All Elite Wrestling Male Wrestlers / Characters

This is a list of male wrestlers currently on the All Elite Wrestling roster.

Kenny Omega - Executive Vice-President

Bash Brothers: With Michael Nakazawa. They even have tag team moves unique to them only. They also had a match against the Best Friends when attempting to win that team name for themselves. Of course, the Best Friends won and kept their name.
Big Brother Mentor: To Riho. She's his tag team partner of choice in mixed tag matches, and has been working with him since she was very young.
Defeating the Undefeatable: He defeated Jon Moxley on the December 2 2020 episode of Dynamite, not only being the man to end Moxley's epic 277-day World Championship reign, but the first man to defeat Moxley at all, through any means, since the foundation of AEW!^note
Dirty Coward: Ever since winning the AEW World Championship, he's been ducking any major threats to his reign, most notably Bryan Danielson.
Finishing Move: "The One-Winged Angel" (One-Handed Electric Chair Driver)
Foil:
- To Cody Rhodes. Both founding members of the Elite who serve as Executive VPs of AEW when they're not in the ring, both of them are known for their nerdy streak, and both of them were introduced as charismatic and upstanding faces. But Kenny is a perennial bachelor who's remained consistently in charge of the Elite throughout his time in AEW, he's gotten noticeably more selfish and brutal since his heel turn, and he's known for his quirky personality. Cody, by contrast, is a Happily Married family man who regularly works with his wife and his brother, he eventually leaves the Elite to start his own group "The Nightmare Family", he takes pride in serving as a mentor to younger wrestlers, and he generally favors a more serious presentation.
- To his longtime rival Jon Moxley, who held the World Champion title before him. Both of them are dominant singles wrestlers who are often portrayed as mentally unstable, but Kenny is known for his flamboyant and quirky public persona, he's been backed by the Elite throughout his time in AEW, and he tends to relish the celebrity status that comes with his success in the ring (often letting it go to his head, which contributed to his heel turn). By contrast: Moxley is best known for being a loner, he's famous for his cold and taciturn personality and his humble roots as a working-class street fighter, he generally shuns the limelight and prefers to fight for the simple thrill of fighting— and despite his general antiheroism, he prides himself on fighting fair.
Metaphorically True: He's not wrong when claiming that he and Moxley have an untouched slate when it comes to official 1-on-1 encounters. Although we certainly know it happened from watching their Lights Out war at Full Gear 2019^note...which Moxley won, AEW and Tony Khan don't recognize it as such, since it was deemed an unsanctioned match and thus didn't affect either man's official win-loss record.
Overly Long Gag: Part of Kenny's return to singles action in 2020 following the dissolution of his partnership with Hangman has included Justin Roberts rattling off a slew of Kenny's Real Life personal and in-ring accomplishments, often ending with "living near, but not in, NORTH CAROLINA!"
Power Stable: The Elite.
Red Baron: "The Best Bout Machine", carried over from New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He also goes by "The Cleaner".
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The composed and calculated Blue to Jon Moxley's emotional Red whenever they faced off.
Shout-Out: No matter the company, no matter the country, Kenny Omega was, is, and always will be a massive nerd.
- His name alone is a reference to the Omega Weapon from the Final Fantasy games, and his finisher, the "One-Winged Angel", is a direct reference to Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII.
- His running knee strike is called the "V-Trigger" and he's been known to bust out the Hadoken in matches. Hell, during Fyter Fest, he cosplayed as Akuma and even did a Shun Goku Satsu on some unfortunate guy.
- On the October 30th edition of Dynamite, Kenny was in the Halloween spirit and decided to dress as a video game character. That character? SANS. He had a video made by Toby Fox himself play prior to his entrance, which, as you can probably guess, was in fact Megalovania.
- Before he does his signature tope con hilo to the outside, Kenny smacks the mat to the rhythm of the Terminator theme and even emulates the T-800's pose when he arrives to the past.
Signature Move: "V-Trigger" (Bicycle knee strike), "Kotaro Krusher" (Leaping one-handed bulldog), Snap Dragon Suplex, "Rise of the Terminator" (Suicide somersault senton), "You Can't Escape" (Finlay Roll/Middle-Rope Moonsault combo).
Technician vs. Performer: Highlighted pretty well in his feud with Jon Moxley, with Moxley as the emotionally charged passion driven Performer who is consistently seen as Omega's superior on the mic bringing more eyes to the product, and Omega as the universally acclaimed wrestling savant Technician considered better in ring-wise than Moxley.
They Were Holding You Back: Not-so-subtly infers that he himself felt this way about Page during the latter's singles matches following their tag title loss, as those matches were all originally tag matches with Omega, but Kenny would bow out of them without much of a given reason.
- He more or less admits over the next few weeks that he was glad to have lost the tag titles so he could refocus on his singles career and show everyone that "The Cleaner" and "The Best Bout Machine" never truly went away, particularly after upending Page in the World Title Eliminator tourney to get a shot at Moxley and the AEW World Title.
Villain of Another Story: Started his AEW run as one of the company's top babyfaces, but as soon as he goes south of the border to AAA, where he's the reigning Mega Champion, he turns back into the real-life anime villain we all knew and loved in New Japan.

Chris Jericho - FTW CHAMPION

Big Bad: As the inaugural AEW world heavyweight champion and leader of his own faction, Jericho reigned comfortably as the top heel for a while... and then turned heel again in spring 2022.
Big Bad Ensemble: With the Exalted One who had been directing the Dark Order.
Cornered Rattlesnake: He typically prefers Jake Hager by his side to interfere when things start to get tough, but when actually forced to fight on even terms, Jericho can still etch out a victory.
Covered in Gunge: Victim of this on the July 15, 2020 episode of Dynamite, two weeks after defeating Orange Cassidy at Fyter Fest.^* With the Inner Circle surrounding him, he cut a promo on Cassidy, saying he wasn't going to get a rematch and that his career was dead. Cassidy came out, listened to a little more of this, and then raised his fist and gave a thumbs-down... followed by the Inner Circle being drenched in orange juice dropped from the rafters. Adding to the humiliation, the towel he was given by a ringside assistant to wipe himself off was a Cassidy towel. In the weeks thereafter, he continued to wear his jacket from the event, even as it stunk of orange juice, of which he wasn’t amused to know of whenever he asked Santana about it.
"Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: "Judas" by his band Fozzy.
Finishing Move: By default, "Judas Effect" (spinning back elbow); occasionally, Chris will also use the "Codebreaker" (double knee facebreaker). After bringing back his old "Lionheart" persona, Chris also brought back the "Lion Tamer" as a submission finisher.
Hypocritical Humor: On the December 4, 2019 episode of Dynamite, he starts talking about a list of wrestlers he won't wrestle again that year. The crowd cheer, but he shuts them up by telling them that it's not 2016 anymore. That being said, his "lexicon" of wrestlers he won't fight is constructed oddly like the 1004 Moves of Chris Jericho list — Jon Moxley ends up being the "armbar" this time around.
Kill It with Fire: On the April 27, 2022 Dynamite, after an inconclusive in-ring sit-down with The Jericho Appreciation Society on one side and Eddie Kingston and Santana and Ortiz on the other, the JAS jumped their rivals backstage and isolated Kingston, ending with Jericho throwing a fireball in Kingston's face. Chris would repeatedly use this against anyone, from backstage personnel to Shota Umino at Forbidden Door.
Loophole Abuse: During his reign as AEW World Champion, Chris Jericho was proud to say that he was the youngest AEW World Champion ever. Y'know... because he was also the first ever AEW World Champion.
Moral Myopia: Claims that Moxley deserved to be stabbed in the eye for hitting him in the head with a champagne bottle and taking the Ford GT that was given to him, despite JR, Tony, and Excalibur's protests that Jericho could have permanently blinded Moxley and ended his career. However, when Mox takes revenge and does the same to Santana, Jericho calls Moxley a piece of trash and mirrors the former's concerns almost word for word.
Parental Substitute: Apparently acts as a father figure to Sammy Guevara.
Power Stable: The Inner Circle, followed by The Jericho Appreciation Society.
Red Baron: "Le Champion" during his inaugural AEW World Championship reign; upon creating The Jericho Appreciation Society, he would embrace a new epitaph, "The Influencer", including "The Wizard" after throwing that fireball in Eddie Kingston's face. When he fought Jon Moxley for the Interim AEW World Championship, Jericho resurrected his old Lionheart monniker, as well as declaring himself "The Last Survivor of the Hart Dungeon". When he won the ROH World Championship, his eighth different world title, he kicked off a new nickname, "The Ocho". By the time he beat Hook for the FTW Championship, Chris began calling himself, "The Learning Tree".
Ring Oldies: Turned 50 in November 2020, and still bringing it.
Sore Loser: He suffers his first loss after being pinned by Scorpio Sky in a tag team match, and pitches an absolute fit over it. Does the same thing in the 10-minute non-title match against Jungle Boy, where he's so incensed that Jungle Boy made it the full 10 minutes that he actively adds time back to the clock by demanding it be put on just so he can get the win, only to run off when Jungle Boy fights back. Since then, he insisted he won the match, despite clearly not doing so.
The Unapologetic: He is so averse to saying the word "sorry" during his apology speech in the ring that he gets Jake Hager to say it for him.
- Ultimately subverted during both his and The Inner Circle's Heel–Face Turn, where he apologizes for his horrific actions under the influence of "my jerkoff friend" MJF.
Villain Respect: Whenever on commentary and even as a Heel, he’s actually quite willing to say good things about Face wrestlers, even those whom he had feuded with.

Dustin Rhodes

Red Baron: "The Natural".
Ring Oldies: The second-oldest member of the regularly active roster, born in April 1969.
Wrestling Family: He's Cody's brother.

Adam Page

The Alcoholic: A lot of Running Gags revolve around him drinking, and indeed his sudden appearances usually involve him entering and/or leaving holding a mostly-finished cup of beer. Downplayed following his absence in 2021.
Cowboy: Whenever Adam Page comes in, it's time for some COWBOY SHIT.
Butt-Monkey: Not an in-ring example - Hangman can hold his own fine, but he's often the target of hilarious "facts" presented on his name card on his way to the ring, or in the case of AEW Revolution, having the upper part of the nameplate left blank.
Finishing Move: "Buckshot Lariat" (flipping springboard lariat) and "Deadeye" (kneeling belly-to-back piledriver)
Honorary True Companion: To The Dark Order - he's not an official member, but has their support, regardless.
It's Personal: His feud with Swerve Strickland turned into this, particularly after Swerve invaded his home and threatened his son.
The Gunslinger: As part of his New Old West motifs, his trademark moves are named after marksman terms - "Buckshot Lariat" ("buckshot" being a term for a shotgun shell) and "Deadeye".
New Old West: Page appropriates a lot of Old West motifs to his character, often being likened to "the sheriff" of AEW.
Red Baron: "Hangman" Adam Page
Sanity Slippage: His feud with Swerve would cause this, thanks to Swerve's psychological torture and Hangman's inability to beat him in a match. By the time of Revolution 2024, Hangman's desire to regain the AEW World Championship and hatred of Swerve had devolved him into an irrational and nearly psychotic savage.

PAC

Actually Pretty Funny: Not even "The Bastard" could help but find some of Orange Cassidy's antics amusing during their match at AEW Revolution 2020 - when Cassidy brought out his trademark "Devastating Kicks", PAC started kicking Cassidy back with exactly the same (lack of) intensity. Later, after a spot where Cassidy repeatedly evaded the Black Arrow by rolling across and out of the ring until PAC climbed down and met him at the edge, PAC started laughing and applauding as he walked around to the other side - up until Cassidy kipped up in the middle of the ring and blasted him with a tope suicida instead.
Arch-Enemy: The House of Black, specifically, Malakai Black
Commuting on a Bus: Due to travel issues arising from the fact that Benjamin Satterley does not live in the United States, PAC tends to quietly disappear at times and then return out of nowhere months later.
Even Evil Has Standards: When trying to goad Kenny Omega into another singles match, he appeared to be threatening Riho, but revealed after Omega accepted that he Wouldn't Hit a Girl. Doesn't mean that he was against letting Nyla Rose do the job for him.
Finishing Move: "Black Arrow" (corkscrew shooting star press), "Brutalizer" (double underhook crossface).
Jerkass: Is not above attacking people close to the wrestlers just to get a rise out of them. Just ask Kenny Omega, or better yet, Michael Nakazawa.
A Lighter Shade of Black: He's an uncouth, merciless brute who will destroy anyone who gets in his way. He also happens to be one of the only wrestlers capable of holding his own against Malakai Black, who's even worse than he is.
Power Stable: Death Triangle.
Red Baron: He is, quite simply, "The Bastard".

