People, places, and even wrestling promotions, learn who they are at times of tragedy. AEW had one of those moments at the end of 2020, when former TNT Champion Brodie Lee suddenly passed away just ten days after his 41st birthday. Lee had spent less than a year with the promotion, but his death was devastating from whatever way you sliced it. So instead of running a normal “Dynamite,” AEW owner Tony Khan threw out his original idea and put together a tribute show built around honoring Lee and his stable, the Dark Order, even allowing Lee’s young son, Brodie, to book the show’s main event featuring Cody, Preston Vance, and Orange Cassidy battling Team Taz.

But the match that stole the show, and warmed hearts while breaking them at the same time, came an hour earlier. It had everything; future top stars Page and MJF squaring off, a white hot John Silver comeback at the apex of his popularity, a cameo from Erick Rowan (aka Erick Redbeard for this night), plenty of tears, and perhaps most poignant, Brodie Jr. whacking MJF with a kendo stick. It was a match, and a show really, that offered a glimpse of what AEW represented outside of the usual factors, by paying tribute to a fallen wrestler, his stable, and his family, all in one swoop. In many ways, this match was truly AEW at its very best.

One of the constant criticisms AEW has received throughout its run is the usage of the women’s division. This was especially the case in the early years, where if there was any fan divide over the women’s division, it was whether to criticize it for not having enough talent, or to criticize it for not doing enough to utilize the roster they had. The dialog started to change when a feud between Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker blossomed into a legit blood rivalry. And the only way for it to end was the same way other intense feuds in AEW had; with a Lights Out match on “AEW Dynamite,” in what proved to be the first time in history a women’s match had main evented an AEW show.

An argument can be made all these years later that what Baker and Rosa did in the course of 16 and a half minutes is the most violent piece of work that’s ever been delivered in an AEW ring. But even if you want to argue another match was more violent, the match still did its job. Both women bled profusely, with a shot of Baker covered in blood becoming one of the more iconic images of early AEW, both used everything from thumbtacks to tables, and both emerged out of it bigger than they were, with Baker arguably becoming one of the top five stars in AEW altogether. From the perspective of the AEW women’s division though, it proved that it was capable of delivering more, and also began a trend that has continued to this day, where AEW women’s hardcore matches are just as good, and arguably even more violent, than the matches the men are having.

AEW has had their fair share of “classic” rivalries since its inception, several of which (Omega vs. Moxley, Baker vs. Rosa) have been highlighted above. But at this point, most would agree the defining storyline in AEW history is the feud between Swerve Strickland and “Hangman” Adam Page. It’s frankly had it all; Strickland breaking into Page’s house, Page burning down Swerve’s house, syringes, cinder blocks, cage matches, chains, and ultimately, the two men reaching enough of an understanding that Strickland helped Page dethrone Jon Moxley to became AEW World Champion at All In. But you have to start somewhere in order to reach that destination, and that’s where Page and Strickland’s Full Gear Texas Death Match comes in.

To be clear, Page and Strickland’s feud was already humming by the time this match occurred; the two began their rivalry after AEW All Out months earlier, and Strickland had already beaten Page at WrestleDream and broken into his house soon after. What makes this match more historical than the first encounter though is a) the fact that it can argue it’s just as violent (and great) as the aforementioned Baker-Rosa Lights Out Match and b) more than the first bout, this was the one that solidified Strickland. He was a budding star throughout 2023, and the first victory over Page had secured his spot as a borderline main eventer. This match, however, turned him into an instant main eventer, World Championship contender, and most importantly, Page’s equal. If Page defeats Strickland, as most expected, this feud perhaps ends right then and there, a well regarded two month story. Instead, Strickland’s win elevated him and continued the story, allowing it to turn into the feud that some would say helped put AEW back on the map.