*These rankings are a satirical take on pro sports power rankings and treat AEW as such. Any reference to sources or reports should not be taken seriously. Quotes are not real.
AEW Fight For The Fallen is in the books, wrapping up a "super" three weeks for the promotion. With many big matches taking place, the schedule will begin to soften for the top competitors as they head into the next big event, which is All Out in September.
AEW Power Rankings - Week 39
1. Jon Moxley
The extra week seemed to do Moxley some good as he looked better than ever against a man who is billed as a machine. Sources close to Moxley tell me that he was worried that the layoff would affect his performance as he was only able to train via Zoom sessions since he wasn't at the arena and had to quarantine, but obviously it worked for him as he was able to give his body a break, which was huge going up against Cage. Moxley continues to be a force and many wonder who can step up and challenge him after he's now knocked off Mr. Brodie Lee and Cage.
2. FTR
FTR's only goal was to win with the style they grew up watching be successful. They wanted to ground the Lucha Bros and pummel them. Some may not have been happy with how they picked up the victory, but win the win is all that matters. "There is a rulebook, which they obviously don't know about. It's well within the rules to grab at the mask should an opponent wear one. Don't like it, don't wear a mask," said Dax.
When it comes to the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, FTR has not forgotten about Omega wasting a beer or how the Bucks cost them a victory at Fyter Fest. With another victory under their belt, they believe it's only a matter of time before they are given a title shot.
3. Cody
Cody may have won, but his performance got him in trouble with his coach Arn Anderson. Arn was not pleased with Cody's showboating throughout the match, which made it seem as if Cody did not take Sonny serious as a competitor. Arn told me that Cody was focused all week and had a great week of training for Sonny. He doesn't know where the arrogance came from and will make sure to get it corrected before his next match. When I asked Arn about Jim Ross saying Cody expected an easy win and that's why he was showboating, Arn said, "I love Jim, but that's not true. Cody never expects an easy victory. I won't allow him to think like that. The showboating may have come from overconfidence during the match, it didn't come from overconfidence before the match."
4. The Elite
The Young Bucks pushed to team with Omega after their failed partnership with FTR at Fyter Fest, wanting to have a familiar face in their corner. Omega accepted, which only alienated Hangman Page, who has always viewed himself as the outsider of The Elite. Omega did himself no favors in the match with the Bucks or Page as he won, but continued to attack Marko Stunt after the match. Omega has been fined for his actions and Page told me, "He hit a kid, man. Not Kidman, but a kid, man. He doesn't like beer and he's hitting kids? The fuck."
5. The Nightmare Sisters
Brandi & Allie continue to pick up victories, but with no women's tag team titles to chase, the end game is really just getting reps and staying fresh.
6. Orange Cassidy
"I care."
7. Darby Allin
Allin has been cleared by AEW officials, though it is unknown when he will return to action. He's also been fined for not following medical advice during his rehab stint. AEW doctors were not happy that Allin was still putting so much pressure and weight on his ankle, taking unnecessary risks when he should have been resting. Allin didn't follow any of AEW's rehab protocol, putting him in hot water with the medical team.
8. Nyla Rose & Vickie Guerrero
After losing the AEW Women's Title, Rose went out an acquired Vickie as her coach, feeling a veteran voice and understanding would help her get back to where she needed to be. Don't forget, Rose is still young in the game and has a lot of growing to do despite her early success in the company. She is not complacent and AEW officials love that about her. "She could have viewed the loss to Shida as a fluke, gotten a rematch, and taken her chances from there. But she wanted a fresh pair of eyes on her game and an extra voice to call her out on any mistakes or lapses," said one AEW official.
9. Chris Jericho
Jericho has brought out a side of Orange Cassidy that no one thought we would see. He now has a motivated and invested Orange Cassidy, which might be more dangerous than going head-to-head with a Sasha Banks match.
10. Brian Cage
Cage was confused by Taz throwing in the towel on his behalf, understanding and appreciating that Taz was protecting him, but also feeling like he had more left to give, which seemed evident by Cage's post-match attack on Moxley. "My job is to protect my fighter. He's too tough for his own good and is coming off a bicep injury. He wasn't showing me enough that was he going to escape and I couldn't risk him going on the shelf again," said Taz when I asked why he threw in the towel. Cage hopes to see Moxley again down the line, but is now focused on Allin.
11. Sonny Kiss
Kiss didn't surprise anyone with his performance because everyone knew he had this in him, he just needed the right matchup to bring it out. The key for Kiss will be consistency and opportunity. He is still focused on his team with Joey Janela, but could see more singles opportunities given his performance against Cody.
12. Lucha Bros
The Lucha Bros were confident that their lucha style would be superior to the smash-mouth style of FTR and they still believe that to be the case. Pentagon & Fenix didn't like how FTR won the match, feeling that if they respected tag team wrestling, they wouldn't have to resort to such tactics. Cash told me, "We respect tag team wrestling. We don't respect what they think tag team wrestling is or those stupid masks."
13. Jurassic Express
The momentum Jurassic Express had took a small hit after Wednesday. Marko Stunt has always been looked at as the weak link of the group and that was evident once again at Fight For The Fallen. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus are still viewed as future stars of the promotion, but Stunt's lack of size will likely always hold him back, thus holding back Jurassic Express in six-man bouts.
14. MJ Jenkins & Kenzie Paige
Expect them to get more seasoning on Dark.
