More than ever, the AEW world title scene is getting dragged on the larger social media ecosystem for various (and understandable) reasons.
While current champion Jon Moxley has been the ultimate “break glass incase of emergency” talent, it’s hard to deny that this current run at the top lacks the focus and intensity that made most of his programs in the past so compelling. This isn’t to say he’s bad when the bell rings, but there currently is a disconnect between the character he is and the stories he is trying to tell.
This problem is punctuated by the fatigue many fans are feeling when it comes to Moxley’s overall output and the opponents put in front of him. With only two singles matches against Orange Cassidy and Will Hobbs during this reign, Moxley is left to speak about the hypothetical violence he’ll enact before being run off by whatever faces are lingering around the title scene at that moment. While these are all undoubtedly problems that affect the quality of any given World Title Program (putting it currently in the worst place it’s been since the Punk wins and subsequent injuries), it’s hard not to look at the World Title as a whole and see the inconsistencies riddled throughout its history that continue to actively dampen its prestige.
AEW boasts otherworldly talent up and down the roster, most of which have the ability to prop-up any given card from the promise of a performance alone. But even with such talent, it doesn’t change the fact that the main event scene is hardly ever the selling point of a given show. It’s normally the entire card that gets people talking as dream matches bubble into existence in the blink of an eye and fan favorites lock into intriguing builds that allow for character growth and renewed motivation when all is done and dusted.
Not a fan of the Moxley/Cope main event match? Good thing the Revolution 2025 card has Takeshita/Kenny, Mercedes/Momo Watanabe, or Swerve/Ricochet (not to mention that the rest of the card is stacked with well-built, thoughtful programs that make the larger product feel engaging and focused). It’s thanks to this overwhelming amount of high-calibre talent that the World Title has never needed to be the selling point for the company.
Let’s just start with the big picture problem, AEW rarely has a talent in a position that can actively threaten the current world champion in any meaningful way. Once again, that’s not to say there isn’t an absurd amount of talent across the roster, but most reigns are built on the idea of bringing other talent up to the main event scene rather than top talent fighting for the top prize in the company. In fact, World Title wins are normally telegraphed months in advance as the ensuing champion works their way to the top of the card to take the title. These problems compound and indirectly tell the audience that a given World Title match won’t matter until the company explicitly states that the champion is fighting a real challenger.
Jon Moxley’s first title reign had a PPV output featuring a hot but green MJF, Mr. Brodie Lee two months after he debuted in the company, and Eddie Kingston only six months into what was initially a one-off appearance against Cody. While these matches are great (with the Eddie match being amazing), the outcome was never really in question. It was never about the challengers winning to begin with, it was about making those three look like threats, solidifying their place near the top of the card for new fans.
When it came to the chase for Moxley’s title, eventual winner Kenny Omega solidified a heel turn after losing the tag titles and destroying a tenuous relationship with partner Adam Page. Kenny (with the AAA World Title in hand) went on to dominate an ensuing eliminator tournament that would secure himself a title match at Winter is Coming in 2021. Essentially, the audience is put in a position where they have to stay actively invested in both stories while simultaneously just waiting for the competitors to actually meet. The only champion that really managed to thwart this dynamic is Swerve Strickland.
Most world champions in AEW spend the better part of six months building to their title win. Omega, MJF, Hangman, Moxley; They all were primed to be the champion as the company put their resources into giving them a compelling road to the title. Swerve Strickland, on the other hand, was simply too undeniable to not make champion. Hell, he and Keith Lee did it with the tag team championship a year before his World Title reign. He was a dynamic left turn in both situations that gave a jolt of excitement and unpredictability to two divisions that tend to stagnate as fans wait for the real successor(s) to earn their shot.
It also helps that Swerve got to mix-it-up with other top talent like Hangman on his organic rise to the top while also getting a clean win over a white-hot Will Ospreay as champion. In a sense, he was an organic break from the winding builds that still permeate the Main Event scene in AEW. Because of this unpredictability, Swerve’s matches kept the results in question since he wasn’t given the explicit resources to be “the next guy.”
