#3 — PAC vs. Kenny Omega — 30-Minute Iron Man Match
Event: AEW Dynamite — February 26, 2020
Match: PAC vs. Kenny Omega
Stakes: 30-Minute Iron Man Match
Result: Kenny Omega defeated PAC in sudden death
The 30-minute Iron Man match against Kenny Omega is one of the clearest examples of PAC’s ability to carry an extended singles contest.
The format forced both wrestlers to think beyond individual sequences. PAC needed to manage his energy, constantly look for openings and make his submission game a central part of his strategy.
The Brutalizer became particularly important throughout the match. PAC repeatedly put Omega in dangerous situations and made it clear that a single opening could completely change the direction of the contest.
The two wrestlers survived the full regulation period before the match went into sudden death. Omega ultimately won, but PAC had spent the entire contest proving that he could compete with one of AEW’s most highly regarded performers in an unusually demanding format.
There was no faction surrounding PAC and no multi-man environment distributing the workload. It was simply PAC against Omega.
That is what makes the match so important to PAC’s legacy. It showcased his conditioning, aggression, submission ability and match psychology while giving him the space to demonstrate what he could do in a long singles contest.
#2 — Death Triangle vs. The Elite — Escalera de la Muerte
Event: AEW Dynamite — January 11, 2023
Match: Death Triangle vs. The Elite
Stakes: AEW World Trios Championship — Best-of-Seven Series Finale
Result: The Elite defeated Death Triangle
The Escalera de la Muerte was the conclusion of one of AEW’s most ambitious match series.
After six matches between Death Triangle and The Elite, the two teams entered the final contest tied at three victories apiece. Everything that had happened throughout the series led to this final confrontation.
The ladder-match environment created chaos almost immediately, but PAC remained one of the central figures on the Death Triangle side. He had been one of the defining personalities of the series from the beginning, and that role remained important during its conclusion.
PAC’s aggression worked particularly well in the environment. While Penta and Fenix brought their own spectacular offense, PAC provided the ruthless edge that made Death Triangle feel like a dangerous championship unit.
The Elite ultimately won the match and ended Death Triangle’s reign, bringing the seven-match series to its conclusion.
This match earns the number-two position because it represents so much of PAC’s AEW career at once: championship stakes, faction warfare, long-term storytelling, spectacular wrestling and a major storyline payoff.
It was also one of the biggest multi-man stages on which PAC had ever performed in AEW.
Honorable Mentions
PAC vs. Darby Allin — Full Gear 2025
PAC and Darby Allin met again at Full Gear 2025 in another hard-hitting singles encounter.
PAC focused heavily on Darby’s injuries and attempted to exploit the damage Darby had suffered in the weeks leading into the match. Their physical styles made for an intense contest, with PAC constantly looking to slow Darby down and prevent him from building momentum.
The match narrowly misses the main countdown because the 2026 World Championship encounter gave PAC greater championship stakes and a more unusual setting, while several of the other ranked matches played a larger role in his overall AEW story.
PAC vs. Claudio Castagnoli — Owen Hart Foundation Tournament 2024
PAC and Claudio Castagnoli have a long history together, making their Owen Hart Foundation Tournament quarterfinal particularly compelling.
The two wrestlers approached the match from very different directions. Claudio attempted to use his strength and physicality, while PAC relied on his speed, counters and submission game to keep Claudio from controlling the contest.
PAC eventually found an opening and advanced in the tournament, adding another important singles victory to his 2024 résumé.
The match falls into the honorable mentions because PAC’s later semifinal against Bryan Danielson provided an even stronger showcase of his singles ability during the same tournament.
Blood & Guts — 2023
PAC was part of the Blackpool Combat Club side in the 2023 Blood & Guts match, joining Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta and Konosuke Takeshita against The Golden Elite.
PAC’s role fit perfectly into the violent faction warfare. He brought his usual aggression into the cage and was particularly involved in the early exchanges with Kenny Omega.
The match was an enormous spectacle and an important chapter in PAC’s AEW story, but the sheer number of wrestlers involved makes it harder to place above the more PAC-focused matches in this countdown.
That is why it remains an honorable mention rather than entering the Top 10.
