Running close to their third anniversary, AEW has continued to evolve as a company in 2022, though now featuring a lot more publicized drama. Featuring some of the best wrestling in the world, the company has become a cornerstone for wrestling fans looking for an amazing in-ring product.
While the women's division within AEW may not be up to snuff with the likes of the Knockouts Division or the immense amount of talent between Raw and Smackdown, AEW has developed a quietly stacked women's division with a number of great, all-around stars including the likes of Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter, Ruby Soho, and Hikaru Shida. As the roster continues to grow, only some women can be deemed the best in the company.
10 Ruby Soho
Coming into AEW with a ton of hype as the joker in the 2021 Women's Casino Battle Royal at All Out, Ruby Soho would make her debut for the company after being released by WWE months prior. Winning the match, Soho would earn a shot at Britt Baker's AEW Women's World Championship off the bat, entering a hot feud with the champion that led to the two women main-eventing AEW Grand Slam in front of 20,000 fans!
While Soho's momentum since then has been all over the place, with a good showing in the TBS Tournament and the Owen Hart Tournament recently, she does remain one of the better workers in the division, and is someone the AEW fans connect with.
9 Nyla Rose
A true AEW original, Nyla Rose was one of the first members of the AEW Women's Division alongside names like Riho and Kylie Rae in 2019. A former AEW Women's World Champion, and with a heavy presence in AEW's online promotion, Rose's position with the company is likely secured for quite some time.
Despite not reaching the heights she did in 2019 and 2020, Nyla Rose remains a dominant hoss within the women's division, standing out with a unique look and moveset that keeps her from blending in with some of the smaller, more agile girls in the division. Hopefully 2023 could see Nyla return to her spot as one of the top stars on AEW television, with a potential babyface turn allowing her to show off her real-life personality on-screen.
8 Riho
The first-ever AEW Women's World Champion, Riho remains one of the most historic figures in All Elite Wrestling, as she will forever be the first woman in the company to hold the top title in AEW. Since losing the belt, Riho's time within AEW has been a mixed bag in terms of her booking, due to her traveling between Japan and the United States, as well as several injuries.
When not injured and when actively being featured, Riho has proven to be one of the most consistently great women's wrestlers within AEW. Despite her small stature, Riho has shown that she packs a heavy punch and has gotten great matches out of nearly everyone she has faced!
7 Athena
Debuting for AEW at Double or Nothing 2022, where she would immediately set her sights on Jade Cargill's undefeated streak and the AEW TBS Championship, Athena was quite the big signing for AEW's women's division. For some reason, this has not been reflected on television whatsoever, as the Master of the O-Face has only had a handful of matches since May, with her feud with Jade being stretched from May to September.
Ignoring the questionable booking, in just a few matches, Athena has proven why she deserved to earn a contract with AEW after being let go by WWE. With great performances against Penelope Ford and Kiera Hogan, Athena is a name to look out for over the course of 2022 and 2023 in AEW.
6 Kris Statlander
Arguably one of the most popular, well-beloved stars in AEW, regardless of gender, Kris Statlander has been a part of the company since late 2019. Joining the Best Friends faction alongside Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, and Trent, Statlander has become one of the brightest stars in all of women's wrestling.
After debuting a new coat of paint in early 2022, to reflect a new serious direction that lined up with a major push for The Galaxy's Greatest Alien, Statlander would quickly rise up the ranks of the AEW women's division, also setting her sights on Jade Cargill. Unfortunately, another leg injury would occur to Kris during the Summer of 2022, sidelining her until 2023. Still, Statlander deserves the recognition as one of the greats in AEW.
5 Thunder Rosa
The current AEW Women's World Champion, Thunder Rosa would shock AEW fans during the August 24, 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite when she announced that she would not be able to compete for the foreseeable future, opening up another Interim Championship slot within the company. With reports going around about potential heat between Rosa and a number of the other female wrestlers in AEW, time will tell what comes of this.
From 2020 through August of 2022 however, it would be hard to deny that Rosa became one of the top women's wrestlers in the world. After a star-making performance against Britt Baker in 2021 for their Lights Out Match, Rosa would quickly ascend the ranks in AEW, eventually winning the AEW Women's World Championship in the process.
4 Serena Deeb
Since arriving in AEW, Serena Deeb has been showered with nothing but praise from both critics and fans alike, with the women's wrestling veteran delivering some of the best in-ring action that the women's division in AEW has ever seen. Offering a more technical approach than the other women in AEW, Deeb has been able to stand out to a significant degree since joining the company.
Through her extended feud with Hikaru Shida, Serena Deeb became one of the best heels in the women's division, before having a pair of excellent title matches against Thunder Rosa at Double or Nothing and Mercedes Martinez at ROH's Death Before Dishonor.
3 Toni Storm
Easily the best women's signing that AEW has made in recent times, Toni Storm has been on nothing short of an amazing run since becoming #AllElite. Featured nearly every week on TV, it is clear that Tony Khan sees the money behind Toni Storm, with one of the best looks in wrestling, and with such a promising career ahead of her.
Having not wrestled a bad match since entering the AEW Women's Division this past Spring, Toni Storm seems poised to become AEW Women's World Champion, likely feuding with Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker over the belt afterwards. At this point, it is undeniable that Storm is one of the best women's wrestlers in AEW.
2 Hikaru Shida
The former face of the AEW Women's Division, Hikaru Shida remains the longest-reiging AEW Women's World Champion. While fans often praise Shida and regard her with much respect, she was unfortunately saddled with being the Women's Champion during the no-crowd era of AEW. Since returning with fans, Shida has been mosty directionless within AEW.
Making her PPV return to AEW at All Out on September 4, Hikaru Shida will once again have the spotlight thrust upon her in the AEW Interim Women's World Championship 4-Way Match where she will be able to prove that she is one of the best around!
1 Jamie Hayter
Jamie Hayter has proven since rejoining the company in the Summer of 2021 that she is the future franchise star of the women's division within AEW. Aligning with Britt Baker and becoming one of the top heels in the division, Hayter has thrilled audiences with some of the most hard-hitting women's matches in AEW history.
Standout performances against Thunder Rosa, Toni Storm, Riho, and Anna Jay, have proven that Hayter is the future top dog, with both the AEW Women's World and TBS Championships hopefully in her future.