Rankings have been a critical aspect of AEW's presentation since day one, but FTR recently explained why they don't get too hung up on the company's ratings. While AEW's rankings have been featured less prominently on television over the last several weeks, they've been a key component of how the company tells stories for three years. Whenever Tony Khan needed an excuse to book a match without much of a build, he always had the rankings to fall back on. There are also persistent rumors that AEW Dark and Dark Elevation exist mainly to boost the records of up-and-coming talent before they make it to Dynamite or Rampage.
The upfront presentation of win-loss records was something that differentiated AEW from WWE as well. WWE has typically subscribed to a 50/50 booking philosophy, which significantly sapped the meaningfulness out of wins and losses. Tony Khan and AEW wanted to do away with the weightlessness of victories and defeats, and the rankings were implemented.
Speaking on The Ringer Wrestling Show on September 20, Dax Harwood opened up about why he doesn't worry about AEW's rankings. "I mean, if we were worried about rankings, we would be tag team champions right now. We've been number one in AEW since [April]." FTR then asked Khan for a shot at the titles before continuing. "The thing is with that and the rankings and stuff and people saying we're the greatest of all time or the greatest right now, or we're the f***ing worst of all time, and all that is subjective, and that's cool. But the win for me is whenever Bret Hart texts me or Randy Orton texts me. Or Edge, or Arn Anderson, or any of these guys text me that I look up and say, 'That was a f***ing classic.'" (h/t and thank you to ewrestlingnews.com for the transcription)
FTR Might Be Why AEW Scaled Back Rankings
The rankings served AEW pretty well for the first two years of its existence, but they've become a real hindrance over the last few months. Harwood pointed out that they've been at the top of AEW's tag-team rankings for four months and haven't been given a shot at the title. Meanwhile, tag teams like The Acclaimed and Swerve In Our Glory are given title opportunities, while FTR isn't engaged in a meaningful feud.
That kind of booking sucks any meaning out of the rankings and win-loss records, which is in stark contrast to why they existed in the first place. It put Khan into multiple tough booking choices, and even now, it feels like the tag team titles in AEW won't matter until someone defends them against FTR. AEW probably wasn't looking for those issues when the rankings were created, so letting them fade into the background might be the best move the company can make at this juncture.
Sources: The Ringer Wrestling Show, ewrestlingnews.com