Jon Moxley

The Ace: He currently holds the record for the longest winning streak in AEW history, and the record for the most World Championship reigns—and he's also the first wrestler ever to win more than one AEW singles championship title. After first signing, he went undefeated for more than a year, successfully standing up to some of AEW's biggest stars without cheating or interference. The amount of people who defeared him in a singles match in AEW are in the single digits, and even fewer were able to defeat him without cheating. At this point, he may well be the single most feared and respected wrestler in the company.
Anti-Hero: Moxley isn't a face but a tweener— his debut in AEW saw him brutally assaulting both Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, with Omega receiving the brunt of his attention and viciousness. He's not above being just as vicious to the heels as they are to him, as seen when he gouged Santana in the eye with a car key. But he has his own sense of honour, hates cowards and bullies, and the crowd love him no matter who he's fighting.
Badass Boast: Does this frequently, but the standout was probably against Kenny Omega.
Moxley: "When you come at the king, you best not miss. Cause I don't take prisoners. Steady your hand, aim and take your shot, Kenny, 'cause you're only gonna get one."
Bash Brothers: With Eddie Kingston, once they'd repaired their damaged friendship.
Berserk Button:
- Never call him "a different type of cat" or make a match against him as an unsanctioned one because it'll just make him go even crazier to compensate for the match not officially counting towards win-loss records.
- Cowardice and bullying seem to be even bigger ones: despite his brash, crude and violent nature, Moxley has his own morals and views people like Jericho and The Inner Circle with contempt.
Blood Knight: Moxley loves to fight. No, we don't think you quite get it yet, Jon Moxley loves to fight!
Character Development: His time in AEW has seen him gradually shedding his loner attitude—starting with him accepting Eddie Kingston's aid during his feud with Kenny Omega and The Elite, and continuing with him reconnecting with his mentor William Regal and forming the Blackpool Combat Club with Bryan Danielson. May be (to some degree) influenced by him becoming a father and kicking his alcohol addiction in Real Life.
Defeat Equals Friendship: Darby Allin was one of Moxley's first opponents during his open challenge after defeating Kenny Omega at AEW Full Gear. He would also become one of Moxley's closest allies during his feud with Jericho and the Inner Circle, and later again when both of them find a common enemy in Taz, Brian Cage, and Ricky Starks. Moxley would also step in to help Darby should he be outnumbered in an attack, as would Darby if Mox was in a similar situation.
Defeating the Undefeatable: He handed Jake Hager his first loss in singles competition or otherwise in a No Holds Barred match for his AEW title. He was also the first to defeat Brodie Lee, Brian Cage, and MJF.
- This was finally vested on him after being completely undefeated for over a year when Kenny Omega finally upset him for the World Championship!
- He and CM Punk are the first to defeat each other clean
Determinator: Just might be the stand-out example in AEW at the moment. Beating challengers that other top AEW stars haven't been able to. Never backing down from a fight even when he's outnumbered or already injured. He's been able to defeat all challengers and their all ies, having never been pinned or submitted. Especially prevalent in his AEW Revolution 2020 match against Jericho where shortly into it he was busted open above the eye and bleeding throughout the rest of the match. He was able to endure numerous cheap shots from an interfering Santana, Hager, and Sammy Guevara, who struck him with the championship title, and still managed to defeat Jericho to become new AEW champ quickly afterwards.^note Moxley seems to have a definite knack for beating the odds.
Eye Scream: Was stabbed in the eye by Chris Jericho as revenge for declining to join the Inner Circle and hitting him over the head with a champagne bottle.
Face–Heel Turn: In 2023, after being fed up with back-to-back losses to "Hangman" Adam Page, he became a ruthless, vicious heel, brutally attacking anyone in his path, delivering devastating beatdowns to the likes of The Elite and Adam Page.
Finishing Move: "Paradigm Shift"/"Death Rider (double-underhook DDT/lifting version of the move), "Bulldog Choke" (Sitout Headlock submission)
Foil: To his longtime rival Kenny Omega, the first wrestler ever to defeat him. Both of them are dominant singles wrestlers who are often portrayed as mentally unstable, but Mox is a loner who's known for his cold and taciturn personality, he generally shuns the limelight and enjoys fighting for the simple thrill of fighting, his gimmick plays up his background as a humble working-class street fighter, and he prides himself on fighting fair. By contrast: Kenny is backed by the Elite, he's known for his flamboyant and quirky public persona, he tends to relish the celebrity status that comes with his success in the ring (often letting it go to his head, which contributed to his heel turn), and he isn't afraid to use underhanded tactics.
Friend to All Children: Seems to be this. Shown twice when celebrating in the crowd after beating Minoru Suzuki on Dynamite. He sees two different little girls in the arena and hugs them. He also hugged a young boy that rushed him in the crowd during his debut at AEW Double or Nothing. He even did his best to keep from cursing when he realized a little boy was among the interviewee's during the Revolution 2020 media scrum.
Genius Bruiser: Everyone dismisses Moxley as some brainless thug who only knows how to brawl. Moxley, it turns out, is well versed in submission style wrestling as shown in his match with Brian Cage where he breaks down Cage's body with submission holds attacking the arms. He's also smart enough to read a contract signing before agreeing to it and also add stipulations of his own to it.
Good Is Not Dumb: While not a traditional babyface, Moxley is closer to the hero side of the moral spectrum ^note at least before his 2023 heel turn. He's shown a great deal of ring intelligence but also an abnormally clever awareness of his opponents since joining AEW. Especially since becoming champion. He's managed to not only outwrestle his opponents but outwit them as well. When facing Jericho he managed to bluff an eye injury for months until the reveal would be advantageous for him. It won him the championship at AEW Revolution.^note He managed to defeat a much larger and stronger opponent in Brian Cage by relentlessly targeting his arm which Moxley knew had just recently been surgically repaired. He understood that if he couldn't beat Cage via pinfall or submission he could frighten Cage's manager Taz enough to throw in the towel rather than have his investment on the shelf again when he was locked into an armbar in the middle of the ring. He beat MJF who'd relentlessly proclaimed that he was a better in-ring performer than him in their match where the paradigm shift was banned because he realized MJF planned on cheating first ^note and beating him to the punch by giving him his finisher while the ref had his back turned. Before he was champion Moxley managed to defeat Kenny Omega in their Lights Out unsanctioned match by bringing Omega out of his comfort zone to a situation he's unfamiliar and into a match where Moxley had a clear advantage being more experienced in death matches. Moxley certainly knows how to not only defeat an opponent in the ring but beat them mentally as well.
Good Is Not Nice: Sure Moxley is abrasive and violent. He also never hesitates to say what on his mind and is known to turn on his tag team partner but he holds himself to a code of honor and absolutely despises bullies.
Heroic Spirit: While not a hero per se Mox definitely has this. He just won't stay down. Even when all seems lost, even when he's outnumbered, even when he only has one eye he just won't give up. Being undefeated in singles competition and holding AEW's top championship illustrates this.
I Lied: He pretended to join Chris Jericho's Inner Circle faction, even accepting the keys to a new car and boasting about how they as a group would take over AEW. He waited until Guevara and Hager left the ring before telling Jericho he was lying and that the group is dumb before laying them all out one-by-one. He still took the keys to the car as he walked out through the crowd, by the way.
I Work Alone: Moxley always seems to be by himself. Even if it might benefit him to team up with an ally or two. Whether he's facing the Dark Order or the entire Inner Circle he's always flying solo. Even reflected in his entrances where instead of going down the ramp like everyone else he comes through the crowd. ^note Despite this he still manages to beat them.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Is very brash and outspoken, but acknowledged these faults and held himself to his own code of honor. He also has a strong distaste for bullies and cowards, namely Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle. Seemingly backed up when he steps in to stop the Inner Circle's relentless assault on Darby Allin.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: As of his 2023 Face–Heel Turn, the Heart of Gold part seems to be completely gone.
Obfuscating Disability: In the final moments of his world title match against Jericho at Revolution, Moxley removed the eyepatch he'd been wearing for weeks since the aforementioned Eye Scream attack, revealing that he could see the entire match, having lured Jericho and the Inner Circle into a false sense of security.
Older and Wiser: Seems to view himself as this. Being on a roster with a younger average age than the last place he worked probably emphasizes this. He definitely considers himself as being more mellowed out with age than anything else especially when he was preparing to face Darby Allin for the AEW championship.
Moxley: In an ironic twist I have become the advocate. I have become the voice of reason. I have become the person concerned for somebody's health.
One-Man Army: Where the Elite has trouble facing foes like the Inner Circle or The Dark Order etc. Moxley was able to beat them both. By himself. And his list of enemies he's defeated just keeps growing.
Papa Wolf: Ever since the birth of his daughter, his only goal is to provide for her and the rest of his family. And that means mowing down anybody who would get in the way of that.
Pay Evil unto Evil: Stabbing Inner Circle member Santana in the eye as revenge for the above incident definitely counts.
Moxley: An eye for an eye!
Power Stable: Blackpool Combat Club.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The passionate, wild and intense Red to Kenny Omega's strategic and cold Blue whenever they faced off.
Snark-to-Snark Combat: Mox is naturally snarky always having a one liner ready to go but he might have met his match with his rivalry with MJF.
MJF: I'd appreciate if you practiced social distancing. Kind of like your hairline, Jon.
Moxley: Don't worry dude you'll get there one day. You just gotta hit puberty first.
Technician vs. Performer: Highlighted pretty well in his feud with Kenny Omega. With Omega as the universally acclaimed wrestling savant Technician considered better in ring-wise than Moxley. And Moxley as the emotionally charged passion driven Performer who is consistently seen as Omega's superior on the mic bringing more eyes to the product.
Took a Level in Badass: Ever since AEW's TV debut he's been an absolute beast. Tearing through every opponent he's faced, going against competitors that outnumber him, overpower him, have more experience or are just much bigger and coming out on top. Since becoming AEW champion he's shown a much smarter side not being just a brawler but also a very knowledgable technician focusing on submissions and mat wrestling.^note
Wild Card: Even after joining The Blackpool Combat Club, all Jon wants to do is to beat people up as he doesn't care who it is that stands in his path.
Worthy Opponent:
- In general, the Blackpool Combat Club was known for showing respect to wrestlers who were capable of holding their own against them in the ring in a fair fight (sometimes even inviting them to join their ranks). On an individual level, though, Mox has made it clear that he has a great deal of respect for his longtime rival "Hangman" Adam Page; he even took the time to publicly wish him well after he was legitimately injured during their championship bout in October 2022, forcing the referees to cut the match short.
- Averted as of 2023, as the Blackpool Combat Club has become more-so ruthless bullies who don't consider anyone to be as worthy of being wrestlers as they are, and viciously beat on anyone weaker than them. Also, his respect for Adam Page has turned into a bitter, bloodthirsty hatred.

MJF

Alternate Company Equivalent: His "arrogant rich guy" schtick has drawn numerous comparisons to a young Triple H, which Max seems to be aware of. Among other things, he's known for calling himself "The past, present, and future of professional wrestling", which was the stated premise of Hunter's old stable "Evolution"^note. When he returned to AEW at All Out 2022, his minions would form a faction called "The Firm", a pretty blatant synonym for "The Corporation". During their feud in Fall 2021, CM Punk even mocked him by suggesting that he might try to get ahead by marrying Tony Khan's daughter, referencing Hunter's marriage to Stephanie McMahon.
Arch-Enemy: He became a major thorn in the side of CM Punk and that's putting it lightly.
Badass Boast: Famous for them.
"I am the past, present, and future of professional wrestling!"
Berserk Button: Aside from being peeved that anyone would have the audacity to touch his AEW World Championship, when Juice Robinson threatened to throw a roll of quarters at him, Max was livid due to his history of high-school bullies doing that to him.
Character Catchphrase: He has a few.
- "I'm better than you...and you know it!"
- "Cut my music! Cut my music!"
- "I'm salt of the earth, pal!"
- "You are not on the level of the Devil!"
Dirty Coward: He's quick to attack enemies of his in matches he's not involved in whenever they look vulnerable, and is even quicker to flee if someone tries to attack him for doing so. After becoming World Champion, this tendency increased even moreso, doing everything in his power to prevent challengers from being able to face him for his title.
Evil Counterpart: Max is often implicitly portrayed as a dark counterpoint to young wrestlers like Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, and Sammy Guevara, who are known for having close relationships with older mentors (Sting, Christian Cage, and Chris Jericho, respectively). Instead of being a grateful protege with a mentor to pass the torch to him, one of Max's defining traits is that he delights in sadistically breaking older veteran wrestlers, portraying himself as the harbinger of a new generation destined to supplant them. As such, he gained notoriety for betraying his mentors Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho, and for declaring war on CM Punk, supposedly one of his childhood heroes who inspired him to become a wrestler.
Finishing Move: "Double Cross"^noteHow apropos, eh Cody? And Jericho? (Rolling cutter), "Salt of The Earth" (Fujiwara Armbar), "Heat Seeker" (Rope-Assisted Piledriver)
Foil: To Sammy Guevara - both are young wrestlers who were initially known for their brash and arrogant personalities and their spoiled attitude, but whatever his faults may be, Sammy's primary redeeming quality has always been his loyalty to his friends (which contributed to his eventual Heel–Face Turn), while Max is proudly and unabashedly loyal only to himself. While Sammy is a charismatic guy who's capable of forming genuine friendships, Max is forced to buy the loyalty of everyone on his side - it's made clear that he's horribly lonely. The storyline about Max's betrayal of The Inner Circle, which featured him briefly forcing Sammy out of the group after attempting to usurp his position as Jericho's protege, particularly played up the contrast between them.
Fun with Acronyms: After dissension among The Inner Circle and betraying them to form The Pinnacle, Chris Jericho called him "My Jerkoff Friend". When CM Punk had his first promo with Max, he thought his initials stood for "My Jealous Fan".
Hate Sink: The AEW audience leans hard to the smarky side of the spectrum, but MJF is so good at being the worst person one has ever encountered that he's still capable of generating ferocious amounts of genuine heel heat.
A Hero to His Hometown: Despite being one of the most unapologetic heels in the business, he is beloved in Long Island, New York. It's possibly the only place in the United States of America that will cheer for his entrance... or at least was before he became more of a tweener in mid-2023.
Iconic Item: His famous checkered yellow scarf.
In-Series Nickname: William Regal (who supposedly turned Max down for a WWE contract early in his career) liked to taunt him by calling him "Sunshine", referencing the infamous video of him singing "You Are My Sunshine" on The Rosie O'Donnell Show when he was 5 years old.
Jerkass: Oh, yes. He's a proud, unapologetic asshole who likes to run his mouth. Even upon winning the AEW World Championship, Max openly declared himself a "scumbag".
Leitmotif: His entrance theme, "Dig Deep", is notably one of the few AEW entrance themes that doesn't have lyrics. The instrumental melody that accompanies him to the ring has become pretty iconic, though.
Power Stable: The Inner Circle, before betraying them to form and lead The Pinnacle.
Red Baron: "The Salt of the Earth"; upon winning the AEW World Championship, Max began declaring himself as "the Devil".
Running Gag: MJF may declare to his opponent, "Sportsmanship!" and goad them into a friendly handshake akin to the "code of honor" from Ring of Honor during a match. If his opponent accepts, chances are Max will follow it up with an Eye Poke due to his Dirty Coward routine.
Sadistic Choice: After he betrays Cody and causes him to lose his only chance of winning the AEW Championship, he lays down this choice: follow his stipulations, otherwise Cody will never get his match against him. Stipulations included getting whipped ten times in a row in the center of the ring, and facing Wardlow in a cage match.
Satanic Archetype: A big part of his characterization - in addition to being one of the most proudly and unabashedly evil wrestlers on the AEW roster, he frequently compares himself to the Devil ("I am the Devil himself!"). During his surprise return to AEW at All Out 2022, he hid his face with a horned demonic mask and entered the ring to "Sympathy for the Devil", and even began calling his fans "Devil Worshippers" shortly after; once he became AEW World Champion, Max effectively declared himself the Devil. Finally, his tendency to rebel against his mentors and heroes (first Cody Rhodes, then Chris Jericho, then CM Punk) has a noticeably Miltonic edge to it.
Smooch of Victory: Played to the nth degree for Heels during his celebration after beating CM Punk - one girl kissed him on the cheek, while another pulled Max in for a deep kiss on the lips (the latter was his Real Life then-girlfriend, former-fiancée).
Snark-to-Snark Combat: He's already pretty snarky, but had shades of this in his exchanges with Jon Moxley. Exemplified in their AEW All Out 2022 title match contract signing:
MJF: I'd appreciate if you practiced social distancing. Kind of like your hairline, Jon.
Moxley: Don't worry dude you'll get there one day. You just gotta hit puberty first.
- If his exchanges with Mox were a brawl, then his verbal assaults against CM Punk are a goddamn war. Both are masters on the mic, so it's only natural that they would verbally tear each other apart at every chance.
The Starscream: He kissed up to Chris Jericho to join The Inner Circle only to end up betraying him later.
Token Evil Teammate: When he was fighting for Cody's side, he was established as a heel. He appeared to have a good side as Cody's friend but when he started getting itchy for the main event himself...
- He was also this for The Inner Circle, despite them already being a heel group. He was the catalyst for the friction within the group, eventually causing the first major split when Sammy Guevara left because of him. While Guevara's departure didn't last, MJF used his return and attempted revenge to fully double-cross The Inner Circle with his own faction.

Wardlow

Anti-Villain: According to Wardlow, the only reason he became MJF's bodyguard and ever put up with his employer's motives was so he could provide for his family. When MJF threatened to put them on the street if he continued to be insubordinate to him before AEW Revolution 2022, that was the last straw.
The Brute: A huge, brutal thug of a man who will beat the hell out of anyone MJF paid him to.
The Dog Bites Back: After months of abuse, Wardlow cemented his Heel–Face Turn at AEW Revolution 2022 by betraying MJF during his Dog Collar Match with CM Punk.
The Dragon: Previously to MJF; Cody had to defeat Wardlow in a steel cage match before he could face MJF at AEW Revolution 2020.
Finishing Move: "The F-10" (a spinning F-5 variation); this has been replaced with the "Powerbomb Symphony" (repeated powerbombs).
In-Series Nickname: Upon turning on MJF, Wardlow was deemed a "piggy" by Max for being a "greedy swine", alongside "(War)pig(gy)".
Lightning Bruiser: Wardlow is huge, strong, durable, and perfectly capable of hitting a flawless top-rope senton.
Made of Iron: As part one of MJF's stipulations, if Wardlow wants to face Max at AEW Double or Nothing 2022, he would be forced to take ten lashes in the ring without interference. Wardlow proceeded to stand there and take a majority of them without flinching, making MJF even more furious.
No Theme Tune: Because of MJF's contract stipulations, whenever he faced any of Max's mercenaries or just going to the ring, Wardlow was escorted by AEW security while handcuffed without his entrance music.
One-Man Army: Was willing and capable of tearing through countless security personel to get his hands on MJF. It often took around 10 guards to just hold him down.
Psycho for Hire: MJF used his fortunes to bring Wardlow into AEW to act as his enforcer.
Rage Breaking Point: Wardlow was fine with MJF's verbal abuse, insults and taunts for years, but once Max put his hands on Wardlow, specifically a slap to his face before AEW Revolution 2022 for making a sarcastic remark at Max's expense, all bets were off, leading to his Heel–Face Turn.
Red Baron: "Mr. Mayhem"; during this tenura as MJF's bodyguard, Wardlow was also known as "The War Dog".
Running Gag: Anytime he and Jake Hager were in the same room/ring (and not in a match; they just happened to cross paths), both of them stood and stared at each other silently while everyone was talking/arguing.
Unperson: Even though Wardlow betrayed MJF in 2022, he was still technically under contract to MJF as his employee rather than as a member of AEW. Max had him literally sit on his contract while being banned from all AEW shows, with the hope that he would just stay at home and be forgotten. To fit this narrative, Wardlow was removed from the roster page on AEW's website. Once he beat Max at AEW Double or Nothing 2022, Wardlow was given the "x IS #ALLELITE" graphic after the match.
Would Not Hit a Girl: Apparently, anyway; during the Cody/MJF match at AEW Revolution 2020, Wardlow butted heads with Cody's wife Brandi who tried to stop him from interfering on MJF's behalf. While he chased her around the ring for a bit, when he actually got his hands on Brandi (after she tried to hit Wardlow with a crossbody only for him to easily catch her), Cody told Wardlow to put her down... and he just did. On her feet, too.

