moxley will face Dark Order's 10 in the first round, which should be a hard fought bout. In the next round, he will either face Orange Cassidy or Powerhouse Hobbs. Moxley recently defeated Cassidy's friend Wheeler Yuta on the October 16th, 2021 episode of AEW Dynamite and Orange may be looking for revenge.
Jon Moxley also has a past with Powerhouse Hobbs and Team Taz. Hobbs came to Moxley's aid in battles last year before joining Team Taz. He defeated Brian Cage to retain the AEW World Championship with Taz in his corner at Fight For The Fallen 2020. Either opponent will be a hurdle for Moxley to overcome.
1) Bryan Danielson - AEW
Bryan Danielson has been on a roll since arriving in AEW at All Out 2021. The former WWE Champion has held nothing back and taken his game to another level. His in-ring debut against Kenny Omega at the AEW Dynamite Grand Slam was among the best encounters of 2021 and an all-time great television match. It was an epic encounter that was so evenly matched that neither man could win.
After the 30-minute time limit draw with Omega, Danielson defeated Nick Jackson on the October 1st, 2021 episode of AEW Rampage. It was another awesome contest that showed Danielson would be at the top of his game in the promotion. Following his loss along with Christian Cage and Jurassic Express in an eight-man tag team bout against The Super Elite, he just had his best week yet with AEW.
Bryan Danielson put on another television match of the year candidate, defeating Minoru Suzuki on the AEW Rampage Buy In this past Friday. It was a stiff, hard-hitting affair that was reminiscent of some of his classics from the independent scene and Suzuki's NJPW greatest battles. Danielson then defeated Bobby Fish in the main event of the October 16th episode of Dynamite.
Bryan Danielson will look to use the momentum gained by two back-to-back victories into the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. The American Dragon will go one-on-one with Dustin Rhodes in the first round. It is considered a dream match for both men who have known each other from their WWE runs.
Bryan Danielson will need to pick up the pace to tire out his more experienced opponent, while Dustin Rhodes will try to control the pace and use his in-ring IQ to defeat the American Dragon. Rhodes will use his experience to overcome Bryan, but it should be a win for Danielson in that clash.
The next round will see The American Dragon face either Eddie Kingston or Lance Archer. Both men have a distinct size advantage over Bryan Danielson. Archer will use his strength and intimidation factor to beat Bryan, while Kingston will use his hard-hitting style and determination to overwhelm Danielson.
Whether it be Dark Order's 10, Powerhouse Hobbs, Orange Cassidy or Jon Moxley, the Finals will be a competitive end to the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. Each star presents a different kind of challenge to the American Dragon, but Bryan Danielson has proven himself ready for anything. That's why Danielson is the most likely winner of the World Title Eliminator Tournament.
