3 Reasons Jon Moxley needs to be immediately replaced as the leader of Death Riders in AEW

Jon Moxley's position as the "King" of AEW has been somewhat shaky since he lost the Men's World Championship to Hangman Page at All In: Texas. The Purveyor of Violence suffered yet another huge blow earlier this month at WrestleDream, where he was defeated by Darby Allin in a brutal "I Quit" match.

Surrendering to the face-painted star has seemingly affected Moxley, and although he still insists that the Death Riders are unwavering in their goals and commitments, the violent faction might be planning to oust their leader imminently. Let us consider three reasons why the stable needs to eject Moxley from its ranks sooner rather than later.

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#1. The Death Riders could hold the view that Jon Moxley is now a weak ruler

Unseating Jon Moxley as AEW World Champion was a tall task for Adam Page. Although The Cowboy was overwhelmed by the interference of the Death Riders and The Young Bucks, with help from Will Ospreay, Bryan Danielson, Darby Allin, and Swerve Strickland, Page eventually managed to submit The One True King with a steel chain once again to win the Men's World Title at All In: Texas.

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In a rematch for the belt with everyone banned from the ringside, Moxley lost to The Hangman once again. Later in August, the Death Riders faced Ospreay, Allin, The Golden Lovers, and Hiroshi Tanahashi in a Lights Out Steel Cage Match, but they lost. At All Out: Toronto, Moxley competed against Darby in a Coffin Match and only managed to win thanks to a huge assist from the returning Pac. At WrestleDream 2025, Allin shocked the world by overcoming the odds and beating Mox in an "I Quit" match.

On the following episode of AEW Dynamite, Moxley took on Kyle O'Reilly one-on-one, and when The Violent Artist seemed to have the former World Champion on the verge of tapping, Moxley attacked the referee, accepting a disqualification loss. The former Lunatic Fringe does not seem to be on top of his game like he once was, a fact that the Death Riders could see as a sign of weakness. This could prompt them to eject him as their leader soon.

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#2. Claudio Castagnoli could take over as the Death Riders' new King; go after the AEW Title

Despite joining The Blackpool Combat Club as Bryan Danielson's substitute for Forbidden Door in 2022, and despite his long-standing close friendship with him, Claudio Castagnoli was the one to fire the first shot at The American Dragon when Jon Moxley and The BCC turned on him at All Out 2024. The Swiss Cyborg has since been his king's most loyal soldier, aiding Mox in several matches and, not to mention, dominating the AEW roster along with the rest of the group.

However, ever since the Death Riders dropped the AEW World Trios Titles in April, the stable has suffered many significant losses. Interestingly, while Castagnoli has been active as a competitor over the past year, he has not really been booked as a main event-level talent. The King of Swing has picked up some momentum lately with singles wins over Powerhouse Hobbs and Roderick Strong. An easy way to elevate Claudio as a top star at this point would be to have him turn on and kick Jon Moxley out of the Death Riders.

Former AEW World Trios and ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli [Image Credits: Claudio's X profile]

The One True King's Emissary of Violence could take up Moxley's throne and go after Hangman Page to bring the AEW World Title back to his faction. Castagnoli has all the tools to become one of the company's upcoming major villains, especially with PAC, Marina Shafir, Wheeler Yuta, and Daniel Garcia to back him up. He could also motivate his team to regain the trios belts and re-establish their supremacy over the roster.

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#3. Jon Moxley could reunite with Eddie Kingston

Ever since news broke that Eddie Kingston was close to returning from injury, fans had been clamoring for the former Continental Champion to finally confront Jon Moxley and the Death Riders. The Mad King has not shared the ring with the erstwhile Dean Ambrose since February 2024, and fans were eager to see what Eddie would have to say to his old friend about his actions over the past year.

Kingston returned at AEW All Out: Toronto to pick up a win over Big Bill, and has also forged an alliance with Hook, with whom he has formed a successful tag team. However, fans have expressed dissatisfaction with how the former ROH World Champion has been kept out of the company's top storylines. This could change if Eddie finally crosses paths with Jon Moxley after the latter is removed from the Death Riders.

Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston [Image Credits: AEW's YouTube channel]

Considering how Kingston once rushed to save Moxley from an exploding ring, there's no doubt that the New York native would try to help Moxley fight back against the Death Riders, especially if the faction were to elect his eternal nemesis Claudio Castagnoli as its new leader. Even Hook has had issues with the stable lately, so Mox joining forces with Kingston and The Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil to form a new, formidable trio isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility.

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Edited by Neda Ali