Peter Avalon

Wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer once said that only one kind of gimmick couldn't get over in professional wrestling, and that was that of a librarian. Cody and company saw this as a unique opportunity, and found Peter Avalon to be the men's division version of this gimmick.

Ascended Meme: His very gimmick is one to the idea that a Librarian character couldn't get over in wrestling. Subverted in that he receives the same negative attention from the audience as he does from his opponents (and sometimes even Leva).
Broken Win/Loss Streak: After breaking away from Leva Bates and Brandon Cutler and becoming "Pretty" Peter Avalon, he finally broke the duck by defeating fellow winless Fuego del Sol, improving his record to 1-27-2.
Cannot Spit It Out: Ever since their split, he's been trying to reconnect to Leva Bates on BTE, but it never works out.
Casanova Wannabe: Following his climactic loss to Cutler and the dissolution of his partnership with fellow Librarian Leva, Peter's taken on a new persona as a bottom-of-the-barrel wannabe lothario named "Pretty" Peter Avalon. For example, he thinks it's a good idea to have a romantic dinner in an elevator.
Enemy Mine: He and Brandon Cutler, the two biggest jobbers in AEW, formed a tag team called The Initiative to try and get their first respective wins that way instead. Unfortunately they had no more success together than they did apart and eventually split up again, this time directly feuding with each other.
Jobber: It's actually become his secondary gimmick to the point of being an Overly Long Gag; Avalon has the longest losing streak of anyone in AEW, with (as of the 1st September 2020 episode of AEW Dark) 27 straight losses in singles competition and no wins. His Enemy Mine with similar jobber Brandon Cutler (who's only one loss behind) was based on them turning their rivalry over who could get the first win into seeing if they could get one together as a tag team instead (they couldn't). Even when the two jobbers faced each other for the first time to ensure that one of them would have to get their first win, it ended in a double count-out!
The Rival: With Brandon Cutler, the second biggest jobber on the roster— the two are fiercely competitive about who is going to be the first to get a win after both racking up 25+ straight losses, and despite an attempt to team up, they eventually started feuding directly. Cutler would eventually beat him on their third go-around.

Darby Allin

A nihilistic punk with a serious lack of respect for his body or his opponents, Darby Allin appeared in WWN and EVOLVE prior to signing with AEW. See his page for further details.

Sammy Guevara

A Day in the Limelight: He runs a vlog channel on YouTube, which over time became a vehicle for backstage skits and scripted segments similar to Being the Elite.
Abhorrent Admirer: To Brandi. He made out with a DRAWING of her, while she looked on in disgust.
Attention Whore: Really loves the attention, to the point of livestreaming his own fights.
Beware the Silly Ones: Most of the times, he'll be comic relief. But be warned, he can be very vicious when fighting in the ring, and he became the first man to overcome Miro in 1-on-1 competition.
Casanova Wannabe: Hits on any woman with a pulse in a mile radius and thinks of himself as a great ladies man. This is not the case at all.
Defeating the Undefeatable: Was the first wrestler in AEW to defeat then-TNT Champion Miro, who remained on a winning streak since his debut in the promotion.
Finishing Move: A modified 630 senton and an Argentine backbreaker/knee lift combo called the "Go To Hell".
Foil: To MJF - both young wrestlers were initially known for their brash and arrogant personalities and their spoiled attitude, but whereas Max is proudly and unabashedly loyal only to himself, Sammy's primary redeeming quality has always been his loyalty to his friends (which contributed to his eventual Heel–Face Turn). Although Max is a horribly lonely guy who's forced to buy the loyalty of everyone on his side, Sammy is usually portrayed as a genuinely likeable and charismatic guy with numerous real and lasting friendships. The storyline about Max's betrayal of The Inner Circle, which featured Sammy temporarily leaving the group after Max attempted to usurp his position as Chris Jericho's protege, particularly played up the contrast between them.
Hollywood Tone-Deaf: He once tried to sing along to “Judas” as Jericho made his entrance. It didn’t go well, but you couldn’t fault his enthusiasm. To quote the announcers, “Thank god he can wrestle”.
Insistent Terminology: Chris Jericho insists he is "THE Spanish God", rather than "A Spanish God" as he is often announced in his match introductions.
Power Stable: The Inner Circle, followed by The Jericho Appreciation Society.
Official Couple: With Tay Melo.
Oh, Crap!: During one of his Talking with Signs promos on Matt Hardy, he had this reaction when he looked down at his signs and realised the last two he was holding actually said "CONSIDER HIM..." and "DELETED".
Sammy: Oh no no no no no no. Oh no no no no no! Oh- <Matt smashes him in the back with a steel chair>
Red Baron: "The Spanish God".
Running Gag: The Inner Circle's feud with The Elite subjected him to repeated pursuits by things faster than he is - Kenny Omega and Matt Hardy chased Sammy by driving a golf cart during a street fight on Dynamite in May 2020 and at AEW Double or Nothing 2020, while "Hangman" Adam Page nearly rode him down via horseback in the same event. Although this stopped afterward, it returned at AEW All Out 2022 with Ortiz and Ruby Soho on a golf cart. However, at Battle of the Belts IX in 2024, it's Sammy who drove a golf cart instead in an attempt to run over Ricky Starks and Big Bill.
Spoiled Brat: As an initial Heel, his gimmick could best be described as "The Inner Circle's obnoxious, rich-boy son".
Talking with Signs: He has a thing for showing up on camera with a stack of large paper signs which he shows off and throws away one by one to cut sardonically silent promos. Subverted when he came out to deliver a Backhanded Apology to Matt Hardy for busting him open with a chair, only for Matt to get at his signs without him realising it and rewrite them to insult Sammy instead, with the last two declaring that Sammy was about to be "DELETED!" right before Matt jumps him and beats him up.
True Companions: As well as being part of The Inner Circle, he's best buds with Fuego Del Sol.

Kip Sabian

All Girls Want Bad Boys: He's a vicious Heel known as "Superbad" Kip Sabian who's here to bring "sex appeal" to the AEW so at the very least he believes this.
Battle Couple: He and Penelope Ford often fight together.
Odd Friendship: He and Penelope have become friends with Jimmy Havoc of all people. Hell, during Havoc's No DQ battle against Luther on Dark at one point Kip interfered while Luther was putting the hurt on Havoc shouting "I won't let you hurt my friend!"
- After Havoc was released, he turned out to be friends with Miro, who he introduced as the Best Man for his upcoming wedding to Penelope Ford.
Official Couple: With Penelope Ford; outside of the ring, they got married in 2021.
Shout-Out: His finisher is called "Deathly Hallows", named after the Harry Potter novel and In-Universe concept, while another one of his moves is called "Time Turner", the same-named magic time machines introduced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

"Freshly Squeezed" Orange Cassidy

Without a doubt one of the most passionate, energetic and enthusiastic professional wrestlers going in the modern era, Orange Cassidy is a chilled out fellow who just so happens to be one of the best wrestlers on planet Earth...when he cares to be. More info can be found on his page.

Brandon Cutler

Beleaguered Assistant: Becomes this to the Young Bucks after an injury from Penta rendered him temporarily unable to compete in the ring.
Broken Win/Loss Streak: After his and Avalon's first two confrontations ended in a double count-out and a double DQ respectively, the deciding match (no DQ, no count-out, must be a winner) match was won by Cutler, finally moving him to a score of 1-25-2. In the weeks that followed, he started winning repeatedly, putting his jobber ways behind him for now.
Cool Mask: Cutler's gear gets more elaborate over time, and when he came out for his first singles match against rival-turned-ally-turned-enemy Peter Avalon on the 1st September 2020 episode of Dark he was wearing an awesome Drago-esque dragon head mask.
- Inverted as a Young Boy, where his injury forces him to wear an unflattering face shield similar to that of Cody Rhodes' broken gimmick.
Demoted to Comic Relief: Despite being a Jobber, Cutler at least has a credible Dungeons & Dragons gimmick and decent ring work while wrestling. As the Young Boy for The Young Bucks, he's reduced to their Butt-Monkey and is forced to cheat on their behalf, and that's if he isn't thrown into the ring as someone else's chew toy.
Enemy Mine: After competing against each other to see who would be the first to get a win, he and Peter Avalon formed The Initiative. Unfortunately they couldn't get any wins in the tag division either, largely due to their clash of styles (see Honor Before Reason).
Establishing Character Moment: He was the first person eliminated in the Casino Battle Royale of AEW Double or Nothing 2019, the first match of the first event that AEW ever held. Brandon would go on to be one of the jobbiest Jobbers in the promotion
Fighting Clown: As a Young Boy he's become way more clownish if he's ever thrown into the ring. The dab into the elbow drop should tell you everything.
Hoist by His Own Petard:
- With his best chance at getting his first win in AEW after going 0-12 in a match on Dark against Michael Nakazawa (where Nakazawa had been prevented from using his trademark Turkish oil), Cutler threw his opponent out of the ring, implored the ref to start counting, then followed Nakazawa out to continue brutalising him in order to prevent him from beating the count. Unfortunately, Nakazawa reversed Cutler's final attack on the count of nine, sent Cutler crashing into the rail and dived back into the ring at the last second, causing Cutler to suffer the first countout loss in AEW history instead.
- Curiously, he would later on manage to inflict this on Nakazawa on another match on Dark. At a point when Cutler was outside the ring, Nakazawa doused the ring ropes with Turkish oil, making them too slippery for Cutler to grab them and forcing him to figure out another way to get back in the ring. In the closing seconds of the match, Cutler has Nakazawa in position for the TPK, and the latter desperately tries to grab those same ropes, of course failing and allowing Cutler to finish him off and claim his second straight win.
Honor Before Reason: Cutler is a face, Peter Avalon is a heel (although he turned semi-face when he showed respect to Cutler by shaking his hand after their tag team was defeated by The Young Bucks). As The Initiative, they were repeatedly undone by Avalon attempting to cheat to win, only for Cutler to stop him. Cutler will do anything within the rules to get a win, but only within the rules.
Jobber: Cutler does look cool, but he never wins, ending up only one loss behind rival Peter Avalon and with no wins. As with Avalon, it's actually become his gimmick, with the two men competing to see who would get a win first but constantly coming up short, even when they tried joining forces as a tag team. They can't even manage to beat each other, as their first singles match on the 1st September 2020 episode of AEW Dark ended in a double count-out!
Punch-Clock Villain: Cutler began to interfere in matches with the Super Elite while being threatened to lose his job should he disobey their orders.
The Rival: Peter Avalon, with the two of them engaging in a "race to the bottom" to see who could be the first to get a win, forming a tag team together to try and get one that way, and eventually splitting to feud directly. After two draws, Cutler eventually won their third match.
Tabletop RPG Tropes: Cutler's gimmick is built around common RPG tropes (namely Dungeons & Dragons), with his symbol even being a D20 that he brings out and rolls on the floor before each of his matches. In his deciding match against Peter Avalon he retrieved a cloth bag from under the ring, but where in most cases it would be full of thumbtacks, this time it was full of dice. And last but not least, his Finishing Move (not that he gets to use it often) goes by "TPK".

Jake Hager

The Brute: The biggest member of The Inner Circle and The Jericho Appreciation Society, Jake is Jericho's de facto muscle whenever he needs it.
The Creon: He displayed no apparent desires to take the belt from Jericho during Le Champion's inaugural title reign and has been perfectly content with his position as an enforcer. He would briefly pursue the championship after Jon Moxley took it from Jericho during a point where Chris was more concerned about captaining a feud with The Elite. However, after failing in his challenge, he rejoined his stablemates in focusing on The Elite without the least bit of admonishment from Jericho.
Covered in Gunge: Also a victim of Orange Cassidy's orange juice assault (details in Chris Jericho's entry).
The Dragon: The main enforcer of Chris Jericho who almost always accompanies him to the ring. He is effectively the Arn Anderson to Jericho's Ric Flair.
Dragon-in-Chief: Zigzagged - Hager is often the main reason why Jericho's initial championship reign had lasted as long as it has. He always accompanies Jericho to the ring and doesn't miss an opportunity to interfere on his behalf. Tellingly, the one time where Hager wasn't present (due to attending a fight for Bellator), The Inner Circle was actually beaten by The Elite in a backstage brawl. However, Hager has no aspirations to usurp Jericho as they appear to have a genuine friendship, and Jericho was able to defeat Cody even after Hager was ejected from ringside (albeit with MJF throwing in the towel to avoid a Hope Spot).
Power Stable: The Inner Circle, followed by The Jericho Appreciation Society.
The Quiet One: Possibly due to his lack of mic skills, Hager plays the role of silent muscle for Jericho's stables, though this doesn't stop them from having a little fun with it.
Villainous Friendship: He's closer to Jericho than any of the other Inner Circle members. They're often seen exchanging jokes and banter, and Hager is almost always the man watching Jericho's back. Taken to its logical conclusion when Jericho betrays Santana and Ortiz post-AEW Revolution 2022 with Hager joining Chris to form The Jericho Appreciation Society.

Lance Archer

A New Japan Pro-Wrestling veteran, Lance Archer was first introduced into AEW as Jake "The Snake" Roberts' client.

A Hero to His Hometown: Won the NJPW United States Championship in Dallas. Lance is a Texas native and trained in the Dallas independent scene (an early ring name of his was even "Dallas"); Jon Moxley even played the match as a slightly-uncharacteristic heel to help Lance get over in front of his hometown crowd.
Dragged by the Collar: Has developed a habit of entering with his opponent by dragging them into the ring during his entrance music.
Establishing Character Moment: Arguably has one of these before every match, when he'll drag or carry to the ring some hapless person who ran into him backstage, just so he can destroy them before getting in the ring to face his opponent.
Lightning Bruiser: Huge, terrifyingly strong, seemingly almost impervious to pain, and far faster than any man his size should be permitted to be. When he actually walked more than half-way along the top rope during his match against Dustin Rhodes before hitting his opponent with a moonsault off it, people were making comparisons to The Undertaker in his prime!
Red Baron: "The Murderhawk Monster".
Signature Move: "Blackout" (reverse crucifix powerbomb)
Wrestling Monster: As his Red Baron status suggests, he's absolutely brutal to his opponents. He usually starts off his matches by flattening a random wrestler standing nearby, just because he can.

Colt Cabana

Big Fun: A stocky fellow and one of the friendliest and coolest guys you could ever meet.
Early-Bird Cameo: Was a guest commentator on AEW Dark's 24/12/2019 taping, and officially joined the roster at the AEW A Revolution buy-in.
Finishing Move: "Superman Pin", "Chicago Skyline" (Fireman's Carry drop onto the top turnbuckle), "Billy Goat's Curse" (Reverse Boston Crab)
Hazy-Feel Turn: While a face (albeit a rather cocky one), he started associating with the sinister Dark Order after they helped him, insisting that he's not a member, he's just hanging out with them. He didn't join in on any of their blatantly heelish actions yet either, but it still made a lot of people question him. Subverted after the entire stable turned face following the death of Brodie Lee before the question of Cabana's alignment could be fully resolved.
Power Stable: The Dark Order.

