With 12 weeks in the books, AEW has gotten off to a wonderful start in 2019. When AEW started, I debated on doing a separate ranking for them or combining them with WWE and other promotions. I think I’m going to stick with AEW and WWE separate, because if I do any more it is just too much wrestling to process and break down. I do keep an eye on other promotions, but I don’t watch them nearly as much as WWE and AEW. The year-end breakdown is not going to be the same as WWE, because of the obvious reason that AEW has only been on TV for a quarter, but it is fun to see how the show has changed since October. It should get more interesting to see how things shake out in 2020 for AEW and it should be a huge year for the promotion. Just like my normal weekly AEW Power Rankings, I will list the Top 5 most occurring wrestlers in 2019. There were 36 performers that were ranked in the Top 5 and 7 different number ones this year. Here is the Year-End Top 5.

Here are some of the wrestlers that made the Top 5 more than once. If certain performers are in groups, they may different appearance numbers.

4 Appearances: Rey Fenix, Jake Hager, Kenny Omega, SoCal Uncensored

3 Appearances: The Young Bucks, Pentagon Jr., Sammy Guevara

2 Appearances: Riho, Hangman Page, Pac, Private Party, Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander

- 5: Cody (4 Appearances, 3 Number Ones)

Cody gets the tiebreaker into the Year-End Top 5 because he had more Number One entries than any of the others. Cody has been about as good as a performer can be in professional wrestling, not to mention that he helps run the company. He had the single most number one weeks this year and I can’t argue with that looking back at it and he also had arguably the best match of the year at Double or Nothing against his brother Dustin. He has been a vital part of the show in its early stages and he will continue to be. Even though it looks like he will be out of the title picture for the next little bit, I fully expect him to be a Top 5 Year-End contender in 2020.

- 4: MJF (5 Appearances)

The Salt of the Earth makes his way onto the list at number 4 in 2019. I can’t say I’m shocked, but I can say I really didn’t expect him to be Top 5 this early. Not to say he doesn’t have raw talent, because he has more raw talent and potential than any young wrestler possibly in the world. I didn’t think he would be a possible main event talent going into 2020. His steady growth is clearly a long and short-term goal of AEW and you could do a ton of different things with a guy like MJF, but I’m interested to see where he will be this time next year. Will he be AEW World Champion in 2020? Like I said earlier, I wouldn’t be shocked, but I’m not expecting it. Look for him to be a steady name that will be in the mix though.

- 3: Ortiz and Santana (5 Appearances. 1 Number One w/The Inner Circle)

This one took me by total surprise. I know that I listed The Inner Circle 3 times as a group, but it still doesn’t really seem right that Ortiz and Santana have been the third most featured performers in AEW. They made their debut at All Out when they attacked The Young Bucks and The Lucha Brothers. As I mentioned before, them joining The Inner Circle will help them stay in the spotlight and a tag title run isn’t out of the question in early 2020. They are an entertaining duo and I think they may be featured a lot more coming up.

- 2: Jon Moxley (7 Appearances, 2 Number Ones)

Moxley was the performer that I was most excited about moving to AEW. He was underutilized in the WWE and the freedom of AEW was just the thing he needed to revitalize his wrestling career. He was a guy that they really didn’t need to get over, but once he showed up, he was an immediate star. He is doing things that he wasn’t allowed to do in WWE and he is absolutely shining. Moxley is the perfect guy that they need moving forward and hopefully he stays healthy in 2020. I won’t guarantee a title reign for the upcoming year for Moxley, but it is probably as close to a guarantee as you can get. I expect him to remain a top-level talent in AEW for many years to come.

In May, I wrote an article about Moxley’s buzz surrounding his possible AEW involvement. Here is a look back at that.

- 1: Chris Jericho (8 Appearances, 3 Number Ones (1 w/The Inner Circle)

Heading into AEW Dynamite’s debut, I expected nothing other than Chris Jericho dominance in the early stages. He is the right guy to propel the brand and make a name for AEW. Jericho is seen as the greatest performer of all-time in many circles, and honestly, I’m not going to dispute that. He is a proven performer and is one of the most entertaining people to ever come through the wrestling world.

He has been the only AEW champ since the start of the promotion and it looks like he could be for a good bit longer. I don’t know how long he will hold the title, but a guy like Jericho can bring prestige to a new belt and the person that takes the belt from him will be a big deal. Jericho can still get it done in the ring, but there will always be questions of how much longer he will wrestle. I guess that will be up to him, but now, he is still an elite name in wrestling.

Yacs

2019 AEW Power Rankings: Year-End Breakdown