Despite its short history, AEW has already become one of the best wrestling promotions in the world, featuring fantastic matches, and all-time classics, with exceptional wrestlers, including some legends. However, not every match can get five stars, and AEW has also produced embarrassing, mediocre, and terrible matches.
Dave Meltzer is one of the most prestigious wrestling critics, although sometimes his opinion about the matches doesn't make much sense. Sometimes Meltzer showed no mercy and rated a match with negative stars, but apparently, he has shown mercy to AEW, because he hasn't rated matches with negative stars yet, even though there have been a handful that may have deserved it. Without further ado, let's take a look at the 10 worst AEW matches so far, according to Dave Meltzer.
10 Jade Cargill Vs. Tay Conti – Revolution 2022 (2.25 Stars)
Jade Cargill defended the TBS Title against Tay Conti at Revolution 2022, this was a satisfying match, nothing special. Jade Cargill showed considerable improvement, with great offense and smoother moves. Tay Conti also had a decent performance. However, the selling and in-ring psychology were non-existent in this bout. Also, the outcome was predictable, as it was obvious that Cargill was going to retain the title. With that said, it is understandable that Dave Meltzer rated this match with 2.25 stars.
9 Danhausen & Hook Vs. Mark Sterling & Tony Nese – Double Or Nothing 2022 – Buy In (2 Stars)
This was the Buy In of Double Or Nothing 2022, fan favorites Danhausen and Hook taking on Mark Sterling and Tony Nese. Frankly, this was an entertaining match, with a little wrestling, a little comedy, and the right result. Hook and Danhausen are very charismatic, and the fans love them, so this was a good way to warm up for the PPV. The crowd seemed to enjoy it, but Dave Meltzer clearly didn't.
8 Max Caster & The Gunn Club Vs. Alex Coughlin, Kevin Knight, The DKC & Yuya Uemura – AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door – Buy In (2 Stars)
The AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door Buy In had four matches, and this was the last one. By this point, several fans (at least the ones watching at home), just wanted the PPV to start, and really didn't care about this 8-man tag team match, well, actually it was a handicap match, four against two, since Austin and Colten Gunn didn't participate. The match was lackluster, and that the men at a disadvantage won didn't make much sense.
7 Joey Janela Vs. Serpentico – All Out 2020 – Buy In (2 Stars)
Once again, Dave Meltzer gave a low rating to a Buy In match, and truth be told, these types of matches are definitely not what people want to see before a PPV. Joy Janela and Serpentico tried but just failed. They showed no chemistry, and the match had no real structure let alone a story, they just did the spots and sequences and that's it. Joey Janela showed a decent offense, and Serpentico did his job as a jobber.
6 Nyla Rose Vs. Kris Statlander – Revolution 2020 (2 Stars)
After Adam Page, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks delivered one of the best matches in AEW history (with a six-star rating from Dave Meltzer), came this Women's World Title match between Nyla Rose and Kris Statlander.
This bout was awful, with a couple of notable botches, and basic in-ring action. The fans were dead and seemed uninterested in this match. Perhaps Dave Meltzer was generous in giving it two stars. The match ended when Nyla Rose hit a Beast Bomb and pinned Statlander to retain the title.
5 Jade Cargill Vs. Anna Jay – Double Or Nothing 2022 (1.75 Stars)
Dave Meltzer gave this match a mere 1.75 stars, but perhaps he was too strict. Actually, this match wasn't that bad, it was watchable, with Anna Jay showing some interesting offense, looking for an upset win against the most dominant woman in AEW history.
Jade Cargill sold Jay's moves well and responded with her lethal offense to finally defeat Jay and retain the TBS Title. It wasn't the cleanest match, and interferences hurt it, but perhaps it deserved a slightly higher rating.
4 Dr. Britt Baker DMD Vs. Bea Priestley – Full Gear 2019 – Buy In (1.75)
Britt Baker and Bea Priestley delivered a decent battle at the 2019 Full Gear Buy In. There were certainly sloppy moves, but there was also a good effort from both women. Bea Priestley delivered some good moves, while Baker did some good character work, but admittedly the match got boring as the minutes went by. In the end, Britt Baker took the win.
3 Brandi Rhodes Vs. Allie – Fight For The Fallen (1.5 Stars)
This was a mediocre match, so it's no wonder Dave Meltzer gave it 1.5 stars. Brandi Rhodes simply can't wrestle, and this match exposed her flaws. On the other hand, Allie had a decent performance, showing some good offense, and selling her injuries very well. The match lasted 10 minutes, but felt like an eternity, as they could not tell a good story. In the end, Brandi Rhodes won the match with the help of Awesome Kong.
2 Sonny Kiss Vs. Peter Avalon – Fight For The Fallen – Buy In (1.25 Stars)
Sonny Kiss and Peter Avalon have never been outstanding wrestlers, and this was definitely not an outstanding match. It was a totally skippable five-minute contest, although it wasn't anything too bad either. Sonny Kiss showed good athleticism here, but one can't take the match seriously when Peter Avalon is primarily focused on a comedy role. Sonny Kiss was the one who came out on top.
1 Allie Vs. Leva Bates – Fyter Fest – Buy In (0.5 Stars)
The worst AEW match so far according to Dave Meltzer took place on June 29, 2019, during the Fyter Fest Buy In. Allie defeated the librarian Leva Bates. This was an awful match from start to finish, it never got better, was slow-paced, and went on too long. There is nothing to note about this match, and Meltzer's rating makes sense. Maybe there were other matches that were even worse like the broken rules match between Sammy Guevara and Matt Hardy, or the Tooth and Nail match between Britt Baker and Big Swole, but those two matches were not rated by Dave Meltzer.
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