Pres10 Vance

Also known as Preston Vance. A Dark Order member personally hand picked by Brodie Lee to work under him.

The Brute: Similar to Stu Grayson, he is eager to fight and is quick to become violent under Brodie Lee's command.
The Dragon: Seems to hold this role to Brodie Lee in Evil Uno's absence. He often accompanies Lee wherever he goes and seems to be generally held in a more favorable light by him compared to the average Creeper or Alex Reynolds and John Silver.
Early-Bird Cameo: Prior to his established position in the Dark Order, Vance also fought against Darby Allin on AEW Dark.
Elite Mook: Could be seen as this. Like most of the Dark Order he wears a Creeper mask to obscure his face, but can be distinguished from other Creepers by his brawny physique and the ten tally marks painted on his chest. He represented the Order in the main event of the Brodie Lee Celebration of Life episode alongside Cody and Orange Cassidy against Team Taz, as he is Brodie's son Brodie Jr.'s favourite member of the Order.
Even Evil Has Standards: Post-Face–Heel Turn: While he's not above calling him a snot-nosed spoiled brat, he refuses to mock -1 for his father's death, as he believes that no child should ever have to deal with losing a parent so young in their lives.
Evil Costume Switch: After severing ties with the Dark Order, not only did he ditch the mask, but he's also removed the ten tally marks on his chest, and swapped his white Dark Order tights for dark grey pinstripe tights with the LFI logo on them.
Face–Heel Turn: After weeks of La Facción Ingobernable repeatedly trying to court his services, the 11/25/22 episode of Rampage saw him betray the Dark Order and aligning himself with LFI.
Kick the Dog: After his Face–Heel Turn, he takes off his mask and tosses it at -1's feet, breaking the kid's heart.
Power Stable: The Dark Order. La Facción Ingobernable following his Face–Heel Turn.
Punny Name: His name has been spelled on occasion as "PresTen" or "PresTEN".
Red Baron: "The High Knight" of the Dark Order. "Perro Peligroso" ^note Spanish for "Dangerous Dog" in La Facción Ingobernable

Michael Nakazawa

Comedic Underwear Exposure: Actually weaponizes this by stripping off his jock strap and shoving it in his opponent's face as his finisher.
Evil Costume Switch: As Kenny Omega's personal assistant during his heel turn, he wrestles in a polo and khakis with a headset on.
Jobber: Has been regulated to this after a few wins.
Mud Wrestling: Or rather oil wrestling in his case.
Slippery Skid: Keeps a bottle of oil on him for this purpose. This is also how he managed to botch Matt Sydal's debut.

Luther

An old friend of Chris Jericho who made his name on the Japanese deathmatch scene, he originally debuted as the sole male member of the Nightmare Collective, but after the group disbanded he went his own way. Luther is currently the butler to Toni Storm, having been hired by her following her change in 2023 into her "Time less" gimmick.

Bald of Evil: Not a stitch of hair on his head.
Co-Dragons: Became this alongside Mariah May to "Timeless" Toni Storm, regularly helping Toni cheat in matches from the sidelines.
Dented Iron: Unlike some of the other oldies on the roster (like his old friend Jericho or Dustin Rhodes), Luther is noticeably slowing down as age and the general wear and tear of the ring life have taken their toll. As a result, he's usually kept in the lower mid card.
Evil Versus Evil: His first feud in AEW after the breakup of the Nightmare Collective is against fellow deathmatch monster Jimmy Havoc, apparently over who's the more vicious.
Large Ham: He spends most of his time shrieking at the top of his lungs.
Red Baron: "The Original Death-Dealer".
Ring Oldies: He's the oldest of the regularly active AEW wrestlers, a bit more than 5 months older than Dustin Rhodes, and has been wrestling for over 30 years, but he's still a feared opponent in the ring.
Tag Team: He's one half of Chaos Project alongside Serpentico.
Third Eye: Often has a bright red eye painted on his forehead and usually likes to point at it.
Vocal Dissonance: Has a shrill, high pitched scream which contrasts with his large frame.

Brian Cage

An independent and former Impact wrestler, he made his debut in AEW as the ninth entry of the Casino Ladder Match at AEW Double or Nothing 2020 and won.

The Brute: Cage looks like he was forged from steel, granite and spite and will unhesitatingly destroy anyone who gets placed in front of him.
The Bus Came Back: Somewhat infamously took an extended absence from AEW after losing his rematch with Ricky Starks over the FTW Championship, which led to many rumors that he was disgruntled with the promotion; even The Acclaimed joked about it! Just under seven months later, Cage made his big return at the Ring of Honor pay-per-view Supercard of Honor XV where he was revealed to be Tully Blanchard's new client after the latter was fired by FTR from The Pinnacle.
Establishing Character Moment: Enters the match carrying a small ladder before destroying it with his strength.
Finishing Move: "The Drill Claw" (Twisting sitout brainbuster).
Heel–Face Turn:
- He began to split from Team Taz when he was a Graceful Loser towards Sting and Darby Allin after their Revolution Street Fight, admitting to respect for The Icon, and he began rejecting the team's help when they tried to interfere in his matches, even when he ended up losing as a result. As tensions grew he faced Ricky Starks in an intra-stable match for the FTW Title where Hobbs helped Starks cheat to beat him and he was officially kicked out of the group, turning face.
- Subverted in his Ring of Honor debut and later return to AEW in 2022, where he is once again a Heel, acting as a mercenary and working for the likes of Tully Blanchard, Prince Nana, and Swerve Strickland.
Odd Friendship: More of an "odd pairing", but his partnership with Big Bill turned them into a breakout tag team during the Blind Tag Team Eliminator Tournament during June 2023. They paired up again in August for a tag team battle royale and winning, giving them the chance to take FTR's AEW World Tag Team Championship.

Ricky Starks

A former free agent who answered Cody Rhodes's open challenge for the TNT Championship, Ricky Starks would later sign with AEW and align himself with Taz.

Acquired Situational Narcissism: After winning the 2023 Men's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, his ego started inflating with Starks immediately blowing off Jushin Thunder Liger when taking the trophy he was presenting to him, and later on, arrogantly showing off expensive items, and proudly boasting that he's above the Four Pillars of AEW because of it.
A Hero to His Hometown: Won the FTW World Championship in Austin, Texas, to huge crowd approval despite working the match as a heel and winning via interference from Hobbs and Hook. Although he isn't from Austin (he hails from New Orleans), Ricky Starks cut his teeth on the Texas indie scene and is largely viewed as a wrestler who represents the state.
Big Guy, Little Guy: The "little guy" in his partnership with Powerhouse Hobbs and Big Bill.
The Fighting Narcissist: A handsome man who has no shame bragging about his looks, and often poses when his enemies can't hurt him.
Finishing Move: "Roshambo" (Sitout Dominator slam)
Loophole Abuse: His punishment for assaulting Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat was that he was suspended from in-ring action for 30 days. However, since he was still allowed at shows, Ricky instead used this opportunity to exercise his "manager license", where he would become the manager of Big Bill.
Power Stable: Team Taz.
Red Baron: "Absolute" Ricky Starks.
Signature Move: The spear.

Eddie Kingston

Originally invited by Tony Khan for a match against Cody Rhodes' TNT Championship in July 2020, Eddie Kingston would sign onto AEW at the end of the month.

Arch-Enemy: Ever since Eddie questioned Chris Jericho putting down Santana and Ortiz in early-2022 for not getting more exposure among The Inner Circle, The Mad King made it his mission to show the world what a selfish scumbag Jericho is, with the feud intensifying after Chris formed The Jericho Appreciation Society.
Badass Boast: One of the masters of cutting a promo in AEW.
Bash Brothers: With Jon Moxley after his face turn at AEW Revolution 2021.
Evil Former Friend: Was this to Jon Moxley for a long time. He held extreme bitterness towards Mox for "selling out" to sports entertainment while he ended up pulling every dirty move in the book just to survive the wrestling world. Averted as of AEW Revolution 2021 when he came out to try and rescue Mox from the explosives-rigged ring Kenny Omega, Doc Gallows, and Karl Anderson had left him in (although the explosion ultimately didn't go off), turning Face in the process.
Finishing Move: Uraken (spinning back fist) and the Stretch Plum submission maneuver
Good Old Fisticuffs: He may not be as refined as a majority of the roster, but by God - he will beat the living daylights out of his opponents if given the chance.
Hair-Trigger Temper: He is easily pissed off.
It's All About Me: It becomes increasingly evident that his "leadership" over The Family has the goal of putting himself over everyone else. Schiavone and Excalibur even point this out on commentary. In more general terms, he is very egotistical, whether in the ring or on commentary, and puts down anyone who challenges him, no matter his Insane Troll Logic.
It's Personal: After Jericho lit a fireball in Eddie's face, he would respond in kind by wanting to kill Chris, such as trying to set him on fire using gasoline at AEW Double or Nothing 2022 during Anarchy in the Arena.
Never My Fault: He refuses to take responsibility for a possible rift between The Lucha Bros., despite literally saying "I pointed out some things to them that they didn't see", and emphasising his partiality for Penta over Fenix.
Red Baron: "The Mad King".

Miro

The Bulgarian Beast and The Best Man finally became All Elite during September 2020.

Achilles' Heel: On the other end of his body, in fact - his neck. As Miro's first TNT Championship reign went on, it became apparent that attacks directed at his neck and head (Fuego Del Sol's Tornado DDT, Eddie Kingston's spinning Uraken backfist, and Sammy Guevara's Go To Hell) were more effective against him than other attacks. Downplayed after his return in June 2022, where Miro proclaims that his "neck of sand" has been fixed.
Beware the Silly Ones: The boisterous, video game-obsessed Miro may not seem terribly intimidating at first glance, but when he's pissed off and his opponent ends up facing him across the ring, he'll gladly show off what a brutal, vicious and powerful Heel he can be. Subverted by the time he became The Redeemer, as that "silliness" turned into religious zealotry.
Calling Your Attacks: Miro will yell at the top of his lungs, "GAME OVER!", just before he uses his Finishing Move.
Camera Abuse: During a brawl with the Best Friends on Dynamite, Miro grabbed a camera, shook it and yelled "Get out of the way!", up-ending it before returning to the fight.
Contrasting Replacement Character: To Jimmy Havoc in terms of being Kip Sabian's closest friend - Miro's boisterous and excitable personality was a stark contrast to Havoc's brooding and sadistic demeanor.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: As he is very fond of reminding people, he is deeply, deeply in love with his wife, for whom he thanks God for at every opportunity (particularly for making her so "hot" and "flexible").
Finishing Move: Has renamed his variation of the Camel Clutch as "Game Over".
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: He unleashed his rage on Kip weeks after losing the Arcade Anarchy. It ended with Miro slamming a door on Kip's arm.
Pop-Cultured Badass: His love of video games was put front and center of his first gimmick, but that didn't make him any less of a monster in the ring.
Red Baron: "The Redeemer" and "God's Favorite Champion"; when he lost the TNT Championship, Miro would earn a third epitaph, "God's Forsaken Champion"
Religious Bruiser: Has shades of this as the TNT Champion, emphasized with the moniker "The Redeemer"; even when he lost the belt, Miro kept up his zealot-like attitude by questioning God, even threatening The Almighty for answers!
Take That!: His first promo on television was a shoot against his past employer, particularly "an imaginary brass ring", something that Vince McMahon uses as a metaphor frequently, to which he told the latter to shove that up his ass.
They Were Holding You Back: A self-inflicted version where he decided that his friendship with Kip was keeping him from championship material. Cue his brutal beatdown on Kip.
Took a Level in Badass: Not that he was weak to begin with, but ever since he dropped his gamer gimmick, Miro's adopted the Wrestling Monster persona most of his fans are familiar with.
The Unfettered: Became this when gunning for the TNT Championship, and upon winning the belt, stopped at nothing to retain it.

Powerhouse Hobbs

One of many enhancement wrestlers hired by AEW during the COVID-19 pandemic, after many appearances on Dynamite and Dark, he would eventually sign with the company.

Big Damn Heroes: When Jon Moxley is ambushed by Ricky Starks and Brian Cage, he makes the save swinging a chair in hand to drive them off.
Big Guy, Little Guy: Absolutely massive man compared to Ricky Starks.
Early-Bird Cameo: Had several matches on Dark, as well as a match on Dynamite with Darby Allin and frequently appeared as Dr. Britt Baker's bodyguard. Even before being signed he was notably the only enhancement wrestler to appear in the Casino Battle Royale at AEW All Out 2020.
Establishing Character Moment: He put on an impressively strong showing during the AEW All Out 2020 Casino Battle Royal, despite having previously been a Jobber on Dark with a 0-5 record (the only enhancement talent in the match), eliminating The Blade and only just missing out on the final 4. People took notice, and this marked the start of Hobbs' push.
Face–Heel Turn: Quite surprisingly, he turned on Cody and Darby Allin by accepting Taz's offer to join his team with Brian Cage and Ricky Starks.
Red Baron: With Team Taz, he has taken the name "Powerhouse Hobbs"; as a Face, he was previously known as "Willpower Will Hobbs".
Shout-Out: His name is a reference to Luke Hobbs, as well as his actor.
Slasher Smile: A rare example of a Face using one - in his first couple of appearances, Hobbs never stopped smiling, but once he joined Team Taz, the smile is more likely to come out when he's hit by a hard strike and instead of grimacing in pain, Hobbs grins and shakes his head.
The Starscream: In a shocking twist, he would turn on and attack Ricky Starks just moments after Starks lost the FTW title to Hook. This also inadvertently causes the collapse of Team Taz.

Matt Sydal

A noted High flyer who debuted in the Casino Battle Royale at All Out 2020.

Bash Brothers: Matt teamed up with his real-life younger brother Mike Sydal as "the Sydal Brothers" to take on FTR, and then to take part in the Casino Tag Team Royale match at Revolution 2021. Unlike Matt, Mike isn't signed to AEW, remaining a journeyman wrestler.
Finishing Move: "Lightning Spiral"
Real-Life Relative: Has teamed with his real-life brother Mike Sydal.
Third Eye: Sydal often indicates towards his metaphorical third eye and tells his opponents he can help them open theirs.

Sting

After nearly 20 years, the legendary Sting has returned to TNT.

Finishing Move: "Scorpion Death Drop" (Inverted DDT), "Scorpion Death Lock" (Sharpshooter)
Red Baron: "The Icon"
Ring Oldies: Sting was 61 by the time he joined AEW, leading to multiple concerns about his fitness to compete. At least so far, he's shown that he's Still Got It.
Signature Move: Stinger Splash
Snow Means Death: Sting's entrance is often accompanied by an unsettling, snowy winter display. Incidentally, Sting made his AEW debut during the special Dynamite episode, "Winter is Coming", in December 2020.
Student–Master Team: Has developed this dynamic with Darby Allin.

Mr Brodie Lee Jr./-1

The young son of the late lamented Brodie Lee, Brodie Lee Jr. was a regular visitor backstage after his father signed with AEW in 2020. He was inducted into The Dark Order as -1 shortly before The Exalted One's passing and was formally signed to an AEW contract, with the understanding that he could begin working as an in-ring performer as soon as he turned 18-years old if he wants to, but has already made appearances in front of the camera as a member of The Dark Order.

