AEW has been well-known for putting together fantastic storylines with real consistency since it began. While the focus is on the in-ring product primarily, there are always detailed storylines created to make those matches mean even more to people. Tony Khan focuses on making the talent engaging and it brings out the best of the wrestlers.
Of course, not every single storyline ends up landing, and there have been some flat ones across the past year. Whether it be because the fans just don't connect or the storyline isn't great, things don't always work. However, there have been plenty of amazing rivalries and stories throughout 2021 which have helped AEW grow.
10 Best: CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston
CM Punk and Eddie Kingston only had a short feud, but it is one that packed a punch with AEW squeezing a lot out of it. The promos between them were fantastic and they truly talked everybody into the building when it came to their match.
Things were physical between them and being able to build that type of story was something that ended up playing out nicely. This was the moment that Punk kicked on to the next level, which is what fans wanted to see, and that only built the excitement.
9 Worst: Best Friends vs. Miro/Kip Sabian
While their Arcade Anarchy match was an entertaining one, the actual storyline between these two groups was not enjoyable. Things dragged on between them for far too long within this one, which was a shame to see as they could have done a lot more.
The main issue with this one was that it dragged on far too long. While AEW tried to add some twists and turns, this was over the top and at times felt more like a WWE storyline with the wedding segment, and overall it didn't click.
8 Best: The Inner Circle vs. The Pinnacle
AEW puts a lot of focus onto its factions and The Inner Circle and The Pinnacle are a huge part of that. The company gave them a lot of time to work and build their storyline with various matches, many of which were done on a huge scale.
The first Blood & Guts match in the history of AEW took place with these two teams, which created a great bout that fans will remember. AEW did a great job of making it feel like these two groups hated each other, which made this a memorable storyline.
7 Worst: Paul Wight vs. QT Marshall
This was a short storyline, which was a wise move on AEW's behalf. However, even that didn't end up being an enjoyable one. The interest simply wasn't there for either guy with Paul Wight being past his best and QT Marshall not being a major star that fans care about.
It felt like the company was creating this simply to get Wight into the ring for the sake of it. However, there was nothing to care about here with this being an angle that people would likely rather have not seen at all.
6 Best: Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa
AEW has done a good job building up its women's division throughout 2021 and one of the high points took place between Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa. They pushed each other to new levels with their storyline, which ended up being extremely violent at points.
It is a rivalry that fans will certainly remember way into the future, mainly because of their Lights Out match. It was a brutal contest between them that wrapped things up perfectly as they took the women's division to a new level.
5 Worst: SCU's Split
This storyline was something that eventually boiled down to a good match between SCU and The Young Bucks. However, the problem was that the company put no focus on things with a lot of their work being on Dark and Elevation, which was a complete waste of their talent.
The fact their time as a tag team was brought to an end was something that should have been a big deal but it simply wasn't. Plus, Frankie Kazarian's Elite Hunter storyline that followed on from this was also awful, as he never ended up taking anybody down.
4 Best: Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley
While the Exploding Barbed Wire match was a disappointing one, the actual storyline between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley was an interesting one. It brought the best out of both men, with this being a great angle for Omega becoming a top heel in AEW.
His work with Don Callis here was great, while Moxley also had Eddie Kingston by his side. They had some tag team matches and singles bouts in what was one of the top storylines for the company at the time.
3 Worst: Hardy Family Office vs. The Dark Order
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The Hardy Family Office is a faction that hasn't managed to get over in AEW, with a lot of their storylines ending up being quite flat. One of the worst was when they feuded with The Dark Order, as this is something that didn't have much pay-off for anybody.
There was an attempt at pushing Hardy and Hangman Page here, but it never took off with fans. The main issue with this storyline is that it went on for too long and it had too many people involved, which often led to things being chaotic.
2 Best: Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega
The strongest feud within the year for AEW has certainly been between Hangman Page and Kenny Omega. This is something that has had a lot of time to build and that is what made it so good. Things have been bubbling for two years with this angle, which came to a boiling point in 2021.
This was the big finish and ended up being the moment that everybody had waited for. Seeing Page finally become AEW World Champion was a huge deal and it is something that Tony Khan did a great job booking, ensuring it wasn't rushed.
1 Worst: Cody Rhodes vs. Nightmare Factory
This was not a good feud for AEW and it is something that ended up hurting Cody Rhodes' career. Fans began souring on him as seeing him feud with The Nightmare Factory didn't end up being enjoyable.
Nobody wanted QT Marshall to be a featured star on the product and this brought Cody's star power down, rather than building him up, which should have been the case. It felt flat and even adding in Anthony Ogogo didn't help matters as the work he and Cody did was hated by fans.