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AEW came into the pandemic era with plenty of momentum. They started out the year with an extension of their television contract with TNT through 2023.
All Elite Wrestling was also riding high following a successful Revolution 2020 pay-per-view that saw the culmination of many rivalries. The show had one of the greatest matches in company history which saw the crowning of a new AEW World Champion in Jon Moxley.
Fast forward to now, when after spending the last 16 months in Jacksonville's Daily's Place, AEW could have easily phoned it in and felt defeated by the circumstances.
However, the company achieved great things throughout the pandemic era. New stars were introduced, title changes occurred and established competitors stepped up like never before.
Having spent most of their run as a company in the pandemic era, All Elite Wrestling should be very proud of all the men and women who saw new heights in their careers. In this article, let's take a look at the six heroes of AEW's Pandemic Era.
#6 AEW's Eddie Kingston
Eddie Kingston spent 18 years in the independent scene of the wrestling business before coming to AEW. He has scratched and clawed for every opportunity that he has earned throughout his career. His promo skills have been head and shoulders above the rest for years now and that speaking ability was how he got the attention of All Elite Wrestling.
Kingston called out Cody Rhodes on an ICW show, but no one could have expected him to hit a home run the way he did when given that shot. On the July 22nd episode of AEW Dynamite, Eddie Kingston answered Cody Rhodes's TNT Championship open challenge and cut a scathing promo about his journey to the main stage.
Eddie followed up this brilliant speech with a remarkable performance in a No Disqualification Match against Cody. He pushed Rhodes to his limit, but Kingston came up just short. However, Eddie Kingston was the true winner in all of this. Through his superb effort on the mic and in the ring, The Mad King earned himself a contract with AEW.
Since signing, Kingston has been in the main event of Full Gear 2020 against Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. He has become a fan favorite and headlined several editions of AEW Dynamite.
Eddie Kingston has become one of the flag bearers for All Elite Wrestling and has truly marked his place on the roster throughout this pandemic era.
#5 AEW Women's Champion Britt Baker
The women's division of AEW has been heavily criticized since the inception of the company. Due to lack of availability and inconsistent booking, the ladies have not always seen the same focus as the men's and tag team divisions. However, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., has been the exception to the rule.
Her transformation as a character started just prior to the pandemic era. Baker turned heel and started an entertaining friendship with commentator Tony Schiavone.
One of the earliest standout matches during the pandemic for the women was Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida on AEW Dynamite. Taking place in QT Marshall's gym in Georgia, the two women had a battle that busted Baker's nose.
Her charismatic smile and bloody nose caught the attention of the fanbase and took Britt out of action for a while. But this, along with a leg injury, would be a launchpad for some of her best promo work.
She began cutting cocky diatribes with her assistant Rebel in tow. Big Swole became her first rival and really started to get both women over with the audience in AEW. Her next feud is where things were taken to the next level.
Thunder Rosa was another unsung hero for All Elite Wrestling during the pandemic, and nearly made it onto this list. Coming over from NWA as their Women's World Champion, Rosa unsuccessfully challenged for the AEW Women's World Championship against Shida at All Out before losing her own belt to Serena Deeb.
In a rematch with Deeb, Britt Baker cost Thunder Rosa the match and the title, kickstarting their rivalry. The two women would get in constant pull apart brawls, leading to AEW Dynamite: Beach Break, where Baker beat Rosa.
It was just the first battle, but their rematch would elevate both women's careers and the entire division as a whole.
On the March 17th episode of AEW Dynamite, titled the St. Patrick's Day Slam, Rosa and Baker put on the first women's main event and Unsanctioned Lights Out Match in company history. This epic encounter remains as one of the best matches of the year and one of the best women's matches of all time.
The bloody war featured violence at a level never seen by females in pro wrestling and further established Baker and Rosa as legitimate superstars in the business.
Although Baker lost, her performance propelled her up the rankings to get a shot at the AEW Women's World Championship. At Double Or Nothing 2021, Baker defeated Hikaru Shida to win the gold and take her rightful place at the top.