A Child Shall Lead Them: The acknowledged head of The Dark Order, although since he has school he can't regularly attend shows. Evil Uno is effectively acting as his regent until he comes of age.
Break the Cutie: He visibiy breaks down when Preston Vance betrays the Dark Order, removes his own mask and tosses it to -1's feet as he aligns with La Facción Ingobernable. This is especially heartbreaking for -1 because Vance was his favorite member.
Dirty Kid: Implied; after Tay Melo (then Tay Conti, who was being accompanied by -1 as an associate of The Dark Order) won the opening match against Ray Lyn on the second episode of Dark Elevation, she started shaking it to her music when -1 and the ref held up her hand, and -1 visibly glanced down at her gyrating hips. Tony Schiavone called him out on it.
Schiavone: Keep your eyes up front there, kid.
The Dreaded: He’s already showing that he shares his father’s violent streak by terrorizing members of The Dark Order with his kendo stick.
From the Mouths of Babes: Has the occasional moment on commentary, such as telling Excalibur and Taz 'This is what Hell looks like'.
Funny Background Event: When the company was exclusively running shows at Daily's Place he would sometimes accompany the other members of The Dark Order to the ring for their matches and watches from the entrance ramp which puts him opposite the hard cam, meaning his over the top reactions can be seen during the match.
Morality Pet: Everybody in AEW (except MJF) loves -1, not only because of his father, but because the kid lives the business, even though he's not yet even 10 years old.
Mouthy Kid: -1 has already shown a remarkable ability to cut promos on fully-grown wrestlers such as Marko Stunt^note, calling him out for relying on the muscle of Luchasaurus and the wrestling skill of Jungle Boy to get his wins.
Overlord Jr.: The son of The Exalted One. In late-2021 his name on the AEW roster page was even changed from Negative 1 to Mr. Brodie Lee Jr.
Power Stable: The Dark Order.
Raised by the Community: After his father became sick and eventually passed away on the 26th of December 2020 the AEW and WWE rosters have rallied around him to help him through his grief while also showing concern for his education too.
Token Evil Teammate: After the passing of his father The Dark Order as a whole turned face, except for -1 himself who still shows some heelish tendencies when accompanying the male members of the group after a victory, including shoving over the referee so he can raise the hands of The Dark Order members himself, and literally kick the defeated opponents out of the ring, often to the point where the others scramble to restrain him.

"Big Shotty" Lee Johnson

A student of the Nightmare Factory and personal project of Cody Rhodes. Frequently appearing as an enhancement talent for Dynamite and Dark, he would win his first match against Peter Avalon and Cezar Bononi alongside his teacher. Shortly after he was revealed to have officially signed with AEW.

Broken Win/Loss Streak: Gained his first win on the February 10, 2021 edition of Dynamite after suffering 29 losses prior. This is notable as it would also mark his official signing to AEW.
Early-Bird Cameo: Like others before him he worked as an enhancement talent on both Dynamite and Dark. He also notably worked as one of MJF's "campaign managers" during his feud with Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship.
Red Baron: "Big Shotty Lee".
Student–Master Team: He's wrestled alongside his mentor Cody Rhodes in several tag-team matches.

Paul Wight

The monumental wrestling legend formerly known as "The Big Show" in WWE (and before that, "The Giant" in WCW) shocked the industry when he suddenly signed with AEW in early-2021.

Combat Commentator: While he was primarily introduced as the commentator for AEW's new show, Dark Elevation (alongside Tony Schiavone before he was replaced with Matt Menard), the promotion also emphasised that he'd been cleared to wrestle and would be stepping back into the ring at some point. On the roster, he's listed alongside the other male wrestlers rather than the broadcast team, and he had his first match at AEW All Out 2021 against QT Marshall.
Do Not Call Me "Paul": Despite being one of the two Trope Namers, averted in AEW where he can't go by his previous ring name and doesn't want to revert to simply being called The Giant again.
Hidden Depths: Turns out he plays Dungeons & Dragons, as shown during his guest spot on Critical Botch.
Shout-Out: During commentary on Collision in November 2023, Paul mentions to Tony Schiavone that he's "been in the ring with beasts, animals, rattlesnakes, guys I couldn't even see" when Powerhouse Hobbs tried to intimidate him post-match.
Squash Match: Paul only wrestles on very rare occasions as a special attraction, and his matches are always short exhibition squashes to pop the crowd (sometimes even handicap matches where he flattens several guys at once), both because his body is genuinely wearing out after a multi-decade career, but also because, even at his age, a guy as big as him really would be an absolute terror to face in the ring.^note

Christian Cage

Barely a month out from his shocking ring return at WWE's Royal Rumble 2021, Christian Cage revealed that he'd instead signed with their rivals, being the "big surprise signing" Paul Wight had teased for AEW Revolution 2021.

The Ace: This is part of his AEW character — he is, quite simply, just an incredibly skilled veteran wrestler. His original slogan, pre-Face–Heel Turn, was even "Outwork everyone".
Character Catchphrase:
- Upon turning heel, Christian will often start his in-ring promos or during the midst of one by telling the audience, "Shut up while I conduct (my) business!"
- In his reign as the TNT Champion, Christian has to constantly remind the audience that he is the "the face of TNT (now and forever)!"
Chairman of the Brawl: He uses the one-man Con-Chair-To as his most devastating move in brawls, beatdowns and no disqualification matches.
Dark Is Evil: Christian's casual wear consists of a black turtleneck after he betrayed Jungle Boy.
Disappeared Dad: Not his, but rather, his opponents; post-Face–Heel Turn, Christian will take every opportunity to denigrate his opponents' lack of a father or father-figure in their life, going so far as to state they are deceased if true.
Evil Mentor: After turning on Jungle Boy for losing the AEW World Tag Team Championship, Christian began devoting his time to Luchasaurus, manipulating him into a heel. The same would happen again to Nick Wayne after AEW WrestleDream.
Finishing Move: "Killswitch" (Inverted double underhook facebuster)
The Mentor: To Jungle Boy; he's also tagged with Jurassic Express enough times to count as a Student–Master Team, eventually guiding them to their first tag team championship reign.
Only in It for the Money: Post-Face–Heel Turn, Christian claimed he only aligned with Jurassic Express to ride on their coattails and get a bigger paycheck as their fame in AEW increased since Jungle Boy, who eliminated him in the Casino Battle Royale at AEW Double or Nothing 2021, was the one who cost Christian from getting higher up the rankings, thus a larger payout.
The Patriarch: What he considers himself to be for Nick Wayne and Luchasaurus, especially when he weaponizes his target's Disappeared Dad. Even AEW has started leaning in on this by having a YouTube playlist on their official channel, calling it "Christian Cage: The PATRIARCH of All Elite Wrestling!"; this ultimately led to Christian's new faction, "The Patriarchy".
Precision F-Strike: When Adam asked Christian to stop it with his heel shenanigans during his debut promo and that they should partner up again as a tag team, the latter's response was a direct, uncensored "Go fuck yourself".
Running Gag: Not only will Christian frequently laugh at his opponents' expense of a dead father, but he'll also start objectifying their mother while making lewd comments about them. In Adam Copeland's case, Christian targeted his Real Life wife, Beth.
Take That!: Before Adam Copeland's debut match in AEW against Luchasaurus, Christian cut a promo lambasting Adam's desire to be Christian's tag team partner again, while calling him out for taking "a rag tag group, dressed them up like it's Halloween and convinced them they're tough guys", only to be kicked out by them. Unlike Adam, Christian doesn't see himself as an Evil Mentor to Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne - he is their father instead, as being a "leader" is what led Copeland to being ousted by the very faction he created.
Teach Him Anger: As part of his mentorship of Jungle Boy, he's helping the young man develop more of the killer edge necessary to stand up to bullying Heels. Notably, near the start of Christian and Jurassic Express' Falls Count Anywhere match against the Superkliq at AEW Full Gear 2021, Christian instructed Jungle Boy to deliver a Con-Chair-To to a helpless Adam Cole to take him out and possibly win the match, but Jungle Boy seemed taken aback and hesitated long enough for The Young Bucks to save Cole. At the end of the grueling match, Christian had Matt Jackson set up for the Con-Chair-To to end things, but Jungle Boy stopped him, took the chair from Christian and, after taking a moment to mentally prepare himself, did it himself while Christian looked on proudly.
Villainous Legacy: Despite losing to Jungle Boy in their feud ending at AEW Revolution 2023, what Christian taught him during his time in Jurassic Express, as well as Luchasaurus' Face–Heel Turn, effectively sowed the seeds to Jack Perry's own heel turn on Hook at Forbidden Door 2023. This would also extend to Nick Wayne after he betrayed Darby Allin by costing him a chance at winning the TNT Championship at AEW WrestleDream.

Jack Perry

Formerly known as "Jungle Boy", Jack Perry is the son of the late actor Luke Perry and one half of the former tag team Jurassic Express.

Defeating the Undefeatable: Defeated Hook for his FTW Championship belt at AEW Blood and Guts 2023, not only ending the former's nearly year-long reign, but giving Hook his first ever loss in the nearly three years he's been in AEW.
Dirty Coward: As a heel, Jack is willing to act tough and completely trash his opponents, so long as they are nowhere within his vicinity. After betraying Hook, he would proceed to criticize Hook's credibility as FTW Champion, but fled into the crowd the moment Hook entered the arena. Upon meeting Rob Van Dam, his immediate reaction is to jump into the crowd and shield himself with a young girl.
Face–Heel Turn: After losing the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match against Sanada at Forbidden Door 2023, Jack attacked Hook post-match (who was in his corner during the match), turning heel for the first time in AEW.
Foil: To Darby Allin — both are relatively young up-and-comers known for their theatrical wrestling gimmicks and their quick and agile wrestling styles, and they're both mentored by older veteran wrestlers (Christian and Sting, respectively). The difference is that Darby is known for his darkly anti-heroic persona as a violent and unhinged punk rocker, yet uses a genuinely intimidating gothic-tinged gimmick — a natural loner who prefers to fight alone apart from his occasional tag-team matches with Sting. By contrast, Jungle Boy was known for his cheerful public persona and his colorful and kid-friendly ring gimmick, and formerly a part of a close-knit trio of inseparable partners. Incidentally, they're both known as two of the "Four Pillars" of AEW.
That Man Is Dead: Used symbolically at AEW Blood and Guts 2023; before his match with Hook, a video package showed Jack literally burying his Jungle Boy persona in the desert, signifying his complete heel turn.
Public Domain Soundtrack: After turning heel, he began coming out to the first movement of Symphony No. 5 from Ludwig van Beethoven.
Red Baron: "Jungle Boy" briefly became this when he began using his real name. Subverted after his Face–Heel Turn where he dropped the moniker altogether. When he appeared at New Japan's Battle in the Valley in January 2024, he took on the new nickname, "Scapegoat", after what happened at AEW All In 2024.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He and Darby Allin have a tense relationship at the best of times, but they joined forces together against MJF and Sammy Guevara to stop Max's plan to have Sammy take a dive for him at their four-way championship match during AEW Double or Nothing 2023.
We Used to Be Friends:
- Used to be tag partners and good friends with Luchasaurus before being betrayed by him alongside Christian Cage during the former's Face–Heel Turn.
- Jungle Boy also got along very well with Hook until Forbidden Door 2023, where Perry took his frustrations over being unable to win a title belt out on Hook by knocking him out. In turn, Hook chased down Perry to attack him multiple times afterwards.

Killswitch (formerly Luchasaurus)

Dark Reprise: His heel theme, "Fossil Fuel", is essentially a more ominous and sinister version of the original Jurassic Express theme.
The Dragon: Became Christian Cage's right-hand man after his Face–Heel Turn.
Evil Costume Switch:
- Swapped his green and yellow attire in favor of an all-black get-up after turning heel.
- Upon returning from injury in April 2023, he began adding red to his gear.
Heel–Face Revolving Door: Throughout the summer of 2022, he turned no less than three times. He started out the year as a face, but turned heel in June, then turned face in July when Jungle Boy returned, and finally settled on heel in September, when he assaulted Jungle Boy during his entrance before the latter's match against Christian Cage at AEW All Out 2022.
Made of Iron: After becoming Killswitch, he took a con-chair-to from Adam Copeland on Collision, but still wouldn't stay down, leading to a curb-stomp on the steel chair and a second con-chair-to that finally knocks him out.
The Quiet One: He rarely speaks, preferring to growl instead.
Red Baron: "The Red Right Hand of Destruction", following his Face–Heel Turn.
We Used to Be Friends: Used to be tag partners and good friends with "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry, but betrayed him alongside Christian Cage after his Face–Heel Turn.
You Have Failed Me: Downplayed; although Christian was incensed The Patriarchy lost at AEW Full Gear 2023 on account of the former Luchasaurus, rather than punish him, Christian renamed him "Killswitch" so that he would not suffer another loss like it again.

Ethan Page

Arch-Enemy: Darby Allin. He and Darby have been feuding since the indies, and it obviously hasn't stopped in AEW.
Back from the Dead: Prior to being resurrected by God and joining AEW, he got killed by his own alter-ego "The Karate Man" in his last Impact Wrestling match - a cinematic match of all things in Hard to Kill 2021.
Finishing Move: "Ego's Edge" (crucifix powerbomb)
Formerly Fat: His vlog intro states how he used to have a dad bod but has since leaned into fitness while finding days to cheat.
Red Baron: "All Ego" Ethan Page.
Tag Team: Mixed with Villain Team-Up, formerly with Scorpio Sky as "Men of the Year"

Anthony Ogogo

A former bronze medalist boxer-turned-wrestler, Anthony Ogogo was one of AEW's first developmental wrestlers and one of QT Marshall's students who defected from the Nightmare Factory alongside him when he formed The Factory.

Boring, but Practical: His finisher is a simple but devastating punch to the liver.
Evil Brit: Directly played up in his feud with Cody, laying a Union Jack over him after injuring him with a punch, and constantly tweeting about things he hates about America.
A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Was a student of the Nightmare Factory before turning alongside QT Marshall.
Red Baron: "The Guv'nor".
Villain Has a Point: While he’s a heel it’s hard to argue that any of his criticisms of America are actually wrong.

Aaron Solo

A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Was a student of the Nightmare Factory before turning alongside QT Marshall.
Ascended Extra: He gets dunked on constantly for being an extra in BTE, so his ascension into The Factory counts as this.
Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Really hates Fuego del Sol.

Nick Comoroto

A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Was a student of the Nightmare Factory before turning alongside QT Marshall.
The Brute: It's obvious QT uses him for muscle.
Beardof Evil: He got a big one which makes him look like a wild man.
Carpet of Virility: Type 1 - together with his wild hair and beard, he's an absolute bear of a man, and a powerful brute of a wrestler.

Malakai Black

Arch-Enemy: As soon as he got to AEW he started targeting Cody Rhodes and The Nightmare Family. Following Cody's exit from the promotion, Death Triangle would become his primary target.
Badass in a Nice Suit: In most of Malakai's promos, he wears a very nice black formal suit, including his sudden debut at AEW Road Rager 2021.
The Dreaded: Anytime he enters the ring, pain and suffering is guaranteed to be inflicted against his opponent.
Cool Mask: When he makes his entrance he wears a mask that looks like a human skull, topped with antlers.
The Corruptor: After his attack on Cody, it seemed like Cody's worst traits, particularly his ego, got worse. Malakai considered his objective at fighting Cody achieved despite being defeated in their rematch. At present, Malakai's "Black Mist" is implied to be what's responsible at turning some of its victims into a Darker and Edgier version of themselves — PAC, Penta Oscuro, Julia Black and Miro are such examples.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Dealt out one of these to Cody Rhodes in his debut match. Brock Anderson and Lee Johnson did a little better; it wasn't until he worked his way up to Dustin Rhodes that he actually faced any serious competition.
Extremity Extremist: Incorporates Dutch Kickboxing into his arsenal, which means he's got devastating kicks, although his punches are nothing to sneeze at either.
Eye Scream: Retains his damaged right eye that he received from Buddy Murphy during his time in WWE. Some sort of blight/infection seems to be spreading from it now and it's gotten progressively larger and uglier with every month he's spent in AEW.
Finishing Move: "Black Mass" (spinning heel kick); it would be renamed as "The End" when Collision began. ^note
Kill the Lights: One of his trademarks is appearing in the ring without warning after (somehow) making all of the lights in the arena go out.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: He's known for his use of occult and Satanic trappings, and one of his signature trademarks is appearing and vanishing without warning after making the lights in the arena go out. Depending on how one interprets his actions, he's either a scary man with occult beliefs who knows how to sabotage lighting systems or he's got genuine supernatural powers that allows him to cloak himself in darkness.
Power Stable: The House of Black.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: At AEW Dynamite Grand Slam in 2021, one of his eyes is red.
Stealth Hi/Bye: Does this in nearly every show he appears in, killing the lights in the arena to make a stealthy entrance and/or exit.
Wild Card: After concluding his feud with Cody, Black began assaulting young wrestlers at random, wiping out Dante Martin when the youngblood recklessly extended an open challenge to the locker room, and later appearing in front of The Varsity Blondes during an interview segment to spray his Black Mist, not at Brian Pillman Jr. or Griff Garrison, but into the eyes of Julia Hart. Even a year after his AEW debut, Malakai's intentions within the promotion are still unknown, despite building the sizeable House of Black faction.
Would Hit a Girl: He hasn't hit one yet, but when he assaulted The Varsity Blondes, it was Julia Hart he blinded with his Black Mist rather than one of the boys, presumably to enrage them as much as possible, as confirmed by Malakai tweeting a picture of him blinding Julia with the caption "The Empress draws out The Fool".
- Malakai was also intent on (or, at least, seriously considering) beating up Rosario Dawson (wait, what??) until Cody showed up to bail her out.

