3 men who could put a stop to Jon Moxley's AEW takeover

Jon Moxley is the most important performer in All Elite Wrestling. He’s the one the company turns to when it’s time to make important shifts, planned or not. He’s back on top as the AEW World Champion, holding the title while forcing the company into a “new era.” Moxley is the right man to hold the championship, and it puts the next titleholder in an interesting position to capture the momentum that’s been brewing to this point. This piece looks at three men who should be at the top of mind to take that title from Jon Moxley.

Darby Allin

Darby Allin seems to be the top foil for Moxley at some point. Moxley defeated him to take the title shot that was used to snuff out Danielson’s full-time career. It was Allin who was handcuffed to the corner while the BCC destroyed the former champion. It makes sense that he would be one of the biggest names to want to avenge what happened.

Some have compared Allin’s potential role in this angle to what Sting meant to WCW in the days the NWO rose to power. That’s a big comparison, especially looking at how Allin was right there for every step of Sting’s official retirement. That could even be a story beat in this angle, for example, the BCC could take Sting out in a backstage segment. Either way, Darby Allin should be the next big foil for Jon Moxley.

Wheeler Yuta

Imagine the pop that AEW fans will give Wheeler Yuta if he finally turns on the Blackpool Combat Club. In their quest to rid AEW of Bryan Danielson, the group tormented Wheeler Yuta in a way that puts bigger siblings to shame. Moxley even forced Yuta to bag Danielson after taking the championship from him, pushing him further over the edge.

Yuta would have to stand up to the other members of the BCC one by one, before facing Moxley head-on. These are the types of stories that AEW tells well, and it would be interesting to see how the company would present Yuta as a top title threat.

Orange Cassidy

Orange Cassidy is an interesting name in this mix. Cassidy has a 20-year career under his belt, performing in some of the most important independent organizations around the world. But when he was signed to All Elite Wrestling in 2020, this was the moment in which he was given the chance to stand out on the “main stage.” That’s exactly what Cassidy has done. In four years, he’s become a vital member of that roster, showing that stars can truly get over with the AEW fanbase if given the opportunity.

He held the AEW International Championship for a combined 471 days, putting on some of the best wrestling matches during that time. Including a win over Jon Moxley. That could be the catalyst for Cassidy standing up to Moxley again. The fans would certainly be behind him during that angle, and picking up the victory would set Cassidy on the road to being the next top star for AEW.