AEW introduced their very own Christmas-themed episode in 2020. The inaugural Holiday Bash aired as a television special for the promotion’s flagship show, Dynamite. 2021 saw Tony Khan expand the event to two nights, with Rampage airing the second half of the television special.
AEW Christmas festivity continued in 2022 with the same format. In 2023, the company announced to expand Holiday Bash to three nights, with the third part set to air as part of the December 23 episode of Saturday Night Collision.
That being said, let’s take a look at some of the best AEW Holiday Bash matches that have aired to this day:
The Inner Circle vs. Top Flight (2020)
The pandemic gave AEW fans some solid storylines. One such storyline featured MJF’s entry into The Inner Circle. The Salt of the Earth teamed up with Chris Jericho to take on Top Flight (Darius and Dante Martin) at the December 17, 2020, Dynamite taping.
This match opened the show. Top Flight gained momentum in the early goings of the match with their great tag teamwork. The Inner Circle turned the tides after MJF tricked Dante into taking a lariat from Jericho on the outside.
There were some other really good sequences, like the sunset flip bomb by Top Flight. MJF and Jericho played their heel roles to perfection.
Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara (2021)
Cody Rhodes and Sammy Guevara delivered one of the best AEW Christmas matches at Rampage Holiday Bash 2021. The American Nightmare took on the Spanish God for the TNT title in North Carolina that night.
Rhodes gained the upper hand by working on Guevara’s arm. The champion came back with a pretty solid offense, hitting a beautiful double springboard 450 splash on the outside. The match featured plenty of false finishes.
In the end, Rhodes put away Guevara with a combination of Cross Rhodes and a Tiger Driver ’98 to become the first-ever 3-time AEW TNT Champion.
CM Punk, Sting & Darby Allin vs. The Pinnacle (2021)
CM Punk made the save for Sting and Darby Allin from The Pinnacle (MJF and FTR) at Dynamite: Winter is Coming 2021. All six men were booked to compete in a six-man tag team match at AEW Dynamite Holiday Bash 2021.
Punk paid tribute to the veteran Sting by donning the iconic Surfer face paint for the match. All three men put on a great show for the extremely vocal Greensboro crowd. Stinger performed a huge dive onto the Pinnacle on the side that had the crowd on their feet.
Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida (2022)
Jamie Hayter and Hikaru Shida headlined the Dynamite Holiday Bash TV special on December 21, 2022. Hayter had everything to lose and Shida wanted everything to gain as they squared off for the AEW Women’s World Championship.
Both men went back and forth in this incredible match. The crowd was supercharged for Hayter’s offense. Shida also brought her physicality to the ring. In the end, the champion Hayter retained her title.
The Elite vs. Death Triangle (2022)
The Elite and the Death Triangle had one of the most brutal feuds in Tony Khan’s promotion last year. The two teams kicked off their Best of Seven Series with a critically acclaimed match at Full Gear 2022, which Death Triangle won.
PAC and the Lucha Brothers had the lead in the build to match five of the series. Both teams met under the notorious No Disqualification stipulation at the December 21, 2022, episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite.
This was a bloody war as all six-man utilized their surroundings to tear each other apart. The Elite picked up the win and take the score to 3-2 with a Meltzer Driver on Fenix on a steel chair. The post-match angle saw Death Triangle destroy The Elite in their quest to become the AEW Trios Tag Team Champions.
Also read: The Young Bucks’ 5 Best AEW Matches
