The entrance is one of the most important aspects of a wrestlers’ presentation.
A good entrance can get you invested in a character, and want to support him throughout his matches.
A bad, or boring, one cane make you switch off and stop you watching the show completely. Its a delicate balance between showy and over the top, something these wrestlers have managed perfectly.
In this article, we’ll take you through the best entrances in AEW, explaining what makes them all so good.
CM Punk – AEW Revolution 2022
Hearkening back to his days as the “Straight-Edge Savior” in Ring of Honor, CM Punk’s entrance at AEW Revolution 2022 is one of the greatest of all time.
After MJF had slyly entered to Punk’s theme song (Cult of Personality), Punk rolled back the years for his dog-collar match against MJF.
Entering in his classic white fight shorts and “XXX” jacket, CM Punk entered the ring to the AFI classic “Miseria Cantare” – a carbon copy of his iconic entrance from Ring of Honor.
This showed that Punk was rolling back the rings, bringing out a more vicious side of his personality in his battle with MJF, and created one of the best entrances in AEW history.
Chris Jericho – AEW Dynamite, August 18 2021
No entrance in wrestling history has been as unique as Chris Jericho’s entrance before his match against MJF on Dynamite.
As per MJF’s stipulations, Jericho had to go through many “labors of Jericho” before eventually facing him. This included matches against Wardlow, Shawn Spears and Juventud Guerrera, but his final labor would be the most unique.
For his match against MJF, Chris Jericho was forced to enter without his entrance music – the hit Fozzy song “Judas”.
However, the crowd sang the song a cappella, without any music, putting a huge smile on the face of Jericho as he walked to the ring.
Chris Jericho lost the match, but the memory of one of the greatest ever entrances will linger for a long, long time.
Bryan Danielson’s Final Countdown
At Forbidden Door 2023, Bryan Danielson brought back his iconic entrance music from Ring of Honor.
He debuted Europe‘s “The Final Countdown” for his main event match against Kazuchika Okada, in one of the biggest dream matches of all time.
He had previously used the music as his entrance theme in ROH, before the cost to use the licensed music became too much.
However, with the songs rights being sold days ago, a deal became available to use the music as Bryan Danielson’s entrance music again.
The song was apparently good luck, as The American Dragon forced Kazuchika Okada to tap out at Forbidden Door, in an incredible main event match.
Best Friends
The Best Friends have always been one of the funniest teams in all of wrestling, but their entrance at Fyter Fest 2020 took it to a new level.
For their AEW Tag Team Championship match against Kenny Omega & Adam Page, Trent and Chuck Taylor were driven to the match by Trent’s Mom Sue.
This had become somewhat of a running joke in AEW. Santana and Ortiz had destroyed her first minivan, leading to the incredible Parking Lot Fight between the two sides.
After the match, Sue picked the boys up in a new minivan – the same one she drove to the ring in this iconic entrance.
Adam Page & The Dark Order – AEW Dynamite, July 28 2021
The “cowboy” entrance for Adam Page and The Dark Order is one of the best entrances in AEW history.
It signalled the culmination of a long journey for Page, who finally accepted that he was worthy of their friendship. It signified a merging of the two sides into one cohesive unit.
The team battled against The Elite, with two title shots on the line. If the Dark Order won, they would earn Adam Page an AEW Championship shot, as well as a tag team title shot for the Dark Order.
They dressed up for the occasion perfectly. A pre-entrance video that talked about what it meant to be a cowboy, followed the entire group stood on stage, dressed in a mix of Dark Order and Cowboy gear (with an empty spot on stage for Brodie Lee).
CM Punk – AEW Rampage
I don’t think any other entrance comes close than CM Punk’s incredible return to wrestling on the second ever episode of AEW Rampage.
He had not been seen in wrestling for seven years since walking out on the WWE, and rumours had been flying for weeks that CM Punk would be at the United Center.
Over 15,000 Chicago natives packed the arena, chanting CM Punk as loud as you’ve ever heard them before. This was only stopped by an almighty roar, as the first few notes of “Cult of Personality” hit, and CM Punk returned to wrestling.
You haven’t heard a more gleeful crowd, seeing their hero for the first time in nearly a decade. The smile on Punk’s face is infectious, and set the tone for a fantastic year in AEW.