#4 Former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley
One of the last great moments before the pandemic was Jon Moxley defeating Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship at Revolution 2020. The main event was built so well in the leadup, and paid off tremendously in front of a raucous crowd in Chicago. A magical moment set up for what turned into a superb reign.
Although Moxley took a few weeks off at the beginning of the pandemic, he came back with a memorable promo that perfectly embodied the everyman gimmick that made him such a fan favorite.
After a lackluster first defense in an empty arena against Jake Hager, Moxley was confronted and challenged by Brodie Lee of the Dark Order. The former WWE Superstars battled in a great AEW World Championship Match at Double Or Nothing 2020.
Lee looked phenomenal in defeat, but Moxley walked out with the gold. This kickstarted a fabulous run of excellent title matches. Moxley put down Brian Cage and Darby Allin in fun TV matches before MJF stepped up as his next pay-per-view opponent.
At AEW All Out 2020, Jon Moxley overcame a stipulation of not using his Paradigm Shift finisher to beat MJF with that exact move behind the referee's back in a bloody conclusion to the show.
Lance Archer was the next opponent on the one-year anniversary of the AEW Dynamite, where Moxley barely slipped by the big man. Moxley's next feud was against his former friend Eddie Kingston.
The two put on amazing promos and angles to build to Full Gear 2020. The Purveyor of Violence defeated Kingston in an "I Quit" Match to retain his gold once again.
Moxley's legendary reign as AEW World Champion finally came to an end at Winter Is Coming, where Kenny Omega aligned with Don Callis to cheat him out of the gold.
His wars against The Elite, consisting of Omega, The Good Brothers and The Young Bucks have reunited him and Kingston. They are two of the biggest babyfaces in the company today.
Without a doubt, Jon Moxley's AEW World Championship reign will be remembered for quality matches and promos that made him the 2020 Wrestler of the Year and further established the title as the most important in the business today. Moxley should be proud of all that he accomplished during the difficult pandemic era.
#3 AEW's Exalted One - Brodie Lee
On the very first episode of AEW Dynamite following the pandemic, Brodie Lee debuted as the leader of the Dark Order. His introduction to the company revitalized the much maligned stable and established Lee as one of the top heels.
His aforementioned rivalry and Double Or Nothing 2020 match against Jon Moxley did a lot to build him up, but it was in the summer where he really took off.
Cody Rhodes was riding high as the inaugural TNT Champion. To make the title different from the AEW World Championship, Cody instituted an open challenge for anyone in the company or outside to face him.
Jungle Boy, Marq Quen, Ricky Starks and Eddie Kingston were among those who fell to Rhodes in some very good TV matches.
Brodie Lee eventually answered Cody's TNT Championship open challenge and destroyed the old belt in a statement to the champ. On the August 22nd AEW Saturday Night Dynamite, Brodie defeated Cody in dominating fashion to win the TNT Championship. The Dark Order laid out the Nightmare Family afterwards in one of the best endings in Dynamite history.
The rivalry between Dark Order and the Nightmare Family continued, with Brodie Lee defeating Dustin Rhodes to retain the TNT Championship on the September 9th episode AEW Dynamite, which scored over 1 million viewers for the show. Cody Rhodes returned a few weeks later to challenge Brodie Lee to a rematch.
Brodie Lee made this contest a Dog Collar Match and the bout proved to be one of the most brutal encounters in AEW history. The two men battered each other until Cody wrapped the chain around Brodie and hit two Cross Rhodes finishers for the win. This was the type of contest that earned everyone's respect and felt important to both men's careers.
Unfortunately, this became Brodie Lee's final match as he passed away in December. However, this led to the greatest episode of AEW Dynamite with the Brodie Lee tribute show. It was an emotional night that celebrated Brodie's life and career, as well as gave the performers and individuals who were his friends and his family, a chance to say goodbye.
#2 Former TNT Champion - AEW's Darby Allin
The pandemic era gave AEW a chance to really hone in on the future stars of the company. No performer has stepped up more during this period than Darby Allin. Prior to the pandemic, Darby showcased glimpses of his enigmatic personality and daredevil in-ring style. His performances against Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho were the first that came to mind.
