During his feud with MJF, CM Punk declared that he had been “replaced” a one of the four pillars by Britt Baker – but has he?
Is Dr Britt Baker DMD one of the four pillars? This is something that does bare to think about, when we consider the landscape of AEW. The term has been used a lot of recent years, with great emphasis on the young stars in AEW.
Before we can assert whether Britt Baker is one of the four pillars, we first need to assess what makes someone a “four pillar”, then judge whether or not she fits the criteria.
“You’re too busy talking about the four pillars, you don’t even realize you’ve been replaced by Britt Baker,”
CM Punk
What Are The Four Pillars Of AEW?
The Four Pillars of AEW is a term coined by MJF in an interview, referencing the four young “home grown” stars of AEW poised to be main event stars in the future.
The idea comes from AJPW’s 4 Pillars of Heaven from the 1990s to 2000s being Japanese stars Kenta Kobashi, Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada, and Akira Taue.
The four men were the top stars in AJPW and some of the greatest wrestlers to ever live.
They carried the company, having incredible match after incredible match against each other in multiple combinations, and were recognised as some of the best wrestlers of all time.
Each of the four men brought something unique in their character and styles and were seen as the pillars that held up All Japan Pro Wrestling.
You could consider Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley and Adam Page as the four pillars of AEW, although the term is used slightly differently in AEW.
Instead of being the top four stars in the company, AEW use the term to refer to four of the top young stars in the company. They are the “pillars” who will hold the company up for years to come.
The term was coined early on by MJF, who talked about four of AEW’s home-grown wrestlers. He named himself, Jungle Boy, Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara as the “four pillars”, as all four men seemed destined for greatness, and signed right at the beginning of the company.
The four pillars have grown over the years, even main eventing Double or Nothing 2023 against one another for the AEW Championship.
The key features of a “four pillar” in AEW seems to be as follows;
- Is a young wrestler in the company
- Joined near the company’s inception in 2019
- Is home-grown (wasn’t a big star anywhere else)
- Has potential to be a main event star in the future.
While other have claimed the likes of Ricky Starks and Wheeler Yuta to be included as another pillar, those men do not fit the criteria. While they are “home grown” and have great potential as young wrestlers in the company, they were not there at the company’s inception.
However, one person who does fit that criteria is Dr Britt Baker DMD.
Britt Baker Is One Of The Four Pillars
She was the first woman signed to AEW, and had the entire women’s division built around her from the get go. While this didn’t quite go as well as expected, a heel turn and improvements on the mic while out injured made her one of the most popular wrestlers in the company.
She also had a near-year long reign with the AEW Women’s Championship, showing just how high she could reach with her potential.
The only real thing she has going against her is simply being a woman – most people separate the men’s and women’s division in their minds, and don’t give it a second thought that she could be on the level of the Four Pillars of AEW.
However, you could argue that she has surpassed all of the other pillars, except maybe MJF. Only she and MJF have held the top titles in their respective divisions.
She is also a noted TV draw, with fans tuning in to watch her matches. She recently main evented AEW Dynamite in a mixed-tag team match, alongside Adam Cole to take on Chris Jericho and Saraya.
CM Punk claimed that Britt Baker replaced MJF as one of the Four Pillars, which is not true. If any of them need to be replaced, it’s Jungle Boy. And Britt Baker certainly has a bigger claim to be a pillar than Jungle Boy.
Do you think Britt Baker should be included as one of the Four Pillars? Tell us what you think, down in the comments section below.