The AEW rankings system has been a double-edged sword for All Elite Wrestling’s matchmaking and storylines. When AEW launched in 2019, Tony Khan and his Executive Vice Presidents emphasized that “wins and losses matter,” unlike other promotions that have been hampered by directionless ’50/50 booking.’
AEW tracks the win/loss records of everybody on the roster, but it’s the Men’s, Women’s and Tag Team divisions that have generally been published each week. The records and rankings can be a useful tool when determining the challengers to AEW’s top championships. However, there have been instances where wrestlers who are not highly-ranked receive title shots, which muddies the waters.
Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen AEW announce and reference the rankings less frequently. At the AEW website, the most recent ‘weekly rankings’ available are from August 31, 2022.
The company still shows wrestlers’ W/L records on-screen during match entrances, but there has been a noticeable pull-back on this initiative. Dave Meltzer mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio, “There was a decision not to emphasize them as much on television.”
Of course, this could be a temporary measure and AEW could always give a renewed push to the rankings system. We know the rankings will play a big part in the storyline mode in the upcoming AEW Fight Forever video game.
The AEW rankings system has been a bold challenge to execute. The rankings are currently being de-emphasized. For the foreseeable future, we expect AEW to utilize rankings when it makes sense, without the challenges that come from regular weekly reporting.