Shawn Dean

All-American Face: His military career is front and center of his gimmick and he wears red, white, and blue gear.
The Good Captain: He is "The Captain" Shawn Dean.
Jobber: He has lots of losses and not a whole lot of wins, with the exception of The Pinnacle in 2022.
Running Gag: Beginning in 2022, Shawn won every single match against a member of The Pinnacle via third-party interference.
Wins by Doing Absolutely Nothing: He has the honor of officially breaking MJF's winning streak in 2022 by getting knocked out from an interfering CM Punk, invoking a Disqualification-Induced Victory. This would occur a second time in April when MJF was counted out due to Wardlow trying to get his hands on his employer, but Max was too afraid to approach the ring as security was holding back Wardlow.
Verbal Tic: Does this when he's giving out coaching advice, aight?

Adam Cole

A longtime friend of The Young Bucks, fourth in command of The Bullet Club, one of the faces of PWG's "Mount Rushmore of Wrestling", and founding member of "The Undisputed Era": he's Adam Cole, BAY-BAY!

Back from the Dead: He was killed off in Be The Elite when he signed to WWE NXT for four years, but has arrived in AEW, alive and kicking.
Bait-and-Switch: During his debut at AEW All Out 2021, he initially looked like he was going to exact Revenge on The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega for trying to kill him, only to deliver a superkick to Jungle Boy's face before hugging it out with The Elite.
Character Catchphrase: "Adam Cole BAY-BAY!"
Dirty Coward: Often uses the referee being distracted to his advantage through low-blowing his opponents to win matches. Notably, whenever he fights a match where’s no disqualification, such as against Orange Cassidy in an Unsanctioned Lights Out match and "Hangman" Adam Page in a Texas Deathmatch, he’s actually put at a disadvantage as his dirty tactics can be fought back against more easily and better expected.
Easily Forgiven: Subverted; when they were still in WWE, Cole and O'Reilly were at war with each other since the beginning of 2021 since Cole betrayed O'Reilly. After Cole's last match and subsequently moving to AEW, O'Reilly stayed for a few more months before he too jump ship and helped Cole on his debut appearance. Following this, O'Reilly verbally tells Cole he had yet to forgive Cole for his actions earlier that year and is only helping him and Bobby Fish to ensure he is successful in the new company.
Finishing Move: "The Boom", an unpadded, running knee strike to the back of his opponent's head when they're down on their knees in the middle of ring.
Groin Attack: Befitting his current status as a Heel, Adam will occasionally go for a low-blow to win. This ended up biting him hard in his Unsanctioned Lights Out match with Orange Cassidy whom wore a crotch guard to block a low-blow attempt after suffering more than one of them.
Odd Friendship: With MJF due to their mandatory partnership for the Blind Tag Team Eliminator Tournament in June 2023, but as they kept winning matches, a budding friendship was building, leading to them winning the tournament and a shot against defending AEW World Tag Team Champions, FTR. Even though they lost, Adam and Max still participated in off- and on-screen shenanigans. Averted following Adam's betrayal and The Reveal as "The Devil" at AEW Worlds End.
Official Couple: With Britt Baker
Power Stable: The Undisputed Elite and The Undisputed Kingdom
Signature Move: "Panama Sunrise" (Second Rope Canadian destroyer)
Sore Loser: After losing to Orange Cassidy in the Unsanctioned Lights Out match, of which it was Cole who demanded it, he retorts that it didn't count as unsanctioned matches don't affect win-loss records. When he lost his AEW World Championship match against Page at AEW Revolution 2022, he rapidly insinuated that Hangman got lucky and demanded a rematch; Hangman obliged, leading to a Texas Deathmatch that Cole also lost.

Bryan Danielson

The American Dragon of Ring of Honor and founder of the "Yes! Movement" in WWE, the former "Daniel Bryan" has come to AEW as the last surprise during AEW All Out 2021.

The Ace: Widely regarded as one of the best technical wrestlers in the world.
Big "YES!": Even while heading to a rival promotion, the Yes! Movement has not slowed down. However, Danielson himself does not do the "Yes!" chant - while WWE had no legal claim to the chant, they asked him respectfully not to repeat it outside of the company and Danielson (who parted with them on amiable terms) agreed, preferring to refresh his character.
Character Catchphrase: Usually before using his foot stomps against an opponent, he'll tell the crowd, "I'm gonna kick his/He's gonna get his fucking head (kicked) in!"
Finishing Move: "LeBell Lock", "Busaiku knee", Triangle Choke with Nate Diaz-inspired flexing taunt, "Regal Stretch" (in honor of William Regal)
Hazy-Feel Turn: It's not entirely clear whether Bryan is truly a Face or Heel as he suggested that he came to AEW to fight the best that the roster has to offer rather than to take sides in existing feuds. However, once The Blackpool Combat Club started feuding with The Elite in April 2023, Bryan immediately embraced himself as a Heel.
Power Stable: The Blackpool Combat Club.
Public Domain Soundtrack: Arrives to AEW with a remix of Ride of the Valkyries.
Red Baron: "The American Dragon".
Signature Move: Repeated foot stomps to his opponent's head after grabbing their arms, as well as Hammer and Anvil elbows.

Lee Moriarty

Finishing Move: "Border City Stretch" (Chickenwing over-the-shoulder Crossface)

Tony Nese

Red Baron: "The Premier Athlete"

Daniel Garcia

Bullying a Dragon: Alongside 2.0, he thought it would be a good idea to antagonize Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley and Darby Allin. It didn't go well.
Finishing Move: "Dragon Tamer" (a sharpshooter variation where Garcia bends his back entirely in hopes of breaking his opponent's knee)
Foil: To Wheeler Yuta - Garcia and Yuta joined factions in early-2022, but unlike the high-flying and entertainment-focused Yuta who earned his way into the wrestling-focused Blackpool Combat club, Garcia is a technical, but limited in promo ability performer hand-picked by Chris Jericho to join his Jericho Appreciation Society, a group whose purpose is to destroy professional wrestlers in favour of sports entertainers.
The Grappler: Most of his offense comes from submissions and grappling.
Noodle Incident: During the Anarchy in the Arena match at AEW Double or Nothing 2022, Garcia and Eddie Kingston's fight spilled into a cargo elevator. Audiences weren't shown what happened afterwards, but it led to Eddie returning to the ring bloodied. Lampshaded by Daniel on Twitter.
"The things that happened behind those doors I will take to the grave."
Power Stable: Formerly of The Jericho Appreciation Society.
Red Baron: "Red Death"; upon defeating Bryan Danielson in their second singles match in 2022, Garcia immediately christened himself a "Dragon Slayer".
Suspiciously Specific Denial: Even though he's no longer part of The Jericho Appreciation Society, Daniel still had doubts on whether he is a "professional wrestler" or a "sports entertainer". Downplayed following his performance in the AEW Continental Classic where Garcia is squarely in the former.
Terrible Trio: Was this with 2.0, taking the role of the domineering straight man.
Tranquil Fury: Is fairly quiet, but carries an aura of intensity around him, especially in the ring.
Underdogs Never Lose: Zigzagged; Garcia was touted as the unlikeliest winner of the AEW Continental Classic and lost against every opponent, but managed to score a pinfall against Brody King in their last match for the round robin for their group block, finally putting him on the scoreboard over Jay Lethal, who didn't even win once.

Jay Lethal

Arch-Enemy: Ever since Samoa Joe returned to Ring of Honor in 2022, Jay made it personal to destroy his former mentor on the belief that he was being used by Joe.
Finishing Move: "Lethal Injection" (handspring cutter)
Jobber: Not once in the AEW Continental Classic did Jay win any of his matches in the round robin.
Red Baron: "The Franchise"

Hook

The Real Life son of Taz and the youngest member of the former Team Taz.

Badass Back: Always has his back to his opponent at the start of the match, both as a sign of confidence and disrespect towards his target.
Cute Bruiser: At a glance, he's an unassuming Pretty Boy, but in the ring he turns out to be arguably the most hard-hitting of AEW's young talents.
Defiant to the End: Even though he lost to Samoa Joe in their AEW World Championship match on Collision in January 2024, Hook remained combative and yelled at Joe, "Is that all you got?!", taking another Muscle Buster from the champion for his words. Similarly, after taking two consecutive Judas Effects from Chris Jericho and kicking out of them (which no one in AEW has yet to do), Hook flipped Jericho off before taking a hit from a baseball bat and going down for the count.
Establishing Character Moment: After over a year of largely staying in the background of Team Taz moments, his AEW in-ring debut in 2021 saw him make quick work of Fuego Del Sol with a no-nonsense grappling and submission style that he clearly takes from his father.
Finishing Move: "Redrum" (a kata ha jime, identical to his father's iconic Tazmission); as first demonstrated against Serpentico, he is also able to perform a standing variation of this move.
Heel–Face Turn: He debuted as a Heel, but by his second match the fans were giving him standing ovations. He decided to just roll with it and quit joining in on the rest of Team Taz's Heel hijinx.
Like Father, Unlike Son: He looks nothing like his father, to the point where many viewers didn't realise he is legitimately Taz's biological son at first.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: Hook's entire modus operandi is to get in the ring, beat his opponent, and get out as quick and efficiently as possible.
No-Sell:
- In his second match, he simply stood up after receiving a piledriver from Bear Bronson.
- Danhausen's "curses" has seemingly no effect on Hook, who simply walks away whenever Danhausen attempts to cast a quick one.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Danhausen was mostly an annoyance to Hook, but going after his bag of chips by spilling them on the floor? Hook not only accepted Danhausen's challenge to a match, but he finally spoke up after a long while of silence.
"You wanted my attention? You got it now."
Oral Fixation: Always seen chewing gum or eating a bag of chips, which gives him an aloof demeanor.
The Quiet One: He isn't much of a talker or showboater; in fact, Hook didn't bother saying a single word during episodes on broadcast until Danhausen pushed him over the edge in 2022.
Real-Life Relative: The son of ECW legend and AEW commentator Taz
Red Baron: "The Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil"
The Stoic: In addition to being a man of few words, Hook barely emotes whether in the ring or behind the scenes.
Trademark Favourite Food: Chips - Hook can often be seen snacking on them, and destroying a bag was enough to get him to talk and accept Danhausen's challenge.

Kyle O'Reilly

One half of the tag team "reDRagon" as well as one of four members that comprised of The Undisputed Era, after helping Adam Cole score a victory against Orange Cassidy in December 2021, it was revealed afterwards that Kyle O'Reilly was now All Elite.

Continuity Nod: After helping Cole defeat Orange Cassidy, O'Reilly stared him down with venom in his eyes, referencing the time when Cole betrayed him and dissolved The Undisputed Era.
Dirty Coward: Downplayed; while Kyle remained a Heel and wasn’t above helping his allies to cheat, O’Reilly notably never did any cheating himself in singles matches, but relied on his skills and strength to win, even beating top stars such as Jungle Boy, Rey Fenix and Darby Allin cleanly.
Finishing Move: Diving Knee Drop to a prone opponent's back, Cross Armbreaker with leg capture
Red Baron: "The Violent Artist"
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Per Continuity Nod, during his AEW debut, Kyle hasn't forgotten his grudge against Adam Cole, but was savvy enough to recognize that re-joining with him and Bobby Fish was the best path to success in the promtion.

Brody King

Malakai Black's tag team partner in Pro Wrestling Guerilla, he joined his ally as the second member of The House of Black in January 2022.

Finishing Move: "Gonzo Bomb" (belly-to-back waistlock into a piledriver)
Power Stable: The House of Black.
Signature Move: Brody frequents a cannonball senton onto his opponent when they're sitting down in the ring corner of the ringpost.
Tag Team: Outside of AEW, he teams with Malakai Black as Kings of the Black Throne.
Wrestling Monster: Brody King is very big and very ferocious. When he debuted during a segment where Malakai Black was being triple-teamed by The Varsity Blondes and Penta el Zero Miedo, King proceeded to wipe out all of them on his own.

Danhausen

Very nice, very evil — the most Memetic wrestler in the world signed with AEW in January 2022, appearing at AEW Beach Break.

Curse: If Danhausen poses and points at someone, they're meant to be "cursed". When performed in the midst of a match, the recipient will usually be guaranteed a loss.
Early-Bird Cameo: Before his proper AEW debut, Danhausen had already been a staple of many of the AEW wrestler vlogs and was also known for his own social media interactions with people signed to the promotion. In particular, his unusual Twitter feud with The Gunn Club (dubbing them "The Ass Boys" to Billy Gunn’s approval and his sons' annoyance) did wonders to improve the group’s reputation among fans. The only reason his debut was still a surprise in spite of this was that fans were largely expecting Johnny Gargano to make a hometown debut at AEW Beach Break 2022 instead.
Odd Friendship: With Hook; AEW took advantage of this pairing with the Portmanteau, "HOOKHausen".
Unknown Rival: His numerous failed attempts to curse Hook infuriated him to no end, even though Hook barely acknowledged his existence. Averted after becoming tag team partners in a match against Tony Nese and "Smark" Mark Sterling at AEW Double or Nothing 2022.

Keith Lee

Oh, bask in his glory, for the "Limitless One" is All Elite, becoming the first qualifier for the "Face of the Revolution" Ladder Match at AEW Revolution 2022.

Acrofatic: In spite of his size, Keith Lee can leapfrog over a running opponent and launch himself over the top rope from the ring.
Arch-Enemy: Team Taz, specifically Powerhouse Hobbs, was who Keith Lee stood against until that faction's dissolution. After their tag team partnership ended, Swerve Strickland became his number one foe.
Call-Back: When Swerve in our Glory put their AEW World Tag Team Championship on the line against Private Party, Isiah Kassidy got into Keith's face about tossing him across the ring during the latter's debut - that he wouldn't be able to do that again. In the match proper, Kassidy landed on his feet when Lee tossed him the first time, but couldn't do it again for the second.
Establishing Character Moment: After coming out to a monster pop and playing to the crowd, Lee's debut match started when his hapless opponent Isiah Kassidy tried to get in his face, only for Lee to grab him, muscle him back into a corner, then pull him out and hurl him across the ring. Kassidy must have traveled at LEAST 8 feet across the ring and fully 7 feet into the air (this is Not Hyperbole) and the crowd came unglued.
Red Baron: "Limitless" Keith Lee
Tag Team: Previously teamed with Swerve Strickland as Swerve In Our Glory.

Buddy Matthews

Former enemy of Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews entered AEW in February 2022 as the shocking third member of The House of Black.

Bait-and-Switch: When Buddy made his AEW debut, Malakai Black fell to his knees in surprise, making the audience believe Buddy would continue their feud from NXT until he attacked PAC and Penta Oscuro instead, with Malakai gloating and laughing at the crowd's disbelief that Buddy would ever align with Malakai at all.
Continuity Nod: In WWE, he and Black were bitter enemies and was the one directly responsible for injuring Black's right eye. In AEW, he is working under Black for unknown reasons, but the two still seem to bear animosity between each other, notably seen through Black's aggressive way of giving orders to Matthews during his debut, as well as Matthews' hesitation of following through said orders.
- Before his debut, he and Black actually wrestled each other at Wrestlecade Revenge 2021 and after the match Black said that the next time they met he would be open to either being friends or enemies. It seems Buddy chose the former.
Flat Character: Although Buddy has spoken enough to be his own character, since his AEW debut, he's only ever been a loyal acolyte to Malakai. The apparent animosity displayed during his debut, where he looked apprehensive about following Malakai's orders, was dropped entirely.
Power Stable: The House of Black.

