The AEW Championship is one of the most prestigious titles in the world right now, with one of the most impressive lineages.
So far, only six men have held the AEW Championship – although each one has been at the top of the industry, putting on some of the best matches of their life.
Some champions are better than others – some reigns last a year with multiple title defenses, while others go out with a whimper without the chance to even put it on the line in the ring.
In this article, we will rank every AEW Champion from worst to best. We will look at their title defenses, as well as their greatest moments, how they won the title and how the AEW Champion reign ended.
Let us know who your favorite AEW Champion is by commenting down below, once you finish reading this article.
CM Punk
- Title Reigns – 2
- Days As Champion – 5 Days
- Title Defenses – 0
- Best Moments – Winning the title for the first time against “Hangman” Adam Page.
Despite coming into the company in 2021 with more hype than any other wrestler in history, CM Punk has to go down as the worst AEW Champion is history.
However, it seems like it was all really just bad luck.
He won the championship from “Hangman” Adam Page, in a fantastic match that everybody watching was excited to see. Punk was back on top for the first time in a decade, and the fans could not be happier.
However, he injured his foot by jumping into the crowd a week later, causing him to miss the entire summer due to injury.
When he returned, Punk lost the title in a 3-minute match to Jon Moxley, setting up a rematch at All Out 2022.
He won the title for the second time here, but another injury (and a backstage fight with The Elite) forced him to miss 9 months and drop the AEW Championship for the second time.
He held the title for a total of 5 days, with 0 defenses. This also does not include his “Real World Championship” reign on AEW Collision, which ended after he was fired following AEW All In.
- Title Reigns – 2
- Days As Champion – 90 Days
- Title Defenses – 0
- Best Moments – N/A
Read more about CM Punk’s AEW title defenses
Adam Page
Despite having one of the most incredible runs toward the title, Adam Page’s run as AEW Champion left a lot to be desired.
When he finally won the belt after a two-year chase against Kenny Omega, it was one of the most cathartic moments in AEW history.
Finally, he had risen above adversity and defeated all those that stood in his way, becoming the top star in All Elite Wrestling for the first time.
However, after the title win, his reign had good matches but disappointing stories. He had a pair of unbelievable bouts with Bryan Danielson, but the actual feud was rather hot shotted and disappointing.
He then had title defenses against Dante Martin, Lance Archer and Adam Cole (twice), but Adam Page’s AEW Championship reign always seemed to play second fiddle to characters like MJF, CM Punk and Jon Moxley.
When he lost the title to CM Punk at Double or Nothing 2022, fans were ready for the reign to end. Despite the amazing chase, his title reign was one of the worst.
- Title Reigns – 1
- Days As Champion – 197 Days
- Title Defenses – 6
- Best Moments – Winning the AEW Championship from Kenny Omega at AEW Full Gear 2021.
Read more about Adam Page’s title defenses.
Chris Jericho
Being the first AEW Champion was a big task for Chris Jericho, but he carried the company on his shoulders after beating Adam Page for the belt at AEW All Out 2019.
Luckily, the star became the focal point of AEW as the leader of the promotion top faction – The Inner Circle. In this role, he defended his AEW Championship three times successfully, beating Darby Allin, Scorpio Sky and Cody Rhodes.
He held the title until 2020, when he would lose it to Jon Moxley at AEW Revolution 2020. The pair would main event the show in one of the biggest matches in the companies’ history.
It ended his AEW Championship reign at 182 days, and he remains the oldest AEW Champion in history.
- Title Reigns – 1
- Days As Champion – 182 Days
- Title Defenses – 3
- Best Moments – Wrestling as the AEW Champion on the Jericho Cruise.
Read about Chris Jericho’s title defenses.
Jon Moxley
Jon Moxley made history by becoming the first man to hold the AEW Championship three times.
The first was at AEW Revolution 2020, when he defeated Chris Jericho in the main event match that ended their iconic feud.
He lost that belt to Kenny Omega, but won it back in 2022 when he defeated CM Punk just weeks before their second clash at All Out 2022.
Punk was forced to vacate that belt just weeks later, opening the door for Moxley to win the AEW Championship for a third time – making him the most decorated champion in AEW history.
He defeated Bryan Danielson in the final of a tournament to win the belt, beginning his final rein with the belt (so far).
Looking at just his first reign, he held the belt for nearly the entirety of 2020, carrying the company through the difficult and torrid time during the global pandemic.
- Title Reigns – 3
- Days As Champion – 347 Days
- Title Defenses – 11
- Best Moments – Defending the belt against the his friend Eddie Kingston at Full Gear 2020.
Kenny Omega
While many will name Kenny Omega as the best AEW Champion ever, he only manages to get into number 2 on this list.
That is not saying his reign wasn’t iconic. From Winter is Coming 2020 to Full Gear 2021, he held the belt for nearly a year and helped make it the most prestigious title in the world.
Despite mounting injuries, Omega put on absolute bangers week on week, making ever title defense a must-see and can’t-miss match.
His title reign was also with the thread of his feud with Adam Page, with the inevitability that his friend would eventually end his title reign.
While, to me, the inevitable ending added to his run as the AEW Championship, it did not do enough to rank Kenny Omega as the best AEW Champion of all time.
- Title Reigns – 1
- Days As Champion – 346 Days
- Title Defenses –
- Best Moments – The triple threat match against PAC and Orange Cassidy at AEW Double or Nothing 2021.
Read about Kenny Omega’s AEW Championship defenses.
MJF
Even though it is still ongoing, I don’t think it is premature to call MJF’s first AEW World Championship reign as the best AEW title run in history.
Winning the title from Jon Moxley at Full Gear 2022, nobody has had a reign as impressive and varied as MJF.
He has been the most hated man in the world, and the most beloved, goofy babyface in the company – sometimes with weeks between the two.
MJF had incredible matches against Bryan Danielson (60-Minute Iron Man Match), The Four Pillars (in a fatal four way match) and against Adam Cole (in a story-based singles match).
He main evented AEW All In London, battling his best friend Adam Cole in AEW’s biggest ever show – in front of 81,035 fans at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London.
- Title Reigns – 1
- Days As Champion – 365+
- Title Defenses – 8+
- Best Moments – Main Eventing Wembley Stadium against Adam Cole, in front of the biggest crowd in wrestling history
Check out all of MJF’s title defenses as AEW Champion