Another AEW event ends with the same question: Just how long is that title staying in the briefcase? Yes, less than month after its live audience jeered the decision to have Jon Moxley retain against Cope at AEW Revolution, Sunday night’s AEW Dynasty pay-per-view ended in another dirty defense for the champion.
Should we have expected something different? To state the obvious, Tony Khan’s booking has shown just how little he cares about the fan base’s disapproval of Moxley. The live crowds can boo the leader of the Death Riders all they like, but the message from the boss is loud and clear: Moxley is the top guy in AEW.
It’s frustrating because, unlike with Cope, the expert consensus — if such a thing exists in wrestling — seemed to be creeping toward a Swerve Strickland victory this time around. Most of us caught sight of the reports on Sunday that the challenger’s family was in the house in Philly and got the sense that maybe — just maybe — the change was finally coming.
Even when Moxley and Strickland settled into the match itself, there were signs it might really be happening. Just listen to the roar of the crowd when Wheeler Yuta accidentally collided with Moxley, giving Hangman Adam Page the chance to clear the ring. And then again when Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata came racing down the ramp to ward off the heels.
But having teased its own tribute to Cody Rhodes' grand ascension at WrestleMania XL, AEW then veered in the other direction on Sunday, with an ending that recalled another big WWE match: Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre in 2022. Just minutes after the challenger executed a perfect Swerve Stomp, an unexpected return from the Young Bucks delivered another stolen victory for the champ.
In some ways, this was infinitely worse than Clash at the Castle, given that — at least in that case — the interference came from someone with a plausible reason to get involved (i.e., Solo Sikoa). But having the Young Bucks do the dirty work for the bad guys just had most of us scratching our heads. I can’t remember the last time that a main event conclusion drew such a terrible reaction.
How much longer will this Moxley reign of terror go on? There’s been plenty of speculation that Khan is holding out for All In in July, presumably on the basis that the moment deserves to take place on one of the promotion’s flagship shows — like WWE does ...