Swerve Strickland - AEW WORLD CHAMPION

Formerly known as Isaiah "Swerve" Scott and best known as a member of "Hit Row", Swerve Strickland arrived and signed into the promotion during AEW Revolution 2022. He is the current leader of the "Mogul Embassy" (formerly "Mogul Affiliates") faction.

Arch-Enemy: Darby Allin, given their rivalry extends to their time in DEFY Wrestling before Swerve joined AEW.
Beat Them at Their Own Game: At AEW Revolution 2023, "Hangman" Adam Page beat Jon Moxley in a Texas Deathmatch via submission by strangling him with a steel chain. In the same match type at AEW Full Gear 2023, Swerve defeated Hangman by knockout using a steel chain to strangle him, effectively putting him down for the count.
Big Guy, Little Guy: The little guy to Keith Lee's in their former tag team partnership.
Character Catchphrase: "Whose house? Swerve's house!"
Continuity Nod: When Swerve's third match against Hangman to determine the number-one contender for the AEW World Championship ended in a time-limit draw, he demanded "Five more minutes", the same words Adam Cole said to MJF when their June 2023 match also reached a draw.
Finishing Move: "Swerve Stomp" (diving foot stomp) and "JML Driver" (half-nelson wheelbarrow driver)
Heel–Face Turn: Made one on Revolution 2024 where he rejected Prince Nana's idea to cheat in the Triple Threat match and wrestled fairly. He cemented this turn in the March 6th 2024 airing of Dynamite he shows regret for his villainous actions of the past, and states that, after it felt like people were truly rooting for him for the first time, he won't let them down.
Shout-Out: For his entrance at the inaugural AEW Dynasty, Swerve came out dressed in a Black Panther outfit.
Signature Move: "House Call" (jumping kick to the back of the opponent's head)
Slasher Smile: In the Full Gear 2023 Texas Deathmatch against Adam Page, despite heavily bleeding and getting staples on his body from Hangman courtesy of a staple gun, after Swerve got his hands on that weapon, he proceeds to do the same on Page for good measure, then onto himself to show how it doesn't mean a thing to him, all while sporting a maniacal grin.
Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey: In contrast to his goofy, Butt-Monkey manager, Prince Nana, Swerve is a brutal sadist, regularly brutalizing his enemies in-ring and out.

Jeff Hardy

The younger brother to Matt Hardy, Jeffrey Nero Hardy entered AEW when Matt is ousted from the Andrade-Hardy Family Office after AEW Revolution 2022, reforming The Hardys tag team.

Red Baron: "The Charismatic Enigma"
Signature Move: "Swanton Bomb" (senton bomb)

Wheeler Yuta - ROH PURE CHAMPION

The former protégé of Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor and honorary Best Friend, Wheeler Yuta was officially signed into AEW following the Supercard of Honor XV pay-per-view from Ring of Honor.

Determinator: Yuta was not looking to lose in his third match against Jon Moxley in 2022; it would take a chokehold after getting his head split open from getting smashed into the steel ringsteps and suffering from two Paradigm Shifts by Moxley to finally knock him out.
Foil: To Daniel Garcia - Yuta and Garcia joined newly-formed factions after Revolution 2022, but whereas the more high-flying and entertainment-focused Yuta fought tooth and nail to join the wrestling-focused Blackpool Combat club and earned his way to respect, the technical but limited in promo ability Garcia was instead hand-picked by Chris Jericho to join his Jericho Appreciation Society, a group specifically focused on destroying pro wrestlers in favour of sports entertainers.
Grew a Spine: Not only did Yuta Took a Level in Badass upon joining The Blackpool Combat Club, he called out Orange Cassidy for the prior mistreatmentment by The Best Friends, citing how Chuck Taylor saw him as nothing more tham a "clown" (with Yuta claiming they've replaced him with another clown in Dannhausen), while Trent Beretta bullied him to no end.
Honorary True Companion: Was included with The Best Friends while he was unsigned.
Iron Butt Monkey: A damn good wrestler in his own right, but was often treated terribly by the Best Friends (particularly Trent Beretta). He was also a frequent victim of Kris Statlander's sleeper holds in the vlogs. Averted after his exit from The Best Friends.
Power Stable: The Blackpool Combat Club.
Took a Level in Badass: His bouts against The Blackpool Combat Club have elevated his badassery tenfold, earning the respect of the Club and AEW's audience. Best exemplified in his 2022 matches against Mox - the first was a squash, the second was a competitive match, but with an obvious outcome, while the third was a glorious display of heart and brutality, culminating in him kicking out of two Paradigm Shifts.

Satnam Singh

The first Indian player ever drafted into the NBA, this former pro-turned-wrestler first appeared in AEW during April 2022 and is a protégé of Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and later on, Jeff Jarrett.

The Brute: A huge wrestler who is used as additional muscle by Jay Lethal.
The Giant: At 7'4", he is one of the largest wrestlers in AEW.
Red Baron: Is often referred to by himself and his fellow teammates as "One in a Billion".

Samoa Joe

The longest reigning ROH World Champion and ROH World Television Champion, Samoa Joe returned to Ring of Honor at the end of Supercard of Honor XV to confront Jay Lethal. Post-event, it was revealed he also signed onto AEW. After the inaugural AEW Worlds End, he became the first wrestler to hold both the AEW World Championship and the AEW TNT Championship, making him the second wrestler (after Jon Moxley) ever to hold more than one AEW singles title.

Arch-Enemy: Originally Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt since returning at Supercard of Honor XV; post-AEW All Out 2023, MJF was whom Joe was gunning for in order to become AEW World Champion.
Call-Back
- When Collision made its premiere, commentators Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness mentioned that CM Punk and Joe haven't been fought against each other since their last meeting in Ring of Honor. This would culminate in Joe and Punk facing one another for the first time in the semi-finals of the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.
- At AEW All Out 2023, as Joe walked down to the ring following Max and Adam Cole's tag team match, he pushed Max aside. At WWE NXT TakeOver Brooklyn: II during 2016, Joe shoved Max as he made his way out to the ring for his NXT Championship match when MJF was an extra. This time, however, Max took exception as he was the defending AEW World Champion and attacked Joe.
Fair-Weather Foe: Because Joe assisted Max and helped him successfully defend the ROH World Tag Team titles against The Gunns at AEW Full Gear 2023 as Adam Cole was injured, Joe was awarded another world championship match against MJF at the inaugural AEW Worlds End. Joe made a guarantee he would "guard" Max from harm until the pay-per-view, so he could be at full health when they fight for the title, particularly because the mysterious "Devil" began antagonizing Max after Adam was out-of-action and Joe insisted that Max be protected from the Devil's goons. Subverted after Joe attacked Max on the last Dynamite before Worlds End, stating he was collaborating with The Devil all along.
Finishing Move: "Muscle Buster" (an electric chair version while falling backwards), rear naked choke (called the "Coquina Clutch" in other promotions)
Red Baron: Upon winning the AEW TNT Championship for the first time while holding the ROH World Television title, Joe began declaring himself the "King of Television".

Big Bill

The man formerly known as "Big Cass", W. Morrissey made his AEW debut in May 2022 on Dynamite to take out Wardlow on request from MJF. He would reappear on Dynamite at the end of August by attacking The Wingmen, leading to Stokely Hathaway recruiting him for his new faction, "The Firm", in September. He would be reintroduced in December as "Big Bill".

Big Guy, Little Guy: The "big guy" with concurrent tag team partner and manager, Ricky Starks.
The Brute: Previously The Firm's go-to muscle, Big Bill towers over a majority of the men's roster.
Foreshadowing: MJF warned Wardlow his next opponent was someone smarter, stronger and taller than him, ending with "And you can't. Teach. That.", the Character Catchphrase of Enzo Amore, Morrissey's former tag team partner.
Hired Guns: Max evidently hired Morrissey to come to AEW to beat Wardlow for a whopping six figure amount. Morrissey would return to the promotion to help Stokely Hathaway assist the "Joker" in the Casino Ladder Match at AEW All Out 2022 to win, the latter turned out to be MJF all along.
Odd Friendship: More of an "odd pairing", but Bill partnering with Brian Cage led them into becoming a breakout team during the Blind Tag Team Eliminator Tournament during June 2023. They paired up again in August for a tag team battle royale and winning, giving them the chance to score FTR's AEW World Tag Team Championship. Bill would eventually get a second partnership in manager Ricky Starks which did lead to their victory for the tag team titles.
The Quiet One: Downplayed; Bill rarely spoke following his AEW debut and during his tenure with The Firm, but after Ricky became his manager, he would have a lot to say to his opponents during interviews.

Claudio Castagnoli

Because of Bryan Danielson's injury from Anarchy in the Arena at AEW Double or Nothing 2022, the American Dragon recruited a wrestler as his replacement to face Zack Sabre Jr. at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view and AEW Blood and Guts 2022: Claudio Castagnoli. Simultaneously, Claudio joins as the fifth member of The Blackpool Combat Club.

Arch-Enemy: Eddie Kingston, a rivalry that would date back to their feud in Ring of Honor; even after Eddie defeated Claudio for the ROH World Championship at AEW Grand Slam 2023, Claudio is still miffed about The Mad King getting one over him.
Finishing Move: "Ricola Bomb" (straightjacket powerbomb)
Power Stable: Blackpool Combat Club.
Public Domain Soundtrack: His entrance music is a remix of the "1812 Overture" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He switched to a traditional version of the song after his Face–Heel Turn in 2023.
Signature Move: Just like in the WWE, Claudio will use his "Giant Swing" where he picks up his opponent by their feet and swing them around by their legs in the ring. He also uses European uppercuts frequently.
Token Good Teammate: Despite The Blackpool Combat Club being a bunch of Anti Heroes, Claudio was unequivocally a Face in the faction, but Subverted following the group's Heel turn when they began feuding with The Elite in April 2023.
Took a Level in Jerkass: After turning Heel, Claudio didn't become just as equally vicious as Jon Moxley, but had plenty of hateful words to say to the likes of Eddie Kingston, who was in pursuit of the ROH World Championship, about their history. In another instance, after PAC was sidelined due to injury weeks before AEW All In 2023, Claudio proudly took responsibility for getting rid of PAC, particularly because of their spat during AEW Blood and Guts 2023, despite being on the same team.

Rush

The leader of La Facción Ingobernable in AAA, Rush came to be the new business partner of Andrade El Idolo during AEW Double or Nothing 2022. Afterwards, he would occassionally assist the Andrade Family Office in AEW. In September 2022, it was announced that Rush was officially All Elite.

Animal Motifs: Bulls; not only does Rush wear a bull's skull for a mask, but his entrance music is called "Bull Whip", including his Finishing Move.
Character Catchphrase: "If you mess with the bull, you get the horns!"
Dirty Coward: He, alongside Andrade, are not above cheating in order to win their matches. In both singles matches against each of The Lucha Bros., Rush took off their luchador mask in order to get the victory.
Finishing Move: "Bull's Horns" (corner shotgun dropkick)
Light Is Not Good: Befitting his Red Baron status, he often wears a white suit during his stage entrance.
Red Baron: "El Toro Blanco" (The White Bull)

Dralistico

Another member of La Facción Ingobernable, Dralistico made his AEW debut during the $300,000.00 Three Kings Christmas Casino Trios Battle Royal at AEW Holiday Bash 2022 to fight alongside Rush and Preston Vance for the prize money, as well as competing against for Orange Cassidy's AEW International Championship at Battle of the Belts VI. Dralistico would periodically appear to assist the faction throughout 2023 before being confirmed to have signed with the company in October 2023.

Bandido

The previous Ring of Honor World Champion dethroned by Jonathan Gresham at Supercard of Honor XV, Bandido made his AEW debut on Dynamite in September 2022 for a shot at Chris Jericho's newly acquired ROH title. After defeating Rush in a World Title Eliminator tournament, Tony Khan announced that Bandido was officially All Elite.

Finishing Move: "21 Plex" (head-first flip onto the opponent's back, then backwards slingshot into a German suplex into a bridging pin)
Lightning Bruiser: He's deceptively capable of pulling off military presses on his opponent in addition to his speed.
New Old West: He wears a cowboy hat to the ring and the lower half of his mask resembles a bandana, giving him a western outlaw appearance.
Red Baron: "The Most Wanted"
Signature Move: A delayed suplex, upwards to nearly sixty seconds long, is one of Bandido's trademark maneuvers.

Konosuke Takeshita

The youngest to hold the KO-D Openweight Championship from DDT Pro-Wrestling, Konosuke entered AEW during the April 2021 non-televised "The House Always Wins", teaming with The Elite. He would return beginning in May 2022 for periodic appearances. In November 2022, Tony Khan announced he'd been signed to an AEW contract, allowing him to work both AEW and DDT.

Face–Heel Turn: Pulled one at AEW Double or Nothing 2023, helping Don Callis and the Blackpool Combat Club brutalize The Elite during the main event.
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Before his match against Bryan Danielson as part of MJF's stipulation for The American Dragon fighting him at AEW Revolution 2023 for the AEW World Championship, The Salt of the Earth interrupted and tried to insult Konosuke as Bryan's opponent. Instead, Konoske told the champion to "KISS.MY.ASS!!!"
Red Baron: Upon beating Kenny Omega twice in a week at AEW All In 2023 and AEW All Out 2023, Don Callis dubbed Takeshita "The Alpha".
Shout-Out: In the November 2023 Dynamite episode featuring the Like A Dragon Gaiden Street Fight, Konosuke dressed up as Goro Majima.
Token Good Teammate: Became this to The Elite after allying up with them. While the rest of the faction were still Faces by the time he aided them, they're more than fine with stooping to the Blackpool Combat Club's level and attempt to maim them like they've done to others. When they try to gouge out the eye of Jon Moxley, Takeshita protests it, and later on attempts to talk both sides down to no avail.
We Used to Be Friends: He got along well with Bryan Danielson after their fight, even having Danielson's back when MJF tried to break his arm before Revolution. However, after Danielson started to assault and maim other wrestlers alongside the Blackpool Combat Club, Takeshita went against Danielson, leading their friendship to fall apart. However, Takeshita returned to being on good terms with Danielson after Takeshita himself made a Face–Heel Turn during AEW Double or Nothing 2023.
Worthy Opponent: He and Bryan Danielson saw each other as this. Out of all the wrestlers that MJF had Danielson go up against before AEW Revolution 2023, Takeshita is the only one to end the match on good terms with Danielson. Even after Danielson's Face–Heel Turn, he still views Takeshita as someone with a large amount of potential as a wrestler.

AR Fox

Making his first AEW appearance on Dark: Elevation in July 2022, AR Fox joined Top Flight in a match for the World Trios Championship against Death Triangle on Dynamite in November. At the end of the month, Fox became All Elite and took on Samoa Joe's open-challenge for the TNT Championship.

Easily Forgiven: Zigzagged; after being fired and attacked by The Mogul Embassy, Darby Allin immediately goes to save AR Fox and shows that he's more than willing to be friends with him again. Nick Wayne, however, still resents AR Fox for helping Swerve assault him at his personal gym, leading them to butt heads while trying to help out Darby in his match against Roderick Strong.
Face–Heel Turn: Turned Heel on the July 26th, 2023 edition of Dynamite, sabotaging Darby Allin in his match against Swerve Strickland, and joining the Mogul Embassy afterwards.
Green-Eyed Monster: According to Fox, he claimed that after Darby signed with AEW, he didn't even try to get AR into the promotion and instead, helped guarantee then-16 year-old Nick Wayne to a contract after he turned 18. Him joining The Mogul Embassy is his way at getting back at Darby; however, Darby called Fox out on such a flimsy excuse of this trope because he got signed into AEW by himself regardless.
We Used to Be Friends: With Darby Allin — the two wrestled together since before entering AEW and AR Fox even gave Darby Allin a place to stay when the latter was living in his car. However, after AR Fox snapped after losing to Orange Cassidy and attacked him out of spite, Darby vehemently chewed him out over his behavior. Later that same night, AR Fox interferred in Darby's match against Swerve Strickland, running to ringside and ramming Darby into one of the ring posts. They make up, however, after Swerve fires him for being pinned by Nick Wayne, Darby defending AR Fox from being attacked by the rest of The Mogul Embassy.