However, Darby Allin really showed what he had to offer over the course of the past 16 months. His series of matches against Jon Moxley pushed the AEW World Champion to the brink and teased Allin's status as a main event star. Eventually, his brushes with the gold came to fruition when he finally defeated Cody Rhodes for the first time at Full Gear 2020 to win the TNT Championship.
His feud with Team Taz displayed that the 28-year-old had no fear regardless of the numbers against him. Although Team Taz had Brian Cage, Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs at their disposal, Darby Allin would soon find an ally.
At AEW Dynamite's Winter Is Coming episode, Sting debuted for All Elite Wrestling and aligned himself with Allin shortly thereafter.
Seeing a little bit of himself in the young man, Sting made Darby's emergence onto the scene seem more significant and elevated Allin in the eyes of the casual viewer.
Darby Allin then proceeded on a stellar run of TNT Championship Matches that could rival any champion before him. Whether it be against Brian Cage, John Silver or Number 10 of the Dark Order, Allin preserved and retained the gold against anyone who challenged him.
His TNT Championship bout against Jungle Boy was one of the best AEW Dynamite matches of the year. The two young stars showed why many view them as the future of the industry in a spellbinding contest.
Darby's eventual loss of the championship to Miro was also an exceptional effort that showcased Allin's never-say-die attitude.
No one during the pandemic era has been in more main event matches on AEW Dynamite than Darby Allin. In the span of 16 months of the pandemic, he has gone from the future to the now.
It is only a matter of time before Darby is going to be an AEW World Champion. When that happens, fans will look back on his stretch during the pandemic as when his climb to the top really started.
#1 AEW, IMPACT Wrestling and AAA World Champion - Kenny Omega
The Elite were the building blocks of AEW. Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page and Cody Rhodes were the first stars to sign with the promotion. Despite this fact, all the members went through their own struggles at the beginning of the company, and none more so than Omega.
Prior to the pandemic, Kenny Omega finally found some success teaming with Hangman Page to become the AEW World Tag Team Champions. The two men would go on to put on an all-time classic against fellow Elite members The Young Bucks at Revolution 2020. However, the three men that Omega shared the ring with on that night were conspicuous by their absence during the early pandemic.
Meanwhile, Kenny Omega was featured heavily on AEW Dynamite. Whether it be introducing new talent like Alan Angels or putting on dazzling TV contests against Trent, The Cleaner was finding his form ahead of The Elite's return. He reunited with The Elite at Double Or Nothing 2020 against The Inner Circle in the Stadium Stampede Match.
In an epic cinematic spectacle, The Elite pulled out the victory. Omega and Page took that momentum to go on an astounding run of AEW World Tag Team Championship matches against the likes of Private Party, and Best Friends among others.
They finally lost the belts at All Out 2020, but Omega took that setback and forged a path to the top prize in All Elite Wrestling.
Kenny Omega put on a breathtaking encounter against his former partner Hangman Page at Full Gear 2020 to win the AEW World Title Eliminator tournament and get a shot at Jon Moxley. He then proceeded to turn to the dark side and align himself with then IMPACT Wrestling EVP Don Callis to screw Moxley out of the gold.
Now the AEW World Champion, Omega was not satisfied and established a new goal to be a belt collector. Having already won the AAA Mega Championship, The Cleaner put his AEW World Title on the line against IMPACT Wrestling World Champion Rich Swann at Rebellion 2021. On pay-per-view, Omega defeated Swann to claim both the TNA and IMPACT Wrestling World Championships.
His run with the AEW World Championship has featured a Match of the Year candidate against Rey Fenix, a fantastic three-way contest against PAC and Orange Cassidy at Double Or Nothing 2021 and a brilliant TV main event against Jungle Boy. This reign stands up to or surpasses the previous runs of Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley in many ways.
Having excelled in tag team, multi-man and singles competition, Kenny Omega has been the MVP for All Elite Wrestling. Not only has he brought his in-ring greatness to the forefront, but he has established himself as one of the best in the business today. With these reasons in mind, it is no question that Kenny Omega has been the biggest hero of AEW's pandemic era.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
