On the 28th of May, 2023, a four-way match was held for the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing between four men who each claimed to be a “pillar” holding All Elite Wrestling up from the ground: Maxwell Jacob Friedman (the champion), Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, and ‘Jungle Boy’ Jack Perry.
Three years on, another Double or Nothing event has passed and, while three of the four pillars competed on the pay-per-view, the landscape of AEW has inarguably changed. MJF is back to being World Champion, having reclaimed the title from Darby Allin this past Sunday, and Jungle Jack was on the winning side of Stadium Stampede. With this in mind, have the four “pillars” of AEW shifted? More importantly: Does AEW only need four pillars?
i- From left to right: MJF, Jungle Jack Perry, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin. Source: Cageside Seats
First of all, it is imperative to define the term “pillar” more specifically. In this context, “pillar” means one of the foundations of AEW as a whole; wrestlers that have been there since day one, who have contributed to AEW for an extended period of time, making them staples in the company. Ergo, MJF, Darby, Sammy and Jack all class as “pillars”, as they have been in AEW since its inception- in some cases, such as MJF’s, even before AEW was formed.
In my opinion, however, it would be obtuse to claim that only these four men have contributed to the longevity of AEW. Many others have also stepped up to the same level- if not a greater level- than the four athletes explicitly labelled as AEW’s “pillars”. A prime example of such a wrestler to have done so is one of my personal favourites, “Hangman” Adam Page.
Also a day one talent, Hangman has held the AEW World Championship twice, along with the World Tag Team Championship (alongside Kenny Omega) and the World Trios Championship (alongside Speedball Bailey and Kevin Knight). Not only does he have a championship calibre, but he has also been involved in some of AEW’s most compelling storylines, including an intense, bloody rivalry in Swerve Strickland that reached its climax when the crazed cowboy set the Realest’s childhood home on fire.
ii- Hangman Page shocks the world by burning Swerve’s House. Source: TNT YouTube Channel
The aforementioned Swerve Strickland is also a solid contender as a “pillar”, despite not being in AEW since the beginning, based on his achievements. He is a former AEW World Tag Team Champion (alongside Keith Lee), as well as a one-time AEW World Champion- the first African American wrestler to hold the prestigious prize. He has defeated both Darby Allin and Jack Perry, two of AEW’s named “pillars”. Therefore, Swerve could also class as a “pillar” in his own right.
In reality, any wrestler of considerable merit, regardless of division, could likely be argued to be a “pillar” of AEW. Jon Moxley, Will Ospreay, Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, Orange Cassidy, Toni Storm, Hikaru Shida, the late Brodie Lee, or even Cody Rhodes… the list could go on for multiple pages. It is simply down to the perception of the viewer. If a wrestler has had a considerable impact on AEW for them, whether they have won a Championship or not, then they could label them as a “pillar”, as a physical pillar provides a support for an object, not only a foundation.
With this in mind, my personal selections for a new set of four “pillars” for AEW would be like so: Retain MJF’s position as a pillar, then add Swerve Strickland, Kenny Omega and Adam Page. With the exception of Swerve, these are all men that have been in AEW since its very beginning. What they all have in common is a profound impact on myself as an AEW viewer in some way that is personal to me.
In reality, there could be as many “pillars” as you would like in my or your own list. The label of ‘four’ could be considered too narrow to fit the scope of talent in the company, or it could be too broad for those who believe a single athlete has had the most impact on AEW.
Who would you label as your “pillars”?
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