10 Worst AEW Moments Of 2023

2023 has been one of AEW’s most turbulent years yet. With the controversy surrounding CM Punk, the decline in ratings, and the criticism of various storylines throughout the latter half of the year especially, morale of the fans and wrestlers feels at a low.

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In 2023, there were some moments that really encapsulate all this negativity. Whether it be a moment outside of Tony Khan’s control or something that has been by his own design, there have been several things to forget about this year, and these following moments are the very worst of them over the last 12 months.

10 Jade Cargill Leaving The Company For WWE

AEW Lost One Of Its Biggest Female Stars

Jade Cargill parted ways with AEW in September
WWE quickly snapped up and signed Jade Cargill

The AEW women’s division could have been built around Jade Cargill, but unfortunately the company failed to keep hold of her. Perhaps if she had been booked better and pushed to even bigger heights, they would have had a chance, but in the end she chose WWE.

Cargill became the second major name to leave AEW for WWE in something which is a bad sign of things to come. AEW has a loaded roster with talented names who want more spotlight, and WWE could well be that option for many of them. The women’s division feels much less star-studded without Cargill.

9 Sabu Arrives On AEW Dynamite

Sabu Inexplicably Showed Up In AEW

Adam Cole joined up with Sabu…for some reason
AEW’s use of old-timers is usually good, but this was not

AEW has received some criticism this year of too much use of old timers like Paul Wight, Adam Copeland, Ric Flair, and others. One of the worst moments this year came when Sabu was trotted out for absolutely no reason at all.

He joined forces with Adam Cole in his feud with Chris Jericho and the JAS, and even appeared on PPV in Cole’s corner. It was random, and not in a fun way. It got a small pop but it served no purpose whatsoever aside from that.

8 Tony Khan’s CM Punk Speech

Tony Khan Said He Feared For His Life

Following CM Punk’s firing, Tony Khan made a speech in front of the Chicago crowd
The crowd booed Tony Khan out of the arena

Following CM Punk’s AEW firing after alleged backstage brawls and an incident with Tony Khan which left the man fearing for his life (per his words), Khan delivered a speech to AEW fans on what had gone down.

Hearing that their biggest star had been fired was a bad day for AEW in 2023, not to mention the language used by Khan making him appear unlikable and as though he were exaggerating. Of course, no one will know the truth of what happened, but it was still a bad moment regardless.

7 Bryan Danielson Misses AEW All In

One Of AEW’s Top Names Missed Their Biggest Show

Danielson has had an injury prone year in AEW
AEW All In sorely missed Danielson

AEW’s biggest show of all time, All In 2023, did end up being a massive success, but it didn’t come without its issues. Fans were excited to see Bryan Danielson on the show, but he suffered an injury at Forbidden Door which ruled him out of the event.

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Danielson was sorely missed, and fans were robbed of potential matches against the likes of Kenny Omega and Nigel McGuinness. It was a really terrible moment when Danielson was injured, and even though it was through no one's fault, it still exists as one of the worst points of the year.

6 Kota Ibushi On The Bicycle

One Of The Worst Moves Of The Year

AEW were undergoing a lot of criticism, and this move came at the worst time
Kota Ibushi hit one of the least convincing moves ever

This is more of a specific and minor moment, but the wider context of it made it even worse. AEW was under a microscope in the latter part of the year, and the match which saw AEW wheel out a barely mobile Paul Wight was something fans frowned upon. During this video game sponsorship hardcore match, Kota Ibushi rode a bicycle to the ring.

He used a steel pipe to hit his opponents, but the shots looked absolutely horrendous. There have been some botches and bad moves throughout the year, but this sequence of Ibushi using the pipe looked so amateur and poor, and it only gave critics more reason to pile negativity on the company at a time when it couldn’t afford it.

5 Jamie Hayter Losing The AEW Women’s World Championship

The AEW Women’s Division Suffered With Hayter’s Injury

Jamie Hayter was forced to drop the Women’s World Title due to an injury
Toni Storm beat Hayter in quick fashion

Jamie Hayter’s injury came at an awkward time, as it led to the women’s division losing its most over star and it ruled her out of AEW All In.

The manner of her defeat was poor too, as she was beaten in a matter of a few minutes in an overbooked mess of a match at Double or Nothing 2023 against Toni Storm. Of course, AEW were backed into a corner, but it was still a bad moment in 2023 when she had to drop the gold.

4 The Finish Of Adam Cole Vs. Chris Jericho

Fans Booed The Ending Of This PPV Match

Adam Cole and Chris Jericho fought in an Unsanctioned Match
The finish was a complete dud

The rivalry between Adam Cole and Chris Jericho wasn’t perfect, but for the most part it served its purpose. However, their match at Double or Nothing was a complete dud, and the finish of their Unsanctioned bout was one of the more awkward of the year.

AEW tried to give Cole a mean streak, with him unable to control his anger towards Jericho. However, their match had no intensity, and the strikes from Cole which caused a referee stoppage looked worse than a Shane McMahon flurry. The crowd even booed when the bell rang, which just goes to show how poor this was.

3 Leatherface Appears On AEW Dynamite

AEW’s Sponsored Match Went Down Terribly

Jeff Jarrett and Jeff Hardy fought in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre Deathmatch
Leatherface’s appearance was horrendous

At the end of the horrendous death match between Jeff Jarrett and Jeff Hardy, Leatherface made his debut in conjunction with a sponsorship which led to AEW booking this match in the first place.

The whole thing was a complete farce, fans didn’t care, and above all it was just cringey. It was almost worse than the zombies eating The Miz during a sponsored match a few years back. A terrible moment and one which would have no doubt made viewers turn off the TV.

2 Jack Perry Saying “Cry Me A River” At AEW All In

A Needless Comment Led To A Fight And CM Punk’s Firing

Jack Perry and CM Punk had backstage heat
Perry added to the fire with his comments at AEW All In

On the All In pre-show, Jack Perry made reference to backstage issues with CM Punk in which they had a disagreement on using real glass in a segment. Perry looked into the camera and said “real glass, cry me a river”.

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This sparked a backstage brawl with Punk that led to Punk ultimately receiving his marching orders and leaving the company. It screamed of unprofessionalism and it really turned the tide on how many viewed the company throughout the rest of the year.

1 Jon Moxley’s Concussion During Match With Rey Fenix

AEW’s Handling Of Jon Moxley’s Injury Was Terrible

Jon Moxley suffered a concussion during a match on Dynamite
The referee failed to spot it, leading to a dangerous moment

During an AEW International Championship defense, Jon Moxley suffered a concussion. He tried to convey this and to bring the match to quick finish, but referee Rick Knox didn’t count the three despite Moxley not kicking out.

This led to a very awkward ending where Moxley had to take another move whilst concussed, which could have caused very serious damage to him. It was an awful moment and arguably the worst of the year for AEW.