Welcome to the AEW Dynasty 2025 PPVPreview presented by GrapPro.com
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AEW Dynasty 2025
AEW Men’s World Championship
Swerve Strickland versus Jon Moxley (c)
Thanks for coming. See you tomorrow for the GrapPro Predictions…
Okay.
I will say more.
Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland had ample time to build this program as it began with a bang at Revolution when Prince Nana cut Jon Moxley off from walking out of the arena only for Swerve to come flying from above to stomp a mudhole in Mox.
Unfortunately, AEW decided two weeks of time needed to be used on Cope getting another shot at Jon Moxley, this time in a street fight. This put Swerve in the awkward position of having to get the program going without him really getting to focus on Mox. Instead he had to throw in lines about Cope in what ended up a very boring in-ring promo for the number one contender.
By the way, Swerve Strickland earned his shot at being number one contender. The last time anyone has earned a number one contenders position for a pay per view match (we’re not counting Powerhouse Hobbs for his TV shot just roll with me here) was Bryan Danielson at All In London. Darby Allin earned a shot after that but lost that shot to Jon Moxley, who can’t really say he earned his shot against Bryan Danielson. Orange Cassidy never became number one contender. Jay White and Hangman Page didn’t earn it. And Cope? He hadn’t wrestled in nine months before he requested and was given the title shot.
Swerve at Dynasty will be the first time since All In London that a PPV was main evented for the AEW Men’s World Championship between the number one contender and the champion.
For all of the criticism one can have about the Death Riders? This should be number one with a bullet. Mox has been champion since autumn. With exception to Powerhouse Hobbs winning a Casino Gauntlet, none of his challengers won their shot. Orange Cassidy was on the WrestleDream Zero Hour and had a squash against Bulk Bronson when he got his shot. Jay White beat Hangman Adam Page at Full Gear but it wasn’t called a number one contenders match and Page got in the match as well. Orange Cassidy found his way into that too. Cope lost in the Brisbane Brawl against the Death Riders but oh I guess he had wins against PAC and Big Bill so that’s a number one contender.
This stuff matters. Winning matches and being declared number one contender matters. Yes, it’s pro wrestling, and you can book any match you want to for whatever reason you want to, but as I said in luchanarrative dissonance, you have to do things to get us immersed in the pro wrestling stories. It’s not just about being real to sport but also real to wrestling. You need to make me believe in the world you’re presenting. And if Jon Moxley is the top of the mountain, then the people climbing up that mountain need to have earned that right to do so.
So finally, finally, FINALLY, we have someone who is actually a number one contender for defeating Ricochet. His record in 2025 wasn’t the best to argue it. He lost a triple threat including Jay White and Roderick Strong. He beat AR Fox and Clark Connors but lost to Ricochet in their match in Georgia. He also lost a tag match where Okada and Ricochet teamed up against him and Brody King. His record wasn’t like someone who was on fire, but at least he won a match titled NUMBER ONE CONTENDER.
Swerve has spent his post championship time often helping make others. He lost to Adam Page in the Lights Out Steel Cage match because Page needed it more. He lost to Bobby Lashley because, well, that one I can’t explain. He wasn’t on World’s End because I guess they didn’t want to do a rematch between him and Bobby and so it was better to just start the Ricochet feud with some toilet paper tossing.
So if you want to argue that Swerve isn’t a bulletproof number one contender? I can’t argue against it. If you want to argue that Jon Moxley needs a tougher, more undisputed number one contender? I can’t argue it. The final angle on Dynamite having people care more about Hangman’s confrontation with Swerve than the Death Rider attack? I can’t argue it.
But I can say that there’s a lot of AEW fans who feel like Swerve Strickland right now is fresh air. Fresh air from the suffocating heat. Fresh air from the Death Riders storyline. Fresh air to make people feel like it’s fun to watch AEW again. The midcard has been a lot better. The biggest issue, magnified by Revolution, was a weak tag division and a weak main event. Swerve winning Sunday is an opportunity to give AEW some real momentum.
I think there will be a lot of people disappointed if the pay per view ends with Swerve Strickland not winning. I hope I’ve at least explained all of the logical ways it shouldn’t happen. The build up started great, got frozen, and is now paint by numbers Death Riders. People are more interested in how Hangman Adam Page, who doesn’t have a match at Dynasty (he’s in the Owen tournament but isn’t one of the matches on the show) factors into Swerve Strickland’s plans towards Y’All In Texas, than they are Jon Moxley going toe to toe with Swerve.
Folks are caring more about what the result will be on this match than the match itself, and that’s not a good recipe. It wouldn’t be a good sign for the person who defeats Jon Moxley and ends the Death Rider crusade to be a guy who didn’t have the best record in getting his number one contender shot, and the feud being lacklustre to the pay per view at best. But people have dealt with opponents to Moxley lacking credibility. They’ve dealt with lacklustre build ups. They are tired of it and they want it to end.
Is it time for AEW to Swerve to Strickland once again at a Dynasty pay per view, or will Jon Moxley carry us kicking and screaming to the inevitable result in July, and expect us to thank him for the experience?
You know, in that famous Friends scene, they never did pivot the couch up the stairs. Ah well.
