10 Best Non-Wrestling AEW Moments Ever
When All Elite Wrestling (AEW) started, the promotion claimed it was taking wrestling seriously, introduced a ranking system, and promised fewer soap opera stories like WWE and more action and excitement. They succeeded mostly but soon realized that they needed more than just in-ring wrestling to attract the fans they needed as a major television wrestling company.
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The good news is that the moments that AEW did break away from the wrestling action and do something a little different were still something that pushed the storylines forward and paid off the feuds, matches, and angles for the stars, even if it did involve a major song and dance number.
10 A Little Bit Of The Bubbly
It was a little moment, but it was big enough to start trending across social media and gave AEW a quick meme to help get their name out to the general public who might not know a new wrestling company was in town.
Chris Jericho had beaten Kenny Omega and became the first-ever AEW World Champion, and he went to celebrate with a "little bit of the bubbly." It became a meme, a t-shirt, and AEW even celebrated by sending champagne bottles to the press. It was the first big promotional moment for the new company.
9 Mike Tyson Gets In Chris Jericho's Face
This AEW moment would rank higher if the company did something with it. Years ago in WWE, Mike Tyson knocked out Chris Jericho in the ring.
One thing that AEW wants to do is prove that it can match up with WWE when it comes to bringing in mainstream faces. They have done it recently with Snoop Dogg and Shaq, but the biggest name early on was Mike Tyson, who came in and ripped off his shirt, standing face-to-face with Chris Jericho on AEW Dynamite.
8 Inner Circle Bubbly Bunch Vignettes
The Inner Circle stuff has been hit or miss. The Vegas promos were lame, for example. However, The Bubbly Bunch vignettes were magnificent during the quarantine. Yes, they were dumb, and yes, they were a bit self-indulgent.
However, Jericho was able to put together some great vignettes that were ridiculous enough to be hilarious. The purposeful mistakes (a drink spills, and then the next scene, there is no mess) gave enough laughs to pay off repeat viewings.
7 Brodie Lee Tribute With Family
When Brodie Lee died, it was a major surprise and a shock to the wrestling world. He was a man that no one ever had anything bad to say about, and both WWE and AEW (and other promotions as well) all paid tribute to the big man.
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AEW had an entire night with matches booked by Brodie Lee Jr., in honor of his dad. Then, at the end of the night, Tony Khan and Cody Rhodes presented him with a title belt in honor of his dad. There were very few dry eyes after this celebration of Brodie Lee's life.
6 Chris Jericho And Orange Cassidy Debate
During the feud between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy, AEW Dynamite held a "debate" between the two wrestlers. It was ridiculous but proved that Jericho would do anything to entertain the fans. What made this even bigger was that AEW brought in former WCW booker Eric Bischoff to ask the questions.
When Cassidy, who never says anything, started talking about environmental issues and Jericho stood there confused, it sold the entire ridiculous idea of a wrestling debate.
5 Chris Jericho And MJF's First Promo
For a year, fans called MJF the best heel in the business. He was cocky, arrogant, cheated to win, and never broke character. Even at autograph signings, he remained in character as the biggest jerk in wrestling. Then, he met Chris Jericho in the ring. Jericho knows how to cut a heel promo, and he also knows how it feels to have someone bury him in a promo (see: The Rock). However, Jericho took as much as he gave, and MJF proved on this night that he could go toe-to-toe with Jericho and deserved all the praise he gets.
4 MJF Lashes Cody Rhodes
One of the most difficult angles to take in AEW came when Cody Rhodes and MJF were heading into their big match. MJF only agreed to the match if Cody jumped through a bunch of hoops. The big final hoop was that Cody would take 10 lashes to the back from MJF.
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MJF didn't just beat the hell out of Cody, though. He did them and then waited. People came out, from Brandi to Dustin to Arn Anderson. Finally, after MJF delivered the 10th lash, the match was guaranteed, and Cody's back was a mess.
3 Chris Jericho And MJF Sing
The most ridiculous, overproduced, and cringeworthy non-wrestling event in AEW history was also one of its greatest. MJF had been trying to get Chris Jericho to let him into the Inner Circle, and it wasn't happening.
Then, one week, Jericho and MJF had a Broadway-styled song and dance number without warning. They sang a smack-talking version of "Me and My Shadow," and even AEW haters were impressed with how far these two went.
2 "Undesirable To Un-Go**amn-Deniable"
Cody Rhodes has wanted to be a top star for a long time. In WWE, he never was able to break that glass ceiling and was nothing more than a mid-card wrestler with tag team success along the way. He finally won a world title in Ring of Honor, and when AEW opened, he finally jumped at the chance.
Cody knew he was one of the bosses, so he didn't want to make it look like he was handed the opportunity. Instead, Cody worked hard, and then he delivered a promo against Chris Jericho that blew everyone away. He proved instantly that he was a star, and the fans have been behind him ever since.
1 Winter Is Coming: Sting Debuts In AEW
The most shocking moment in AEW history came during its Winter is Coming episode of AEW Dynamite. On December 2, 2020, the main event saw Darby Allin and Cody Rhodes battle Team Taz (Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs), and when the match ended, all of Team Taz attacked.
That is when the lights went out, and the snow started to fall. At that moment, Sting made his return to professional wrestling, his first time on TNT since WCW went out of business. Sting did nothing but look at the people in the ring, but it was one of the biggest moments in AEW's short history.