How the World Champion is presented in AEW also solidified a mindset that fans didn’t really need to pay attention to the main event scene unless the obvious next champion finally stepped into the spotlight. It’s complacent booking that keeps the scene stale unless the current champion brings in some sort of exciting twist on that dynamic.
Adam Page’s crowning was a momentous occasion as it ushered in the first true star grown within the company with his reign being engaging thanks to a shuffling assortment of the industry’s top stars like Danielson and Punk (as this was also a period of talent influx for AEW). Omega’s title reign was also fun as he appeared all over the world to steal another promotion’s top title like he was a goddamn Street Fighter. While these reigns were exciting, it doesn’t distract from the fact that most title matches were foregone conclusions as fans waited for the next successor, which ultimately makes the World Title feel unimportant.
The World Title optics problem is nothing new either as Chris Jericho and Adam Page failed to make the inaugural title bout the most important match on the All Out 2019 card. In the ensuing months, the conversation about the show revolved around the Darby Allin vs Joey Janela vs an exiled predator Three Way Cracker Barrel Clash and the Escalera de La Muerte for the AAA Tag Team titles between Lucha Brothers and The Young Bucks.
Even the very next Pay-Per-View didn’t see the World Title in the main event spot. That’s not to say Jericho and Cody Rhodes didn’t try, escalating their feud to the point that Cody could never challenge for the world title ever again if he lost, but it couldn’t compete with the magnitude of Moxley and Omega’s year build to their lights out match (which also logically has to be at the end of the show since it’s unsanctioned).
Statistically, the World Title comes off as unimportant too as it has generally failed to capture the interest of fans, resulting in some odd facts that make the title look worse. Firstly, the title has failed to main event 8 Pay-Per-Views since its inception. As previously mentioned, the Omega/Moxley Lights Out Match kind of had to take that spot, but two Anarchy in the Arena’s, Sting’s retirement match, the Swerve/Hangman Cage Match, and a Danielson/Okada rematch took precedence over the company’s top title. The last example is from Forbidden Door 2023 and actually features then champion MJF opening the show in an underwhelming match against Hiroshi Tanahashi, cementing it as the least important World Title on the card.
The statistics don’t stop there as the unflattering story continues to unwind. Of the 26 World Championship Pay-Per-View matches booked by AEW, only seven of them featured title changes. Two of those changes were also hurt by a CM Punk injury sustained in both title wins. This resulted in Punk vacating the title on an ensuing dynamite with the next reign ending in a squash before winning it back and vacating it at Brawl Out (no year needed, there is only one Brawl Out).
Hell, there were two PPV’s during the MJF title reign that didn’t feature a World Championship match at all (All Out 2023 and WrestleDream 2023). While the World Champion only failed to be booked for a PPV on two occasions, it doesn’t change the fact that it still presents a situation where the World Champion isn’t presented as the top-dawg in the company. It invites fans to dismiss the championship since it isn’t being presented as the ultimate prize in the company.
The World Title predicament is an odd one to parse through as it would normally be a problem that would damage any other company. Obviously it’s damaging AEW now, but for the longest time fans remained alright with the idea that the World Title usually wasn’t “THE” most fleshed out/intriguing match on a given card.
It wasn’t until AEW’s weekly TV lost steam in 2024 when the World Title complaints remained consistent enough to gain some real credence. With PPV cards more lackluster than previous years in-regard to excitement, it’s only fair for fans to expect the current World Champion to prove why they’re the face of the company. Fortunately, at least with Revolution 2025, AEW seems to be back in a place where a Ten match card can have at least five matches any given AEW fan is truly invested in.
AEW desperately needs to address its issues within the World Title scene as all it does is add to the prestige of the company and the talent working there, but the issues are the same problems that plagued the scene upon its initial inception in 2019. While AEW says they’re a company where “the best wrestle,” the ebb and flow of time will put the company into a position where it’s product can’t help but be lackluster. There’s 52 Dynamites a year, it’s impossible for AEW to operate at its peak when they have 104 hours of television to book for a single show.
