Ranking the 4 Pillars of AEW Men's Division: Who Will Have the Most Successful Career

In the last two months, All Elite Wrestling has done an excellent job of generating excitement for an AEW World Championship Four-Way match pitting the "four pillars" of the promotion against each other at Double or Nothing on May 28.

MJF, Sammy Guevara, "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry and Darby Allin were deemed the "four pillars" of the men's division a few years back by fans and have more than lived up to the hype with what they've been able to accomplish.

Allin and Guevara have five reigns as AEW TNT champion between them, Perry has finally found his footing as a singles star, and MJF is, of course, the AEW world champion and arguably the biggest star in the company.

Almost every AEW pay-per-view since the company's inception four years ago has involved at least one former WWE talent. Thus, for this year's Double or Nothing main event to feature four fresh faces who weren't established prior to AEW is quite the milestone.

The outcome to this upcoming Four-Way should provide more insight on the ever-asked question: Who will ultimately have the most successful career of AEW's four pillars?

4. Sammy Guevara

At one time, Sammy Guevara was believed to have major babyface potential, and it seemed it was merely a matter of time before he became a permanent fixture in the AEW main event scene.

Unfortunately, his stock has fallen considerably in recent years due to how he's been booked. Inner Circle should have been a launching pad for bigger and better things for the 29-year-old, but that megapush never materialized.

From September 2021 to April 2022, he won the TNT Championship three times, but none of his reigns were memorable. Going back to serving as a lackey in the Jericho Appreciation Society hasn't helped his cause, either.

Even now, The Spanish God feels like the odd man out of the "four pillars" world title feud, despite beating Darby Allina and Jack Perry on back-to-back weeks of Dynamite. His in-ring ability has never been questioned, but he's been slotted at a certain level for so long that it's difficult to take him seriously as a threat to a top title.

That isn't to say Guevara's future isn't bright, though. He's talented enough that he can be built back up for a run with the AEW world champion later down the line.

3. Jack Perry

Unlike the rest of the "four pillars," Jack Perry has yet to hold singles gold of any kind, though it's only a matter of time before that changes.

Jungle Boy dominated the tag team scene for the first three years of this AEW run and held the AEW World Tag Team Championship for a five-month stretch in 2022. His split from Luchasaurus was long overdue and allowed him to start finding his footing on his own.

The biggest knock against the 25-year-old previously was his lack of mic skills, but getting as many reps as he has in the last year has helped him tremendously. He was always exceptionally skilled in the ring with a natural connection with the crowd.

Guevara's hot-and-cold booking over the years has hurt his chances of one day becoming AEW world champion, but Jungle Boy doesn't suffer from that same issue. He has only scratched the surface of what he can do at the top of the card, but he isn't quite ready for the limelight yet.

There are many members of the AEW roster who should be in line for a world title run before Perry, but if he can stay the course, there's no reason to think he can't reach the pinnacle once he fully puts all the pieces together.

2. Darby Allin

Fans knew there was something special about Darby Allin from the moment he arrived on AEW in mid-2019, and it didn't take long for him to become a huge fan favorite.

The 30-year-old experienced another level of superstardom when he won the TNT title from Cody Rhodes in November 2020 followed by joining forces with the iconic Sting. Their alliance has served as the ultimate endorsement of Allin and has caused his stock to skyrocket.

He has accomplished all he can at the TNT title level and has been on the brink of breaking into the main event scene full-time for many months. This "four pillars" program provides him with a chance to prove he belongs among the elite (no pun intended) on a permanent basis.

Allin is a tremendous talent with a ton of upside, provided he stays healthy and doesn't cut his career short by taking unnecessary risks often. Although it's part of his appeal, one serious injury could derail his momentum if not put an end to his days in the ring all together.

The two-time TNT champ could capture the world title before 2023 concludes and remain in the main event mix for years to come as one of AEW's most popular performers.

1. AEW World Champion MJF

In just over four years, MJF has already cemented himself as AEW's most successful homegrown star to date.

The company was well aware of the prodigy it had on its hands as soon as he signed, based on how prominently he featured from the get-go. Although it took him a little longer than it arguably should have to win a title, he had a plethora of amazing matches and moments along the way that put him in a league of his own.

MJF has defended the AEW World Championship only twice in the six months he's held the title but both bouts were of exceptional quality. Thanks to his consistently strong mic work, he's a recurring highlight on Dynamite throughout 2023.

The inconsistency of his matches has also made The Salt of the Earth more of an attraction.

MJF being as polished of a performer as he is at the age of 27 is perhaps the scariest part. Regardless of whether his contract is legitimately up in early 2024 or not, a jump to WWE is a serious possibility for him at some point, and he would undoubtedly thrive there as well.

Whenever fans fear MJF has peaked too soon, he'll deliver another instant classic in some way. He's among the brightest blue chippers in wrestling today and a generational talent AEW should continue to build its brand around for as long as it's lucky enough to have him.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.