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AEW is coming off a remarkable year in 2024. Moreover, towards the end of the year, the company saw some of its top stars, such as Adam Cole, Kenny Omega, and Adam Copeland, making their monumental returns and changing the trajectory of the landscape.
On the other hand, betrayals have been a part of the professional wrestling business for years. These are done to create shocking moments and change the direction of superstars as they move ahead in their careers. Last year, AEW witnessed some betrayals, with one prime example being Mariah May turning on her mentor, Toni Storm, to emerge as a singles star and even take the AEW Women's World title from her.
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With the Jacksonville-based promotion entering a new year, it can be assumed that 2025 will also see some massive betrayals from top-tier stars. Here are the three shocking betrayals that can happen this year.
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#3. FTR turn their back on real-life close friend Adam Copeland
Adam Copeland, now going by the name Cope, is known to be very close to FTR members Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler in real life. The trio have been spotted together outside the ring on multiple occasions and maintain a great friendship due to their mutual respect and love for professional wrestling.
Moreover, Cope aligned himself with FTR upon his return from injury at the AEW Worlds End pay-per-view. The trio are collectively known as 'Rated-FTR.' However, a turn of events could see Harwood and Wheeler achieve greater success at the expense of Cope and betray at the perfect moment this year, revealing their plan to use Copeland's star power as their own ladder for success.
#2. Billy Gunn aligns with Max Caster betraying Anthony Bowens
At the start of 2025, major tensions were felt between the members of the popular AEW tag team, The Acclaimed. One instance even saw Anthony Bowens walking out on Max Caster during their match with The Hurt Syndicate on an edition of Dynamite. This led Caster to feel the wrath of the faction and escalate the issues between them further.
Moreover, at the AEW Collision: Maximum Carnage tapings, fans saw the official split of the tag team with their former mentor, Billy Gunn, aligning himself with Anthony Bowens. However, this could all turn out to be a ruse, with the WWE Hall of Famer betraying Bowens in 2025 and joining forces with the cocky and egoistic Max Caster in a shocking moment.
#1. Claudio Castagnoli takes over The Death Riders
Jon Moxley has established his dominance over the landscape as the AEW World Champion ever since he dethroned Bryan Danielson for the title at WrestleDream. Moreover, Moxley is backed by his faction, The Death Riders, Wheeler Yuta, Claudio Castagnoli, and Marina Shafir, who have proven to be unstoppable.
However, it has been evident that Jon Moxley has become more unhinged and dangerous during this time. Moreover, this could further lead to the Purveyor of Violence beginning to treat his faction cohorts as beneath him, not his allies. Moxley's actions could lead to frustrations among the other members, and they could choose to kick out the man who made them a united front.
This could see Shafir and Yuta elect Claudio Castagnoli as their new leader and betray Jon Moxley later this year, which could be a huge shocker for AEW fans.