Action Andretti

Appearing on AEW for the first time during Dark: Elevation in January 2022, Action Andretti made his Dynamite debut at AEW Winter is Coming in a match against Chris Jericho, scoring one of the biggest upsets in the promotion. Post-match, Andretti was signed and became All Elite.

Beyond the Impossible: Jericho treated his match with Andretti as nothing more than a warm-up following his loss of the Ring of Honor World Championship at Final Battle 2022. Andretti wound up winning the match to Jericho's utter disbelief.
Birds of a Feather: With Dante and Darius Martin; all three have similar physical builds and are high-flyers within their wrestling repertoire.
Determinator: Early into the match, Jericho hit the Codebreaker on Andretti and it looked like it was another case of a Jobber losing to a major star. Instead, Andretti didn't give up and gave Chris a run for his money.

Mark Briscoe - ROH WORLD CHAMPION

One half of The Briscoe Brothers, Mark Briscoe made his AEW debut on Dynamite near the end of January 2023 in a match requested between himself and Jay Lethal to commemorate Mark's late brother Jay Briscoe. After defeating Josh Woods in his second AEW match on Dynamite in February, Mark became All Elite.

Finishing Move: "Froggy Bow" (elbow drop from the top turnbuckle)" and "J-Driller" (double underhook piledriver)
Fire-Forged Friends: With Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood of FTR, due to their tag team "trilogy" of matches in Ring of Honor during 2023.

Jay White

The fifth leader of the Bullet Club, the Switchblade appeared on Dynamite in a February 2022 debut, making sporadic returns in various AEW matches, including defending his then-IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at the inaugural Forbidden Door. When Juice Robinson challenged Ricky Starks in April 2023 to a Dynamite match, Jay interfered before the match began to reunite with his Bullet Club teammate and became All Elite.

Finishing Move: "Blade Runner" (Swinging Reverse STO)
Red Baron: "Switchblade" Jay White; meanwhile, he frequently declares himself "The Catalyst" of professional wrestling.

Juice Robinson

Previously appearing on AEW programming towards the Forbidden Door pay-per-view, Juice Robinson was granted an AEW World Championship match against Jon Moxley on the last Dynamite of September 2022. He would continue to make subsequent reappearances for the promotion, as well as re-introducing the newly-signed Jay White in April 2023 as a stablemate of White's "Bullet Club Gold".

Companion Cube: Brought in a cardboard cutout of Jay White on the 7/29/23 episode of Collision and named it "Cardblade", treating it like it's a real person. Soon enough, the rest of Bullet Club Gold began to do the same.
Large Ham: Juice is very overdramatic, and constantly screaming at the top of his lungs.
Red Baron: "Rock Hard" Juice Robinson; he's also earned the moniker, "The Stray Bullet".

Komander

Currently signed with AAA, Komander was a Guest Fighter at the "Face of the Revolution" ladder match on the March 1st, 2023 edition of Dynamite to determine the next challenger for the AEW TNT Championship following Samoa Joe's title defense against Wardlow after AEW Revolution 2023. Post-Dynamite in April in a match against Jay White, it was announced that Komander had signed with AEW.

Birds of a Feather: With The Lucha Bros. - another high-flying luchadore on AEW's roster, so much that he is often paired with Penta el Cero Miedo in tag team matches when Rey Fenix was out of action due to injury in 2023.
The Quiet One: Not entirely by choice; whenever he's in a backstage interview, someone inevitably interrrupts Komander before he can get a word out, thereby making the audience assume that he doesn't talk much on-screen.
Signature Move: Not necessarily a move, but Komander's tight-rope walk on the ring's top rope for high-fly maneuvers (usually ending with a moonsault) is what he's known for.

Roderick Strong - AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPION

The fourth member of The Undisputed Era, Roderick Strong became All Elite in the last Dynamite of April 2023 when he appeared to help his good friend Adam Cole fend off The Jericho Appreication Society.

Et Tu, Brute?: With Adam forming a strong bond with MJF for weeks, Roderick was not only left out, but he accused Cole of ignoring their friendship, especially when Mike Bennett and Matt Taven of The Kingdom had to remind Strong that Adam's own loyalty to The Kingdom back in Ring of Honor was similarly tumultuous. This culminated with Roderick looking for solace with The Kingdom after stating he was no longer Cole's friend on the August 9th, 2023 episode of Dynamite. Subverted after The Devil was revealed to be Adam and Roderick was merely playing up the antics in order to weaken MJF's defenses, masquerading as the former's henchman all along.
Finishing Move: "End of Heartache" (modified suplex into double knee backbreaker)
Loophole Abuse: In his first singles match in AEW, Roderick challenged Chris Jericho to a no-holds barred match. Jericho, whom Adam Cole was feuding with and had assaulted him a week earlier, had Cole banned from the building; instead, in the last minute of the match, Strong took the fight outside of the arena where Cole was waiting for Chris.
Say My Name: Inverted; as a Running Gag, Roderick started screaming Adam Cole's name to get his attention away from MJF. Exaggerated to a point where Strong would randomly shout others' names to get his point across during promos.
Unexplained Recovery: Ever since his match with Samoa Joe in July 2023 on Collision that led to an "injury" to his neck, Roderick was wearing a neck brace and confined to a wheelchair. When he was able to stand again during an emotional on-stage Dynamite promo in December, The Kingdom's reaction was one of disbelief as they tossed the wheelchair aside and threw it off the stage, despite Roderick having partaken in matches before this event on his own two feet. Ultimately Exaggerated, as following the formation of The Undisputed Kingdom, Strong looked no worse for the wear and didn't have a neck brace again.

Johnny TV

A 20-year veteran of the wrestling industry, he entered AEW via the "Joker" position for the men's Owen Hart Cup Memorial Tournament under the name Johnny Elite, facing Samoa Joe in the quarterfinals. He returned to AEW on Rampage just before Forbidden Door 2023 under the new name "Johnny TV" by attacking "Daddy Ass" Billy Gunn and aligning with QT Marshall's QTV.

Artifact Title: Despite the dissolution of QTV, he would retain the Johnny TV name afterward.

Nick Wayne

The son of Buddy Wayne and the youngest wrestler on the AEW roster, third-generation Nick Wayne made his debut on Dynamite for the promotion in July 2023.

The Baby of the Bunch: Once Nick turned 18-years old, he began wrestling in AEW, making him the youngest wrestler on the current roster.
Continuity Nod: When Nick Wayne beat Swerve Strickland for the DEFY World Title in April 2023, Swerve promised in a post-match promo that he'll face Nick again once he turned 18 years-old. Guess who Nick's first opponent in AEW was when he officially joined the roster?
Early-Bird Cameo: Nick was seen first on AEW programming in Darby Allin's match against Samoa Joe for the TNT Championship on the January 4, 2023 episode of Dynamite getting harassed by Joe pre-match.
Face–Heel Turn: Betrayed Darby Allin at AEW WrestleDream, helping Christian get the win by hitting Darby with the TNT belt, later joining Christian Cage in beating up Darby in the post-match.
Freudian Excuse: In a Collision promo after WrestleDream, Nick states that after his father died years ago, he needed a mentor figure in Darby, but the latter went away to pursue professional wrestling; even after Nick joined AEW, he never got over the feeling that he was stuck in Darby's shadow. Coupled with AR Fox being Easily Forgiven by Darby, Nick accuses Darby of "abandoning him" and decided to align with Christian Cage, realizing he is the father-figure he needs.
Once per Episode: Every time Nick gets into a brawl with Adam, expect him to be on the end of the latter's spear.
Red Baron: "The Prodigy", as christened by Christian Cage for The Patriarchy.
Signature Move: "Wayne's World" (jumping cutter from the turnbuckle)

Adam Copeland - AEW TNT CHAMPION

The "Rated R Superstar" formerly known as "Edge", Adam Copeland is Christian Cage's long-time friend, who made his debut at AEW WrestleDream to support Darby Allin and Sting.

Big "SHUT UP!": In his match against Christian at the inaugural AEW Worlds End, having had enough of Nigel McGuinness being an antagonistic Combat Commentator, Copeland tells him this when the fight gets to the commentary table.
Call-Back: Mixed with Ironic Echo, Christian Cage told Adam to "Go fuck yourself" as a response to Adam wanting to team up together as a tag team again in his first AEW promo. On the last episode of Dynamite in November 2023, Copeland reciprocates the same words to Cage about their TNT Championship match next week after Christian's failed attempt at wanting to make up.
Chairman of the Brawl: Like Christian, Adam also will use the one-man Con-Chair-To; currently, Nick Wayne and Killswitch have been his victims.
Continuity Nod:
- Although he doesn't namedrop them for obvious reasons, Adam telling Christian on Dynamite after WrestleDream that Killswitch and Nick Wayne will inevitably betray Christian when they have gotten enough information from him is exactly what The Judgment Day did to Edge.
- In a Collision promo before his "I Quit" match against Christian Cage, Copeland stated he received a phone call from a man who reminded him that the only person who can help him is himself, a reference to Mick Foley and his promo with Edge before the latter's match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXIV.
Finishing Move: Beginning in 2024, new to Adam's repertoire is the "Grindhouse" (crossface submission).
Never My Fault: To Copeland, Christian Cage is to be blamed for Adam's unprovoked attack and a con-chair-to on Nick Wayne and Killswitch as Christian refused to play ball with Adam about teaming up together again. Adam also accuses Christian of being insecure - that he still believes he's stuck in his friend's shadow now that Adam's All Elite. Copeland cites that after Christian said he would break Adam's neck, all bets are off because it wasn't just a threat to Adam, but one that deeply affects his family, too.
Red Baron: The "Rated R Superstar"
Shout-Out: Adam's new nailbat, "Spike", that he intends to use on Christian Cage in their "I Quit" match is, per his words, inspired by "Barbie" (barbed wire bat) that belonged to "Mrs. Foley's baby boy" and "Janice" (spiked 2x4) who was wielded by another "sociopath".
Signature Move: A spear
Signature Sound Effect: Rather than "You think you know me?" that Adam as Edge used previously, he uses a similar one, "You think you know him?" as part of his entrance^note.

Kota Ibushi

One half of "The Golden Lovers" tag team with Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi joined his old partner and The Elite to fight The Blackpool Combat Club and their allies at AEW Blood and Guts 2023. He returned at AEW All In 2023 to face Bullet Club Gold and Konosuke Takeshita and will return to assist Kenny and Chris Jericho against The Don Callis Family at AEW WrestleDream. Following the Like A Dragon Gaiden Street Fight, it was announced that Ibushi became All Elite.

Red Baron: "The Golden Star"

Will Ospreay

Often seen as one of the greatest professional wrestlers in the English-speaking world, Will Ospreay first appeared in AEW during the lead-up to the inaugual Forbidden Door. Making periodic appearances for the promotion, including AEW All In 2023, Ospreay became All Elite at AEW Full Gear 2023. However, due to his remaining contractual obligations with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Ospreay didn't compete as an official member of AEW until AEW Revolution 2024.

Call-Back: At Wrestle Kingdom 17 in January 2023, Kenny Omega smashed Will's head into the announcer's table, making him bleed. At Forbidden Door 2023, Ospreay reciprocated the same upon Kenny.
Finishing Move: "OsCutter" (springboard cutter), "Stormbreaker" (double underhook Canadian backbreaker rack into a modified corkscrew neckbreaker) and "Hidden Blade" (running back elbow to the back of a kneeling opponent's neck)
I Am the Noun: In his promo at AEW Big Business, Ospreay mentions that the moment he signed into AEW, there was a phrase Tony Khan and the locker rooms used in the media to describe the state of the promotion heading into 2024, "Restore the feeling"; he declares, "Bruv, I am the feeling!"
Red Baron: "The Commonwealth Kingpin" and "The Aerial Assassin"
Shout-Out: Given Ospreay's nickname of The Aerial Assassin, a Finishing Move called Hidden Blade and his entrance outfit at AEW All In 2023 that's reminiscent of Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the second game, all are references to the Assassin's Creed franchise.
Token Good Teammate: Became this to The Don Callis family after making a Heel–Face Turn upon officially signing on to All Elite Wrestling. Ospreay treats his opponents and the audience with respect. Meanwhile, the rest of the family treats everyone else with scorn, and will pull any dirty tactic in the book to achieve their goals. Despite this, Ospreay still gets along well with the other members of The Don Callis Family.
Verbal Tic: He frequently ends his sentences with "Bruv".

Katsuyori Shibata

The Wrestler from New Japan, Katsuyori Shibata made his AEW debut at Forbidden Door 2022 to save Orange Cassidy from a post-match beatdown from The United Empire. On the November 2, 2022 episode of Dynamite, Shibata once again saved Cassidy from an attack by PAC, and signed for a match against Cassidy for the AEW International Championship on the November 4 edition of Rampage, which he lost in a valiant attempt. Shibata previously held the ROH Pure Championship after defeating Wheeler Yuta at the Supercard of Honor 2023 and fought against Orange Cassidy, Zack Sabre Jr. and Daniel Garcia for the AEW International Championship at Forbidden Door 2023. He would lose the Pure Championship to Yuta in November on Rampage.

After the Collision episode before Christmas 2023, Shibata officially became All Elite.

Computer Voice: Due to his lack of fluency in English, he cuts his promos using Google Translate on his smartphone, with a female voice reading out the translation.
Red Baron: "The Wrestler".
Signature Move: "PK" (penalty kick)

Bryan Keith

Known for his work in the independent wrestling scene in the state of Texas, Bryan Keith first appeared on Ring of Honor via Final Battle 2023 for the then-vacant ROH World Television Championship. Making additional appearances throughout AEW and ROH in January 2024, Keith became All Elite on February 3 on Collision after a proving grounds match against Eddie Kingston for his AEW Continental Crown Championship.

Red Baron: "The Bounty Hunter"
Shout-Out: Keith's bounty hunter gimmick is based on the character "Tip Corey" by Sammy Davis Jr. in The Rifleman.

Zak Knight

Saraya's older brother, Zak Knight quietly signed into AEW and made his debut on the February 23rd 2024 episode of Rampage where he was brought in by Saraya to serve as the muscle for her and Harley Cameron.

Hair-Trigger Temper: Zak has a very short temper, immediately attacking a backstage worker because the latter's water (that was knocked out of his hands by Saraya) had a few drops land on his clothes.
The Quiet One: In contrast to Saraya and Harley, Zak scarcely ever talks.

Kazuchika Okada - AEW CONTINENTAL CHAMPION

Appearing first in AEW during the build-up to the inaugural Forbidden Door, "The Rainmaker" previously from New Japan Pro-Wrestling faced Adam Cole, "Hangman" Adam Page and the man who defeated him to obtain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship during Dominion 6.12, Jay White, in a four-way match. At Dominion 6.4 in 2023, Okada accepted a challenge from Bryan Danielson to a match at that year's Forbidden Door. He officially became All Elite on the episode of Dynamite after AEW Revolution 2024 by aligning with The Young Bucks.

Flipping the Bird: In his match against PAC at the inaugural AEW Dynasty, just as Okada was about to pull his "Rainmaker" pose, he raised his middle finger to the crowd instead to prove his Heel turn upon joining AEW was concrete.
Red Baron: "The Rainmaker"
Signature Move: "The Rainmaker" (ripcord lariat)
Signature Sound Effect: The distinct sound of a coin dropping and hitting the ground is indicative of Okada's appearance.

Characters / All Elite Wrestling Male Wrestlers

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