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AEW Revolution 2025
Number One Contenders Match
Ricochet versus Swerve Strickland
There was a point in time in All Elite Wrestling (let’s call it January of 2025. Because it was in January of 2025) where it felt like the company was completely losing its edge. The overflow of veterans like Chris Jericho, Jeff Jarrett, Christopher Daniels, and Cope taking up television time and attention away from the stars in their prime we really wanted to see.
Jericho is always going to be around whether he like it or not (and whether it’s better for his career or not) but Christopher Daniels was building a small story with Hangman Adam Page culminating in Page retiring Daniels to turn him babyface. It wasn’t a bad story. It just got lumped in with everything else and felt like just another star in their prime wasting time with an old guy instead of doing something with more value. Jarrett was trying to go for the world title and then… disappeared. Cope is in the main event of Revolution.
There was an exhausting, suffocating heat that was permeating the product and it felt like nothing could provide relief and it made the shows difficult to watch and difficult to appreciate. The one breath of fresh air?
Swerve Strickland versus Ricochet.
It didn’t start that way. I was not a fan of Swerve throwing toilet paper at Ricochet at World’s End. It was basically an admission that they had no plans for Swerve on a pay per view (likely because they didn’t want to run back Bobby Lashley and Swerve) and starting this program was the best they had. Ricochet’s heel turn was just getting going, and it would actually be that moment that kicked things into gear.
Ricochet was humiliated by Swerve on pay per view. He just lost to Okada in the Continental Classic, his semi final finish being something nobody really expected going into the C2, but Ricochet had successfully redeveloped himself from a plucky babyface coming to AEW to an annoying, irritating, self unaware jackass who just got under your fingernails. His win against Will Ospreay and then going Time Limit Draw with Darby Allin to keep him from moving forward was just the perfect way to get his spot in the semi final in a way you just hate him that much more. He didn’t beat Darby. He just went 20 minutes with him.
Ricochet may have lost to Zack Sabre Jr. at Wrestle Dynasty, but it was a strong enough showing to argue that this Ricochet we may have underestimated. Now, let me be clear. Every negative thing I said about Ricochet up to Full Gear? Deserved. His babyface debut was not working. It was designed to work and it didn’t. Ricochet was trying to be another Will Ospreay and AEW already had Will Ospreay. So now? He’s being Ricochet. Heel Ricochet. Something AEW didn’t have, and absolutely welcomes. Ricochet deserved his criticism and now he deserves his praise.
Ricochet would beat AR Fox on Dynamite a week prior to his singles match with Swerve Strickland on Dynamite, and it was clear that Ricochet wanted to make this personal in some way. He would go on to defeat Swerve Strickland in a match that felt like it was completely in the former AEW Men’s World Champion’s hands. Ricochet would accidentally heat butt Swerve in the groin, and once realizing it happened, took advantage and beat Swerve. He also stole the Embassy coat that Swerve proudly wore to the ring, given to him by Prince Nana and once worn by Jimmy Rave.
It was at this point that Ricochet’s heel turn was in full swing, and proved himself to be the best heel in the company. Not AEW Men’s World Champion Jon Moxley, not Kyle Fletcher, not AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May or TBS Champion Mercedes Moné. Not even Maxwell Jacob Friedman, who has been doing some of his best work in years. It’s Ricochet.
Whether it’s stabbing Swerve with scissors for calling him bald (which Swerve responded in kind on Dynamite last night) or wearing a Philadelphia Eagles hat to hide his bald head and pretend he’s part of the team? Ricochet has been the best opponent Swerve Strickland has had since Hangman Adam Page. Ricochet has elevated himself to Swerve’s position, Swerve’s level, and it’s been done through fantastic character work and good wrestling. He’d be a feel good story for AEW if he wasn’t so damn annoying.
I haven’t talked a lot about Swerve Strickland, who has been going through a former champion hangover that’s common with many former world champions. He lost his championship to Bryan Danielson, then lost the cage match with Adam Page only two weeks after. He lost his childhood home to a fire Page created, and now the fans have gone back to loving the Hangman after everything he did. He tried to get back on track, only to lose to Bobby Lashley at Full Gear. He didn’t try entering the Continental Classic again, and lost a match for a spot in the Casino Gauntlet. And now going into Revolution, he lost a tag match with Brody King against Kazuchika Okada and Ricochet.
Swerve needs to get back into the victory column, and thankfully, this match was set up to be a number one contenders match. The winner goes on to face the AEW Men’s World Champion at Dynasty. That’s the pay per view Swerve Strickland defeated Samoa Joe to become AEW Men’s World Champion. It would feel good to see him back in that place, taking the Death Rider challenge against Jon Moxley. Should Moxley fall to Cope? It would make sense then for Ricochet to be the man to win this match and go on to face Cope in his first challenge for the title.
You could go either way, and that’s the beauty of a great program. Everyone is going to come out better in this. Even if Swerve loses, he’s built enough chemistry with Ricochet to know that this won’t be their last meeting. Even if Ricochet loses, he’s a made man in AEW now, and could go after any babyface champion and become a pain in their side and be a believable heel doing it. I’m now thinking long term for both these men, and with AEW shows being much easier to watch now? I can thank these two men for being that extra oxygen we needed to survive to here.
