5 AEW Stars To Dethrone Le Champion
Who will Chris Jericho eventually lose the AEW World Championship to?
Chris Jericho has once again reinvented himself and this time it’s as AEW’s front man – not Fozzy’s. Jericho, along with his Inner Circle, has established a pretty tight stranglehold on the company’s top prize. Which brings up the question, who will eventually dethrone Le Champion? We take a look at the five wrestlers with the best chance of doing just that.
Let’s not shy too far away from the man who first competed against Jericho for the title: “Hangman” Adam Page. He passes everything on the eye test when looking for a world champion; good build, good height and the way he carries all of it screams future world champ. His feud with PAC has been one of the better feuds in AEW so far. PAC brings out a nastiness in Hangman, one he needs to pull out in every match. If Hangman can learn to tap into that, he will quickly be at the top in the AEW power rankings. Page is also in The Elite and, to his own acknowledgement, he hasn’t really brought anything to the table yet. Seemingly disconnected with his buddies, don’t be surprised if a future heel turn pushes Hangman into that main event picture for good.
It’s no surprise that PAC is a future AEW World Champion. “The Bastard” has an intensity rarely seen in wrestling these days. This intensity carried over when he filled in for Jon Moxley at All Out vs. Kenny Omega, who was thought to be the surefire winner. Instead, PAC choked him out. Since All Out, PAC has taken Mox to the limit and has only suffered one loss since joining AEW. It is only a matter of time before PAC gets his opportunity at the title. He may not be knocking on Jericho’s door yet, but the Inner Circle can’t get too relaxed because sooner rather than later “The Bastard” will be coming around to stake his claim.
The third wrestler that will eventually have AEW’s top’s prize around his waist is Omega. A mainstay in “Being the Elite”, he has put on countless classics in Japan, earning him the distinction of “Best Bout Machine.” You might not get that feeling watching AEW, though, as Omega has struggled right out of the gate. He doesn’t feel like the mega star he was in Japan, but that won’t last much longer. Being beaten so viciously by Mox may have broken him. The thing with Omega, though, is he’s still moving. That might be the mistake Mox will regret. Omega has an obsessive personality and will make it his personal mission to get back on track by getting revenge on Mox.
Staying with The Elite, another future world champion is Cody Rho…no, the guy who single-handedly removed Cody for all future world title shots: Maxwell Jacob Friedman. MJF has jumped off the screen since being introduced on “Being the Elite.” This guy is the salt of the earth, or so Cody thought, as he took him under his wing and brought him into the fold in a major way. MJF showed early signs of turning on his mentor, but again illustrating why he is better than all of us, he picked the moment where Cody had everything to lose and MJF had everything to gain. This was as cold and calculated a move as I have ever seen in professional wrestling, and now adding Warlow as an extra insurance policy is genius.
Aside from being smarter than the rest of the AEW roster, MJF can also talk people into a building while insulting them the whole time. His promo work is next level, getting a reaction every time he opens his mouth. He’s no slouch in the ring, either. Jericho is correct in saying he sees a lot of himself in MJF, but soon he could see MJF holding his beloved title. Before that can happen, MJF has to deal with the fallout of what he did to Cody, but if you think the American Nightmare is going to get over on MJF, you haven’t been paying attention. MJF is the future of AEW and could very well be not only a future AEW champion, but the longest-reigning world champion the company may ever have.
Before getting to the fifth man who could possibly be the next AEW world champion, I would like to give some honorable mentions. The first is Moxley, a former WWE World Champion, WWE and IWGP United States Champion, Intercontinental Champion and Tag team Champion, so it only seems natural that he would become an AEW Champion. Mox seems to have only one goal right now, and that’s to prove to everyone that there isn’t a man alive that is tougher or can deal out as much punishment as him. So for now, I don’t see him going after titles as much as I see him going after jaws.
Also on the honorable mention list is Scorpio Sky. The SCU standout has already put himself into the AEW record books by becoming the first AEW Tag Team Champion and has already caught the eye of Le Champion himself. He is the only man to hold a victory over Jericho in the promotion, earning himself a title shot in the process. It’s too soon to pull the trigger, but he’s definitely one to keep an eye on down the line.
The final wrestler I see becoming a future AEW World Champion is Darby Allin. He was introduced to most of the world when he clashed with Cody Rhodes, forcing a draw in a match most people thought Cody would win. Darby grabbed everyone’s attention that night and he hasn’t let go of it since. He may not be the biggest in the ring, but he is undeniable with his move-set and fearless attitude. Allin then took part of a triple threat “let’s see who is more insane” match with Janela and Jimmy Havoc. Although Havoc came out the victor, all anyone was talking about was Darby and his brutal use of a skateboard. He also has shown zero fear in facing Jericho.
Mox issued a challenge (more of a threat) to the whole locker room that no one was bad enough to step to him – Darby proved that theory wrong. His win-loss record isn’t the best in AEW, but he can overcome that. Allin already has the fans in the palm of his hand, reminding most of us of a young Jeff Hardy or Rey Mysterio with how smooth he is and how effortless he makes every high risk move look. That fearless can carry a wrestler straight to the top no matter what else is going on. Darby also has a rare ability in wrestling these days with how he makes every match he is in feel special. If you don’t believe me, just check out his entrance in a MOX body bag. Whether it’s the entrance, his skateboard or just his message-filled body paint, Allin has something special about him and soon he will have a World Title to cement just how special he is.
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