Chris Flackett
We’re all speed ahead into the build up for the upcoming Forbidden Door PPV with New Japan, and this week’s AEW programming saw some developments take place that will have an impact on the upcoming show.
How did that affect this week’s AEW Power Rankings?
Let’s get into it and find out!
5. FTR & Trent Beretta
With Forbidden Door on the horizon, it makes sense for members of the United Empire to make an appearance on AEW programming. What is perhaps surprising is that the team of Will Ospreay and Aussie Open lost their first match in AEW, cutting off any momentum they had before the even started—unless the plan is to have the UE go over at the PPV.
In any case, this does build up momentum for FTR and Trent for whoever they end up facing at Forbidden Door—possibly the UE again—and makes AEW look competitive against the New Japan gang.
4. Kyle O’Reilly
The ReDRagon man made his biggest impression so far in AEW this week by not only winning the Casino Royale but going on by virtue of his victory to wrestle Jon Moxley on the same night, the pair battering each other senseless in an effort to win a place in the match to determine the AEW Interim Champion.
Although he lost, O’Reilly looked the best he has in AEW to date. Whether the powers that be choose to build on these performances is another thing, but for this week at least, Kyle is flying high.
3. The Young Bucks/The Hardy Boyz
The feud between the Bucks and the Hardys shows no end in sight yet, but this week the stakes were raised. With both teams arguing over the contendership for the AEW World Tag Team Championships, it was lucky for them (and much to Jungle Boy’s chagrin) that Christian Cage has a big mouth and too much confidence, telling both teams that not only can they have a title shot on next week’s Dynamite, but they’ll do it in a ladder match—only The Hardy’s old speciality!
Sometimes you don’t have to do much more than put your dreams and wishes out into the universe for the universe to grant them, and that was very much the case for the Bucks and the Hardys. But both teams got what they wanted, a shot at the belts, and that’s a power play that puts them in third place on this week’s rankings.
2. Thunder Rosa
The only title defence made this week by any of AEW’s champions came from Thunder Rosa, as she put her title on the line against Marina Shafir this week on Dynamite. Shafir attacked after the bell, bringing Toni Storm out to make the save and cast her eyes on Rosa’s belt, but ultimately the champ made another successful defence here and as such she deserves her high placement on this week’s ranking.
1. Jon Moxley
It’s been a good ol’ week for Mox, what with him beating Kyle O’Reilly to book his place at Forbidden Door in the match to decide the AEW Interim Champion. We now know that, thanks to the events of NJPW Dominion, that his opponent on the night will be Hiroshi Tanahashi, a man Mox has been trying to wrestle for a long time now. That’s going to be a hell of a match with a lot of hype and anticipation behind it. Because of that, and because he earned the chance to become the top guy in AEW again, Mox get the top place in our AEW Power Rankings this week.
