5 AEW stars who were hurt by The Death Riders storyline 

The first episode of AEW Dynamite following All In 2024 saw the return of Jon Moxley. The Purveyor of Violence participated in a strange interview with Tony Schiavone, where he vowed to take over All Elite Wrestling and rebuild it according to his vision.

The 39-year-old star began to assemble a dominant faction, which could help him dismantle the top babyfaces on the roster. The One True King was joined in his mission by Pac, Claudio Castagnoli, Marina Shafir, and Wheeler Yuta, who helped him destroy major stars like Bryan Danielson and Darby Allin.

At WrestleDream 2024, Jon Moxley defeated Bryan Danielson to become the new AEW World Champion. The victory marked the fourth time The Ace of All Elite Wrestling had captured a World Title, and fans had great expectations for this reign.

Unfortunately, The Death Riders storyline lost the plot following Moxley's title win. What started as an initiative to elevate younger stars soon turned into a directionless storyline. Jon Moxley failed to explain his exact motives, which led to a significant decline in fan interest.

Moxley's underwhelming run did more harm than good to the AEW product. Numerous stars took a backseat in favor of making The One True King and his allies look good. In this article, let's look at the five stars who were hurt the most by The Death Riders storyline.

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#5. Jay White became a casualty of Jon Moxley's dominant reign

Jay White had an incredible feud with Hangman Adam Page in the fall of 2024. The two stars battled each other at WrestleDream and Full Gear, and The Switchblade came out victorious on both occasions.

Unfortunately, Tony Khan failed to capitalize on White's momentum. The AEW President should have put a mid-card championship on The Catalyst, allowing him to dominate the competition outside the main event scene.

Instead, TK inserted Jay White in a rivalry with Jon Moxley. At Worlds End 2024, The erstwhile Dean Ambrose defended his World Championship against White, Orange Cassidy, and Hangman Adam Page. The Switchblade ended up being the individual who got pinned in the contest.

Since then, White has mostly been presented as a supporting character to Cope, who is set to challenge for the AEW World Title at Revolution. The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion also had a mini-feud with Wheeler Yuta, which failed to impress the fans.

Following Full Gear 2024, Tony Khan should have focused on giving White a consistent push. However, Khan chose to rush The Catalyst into the World Title picture, without solid plans for him.

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#4. Darby Allin could have got his moment of glory without Jon Moxley's intervention

In July 2024, Darby Allin won the Royal Rampage Battle Royal to earn a future shot at the AEW World Championship. A few weeks later, The Invisible Man was confronted by Jon Moxley, who urged the young star to put his title shot on the line against him.

The two men clashed at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam in September 2024. Despite putting up a solid fight, the daredevil star failed to defeat The One True King, losing his No.1 Contendership in the process.

The Purveyor of Violence went on to dethrone Bryan Danielson at WrestleDream, a moment that truly belonged to Darby Allin. The 32-year-old has been a loyal asset to All Elite Wrestling for years and many fans wanted him to get his crowning moment in his home state of Washington.

Allin also suffered a couple of defeats against Claudio Castagnoli, which only further hurt his momentum. Now that he has shifted his focus to climbing Mt. Everest, it is unlikely that The Invisible Star will be the one to take the title off Moxley.

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#3. Christian Cage has not been able to cash in his contract due to The Death Riders

Christian Cage emerged victorious in the Casino Gauntlet match at All In 2024. It was a massive victory for The Patriarch, as it granted him a guaranteed World title shot at any time and place of his choice.

The former World Heavyweight Champion has attempted to cash in his contract several times since then. However, The Death Riders have prevented him from fulfilling his prophecy on every occasion.

Despite having a guaranteed title shot, Christian Cage has continued to drift away from the main event scene of late. Before Jon Moxley's return in August 2024, Captain Charisma was presented as a crucial figure on AEW's weekly programming.

Since The One True King captured the AEW World Championship, The Patriarchy has seemingly taken a backseat. The situation would have been a lot different if the AEW World Title was in the grasp of a babyface. If someone like Bryan Danielson or Darby Allin had been the Champion, Cage would have certainly executed a successful cash-in.

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#2. Bryan Danielson sacrificed his AEW World title reign to elevate The Death Riders

At All Out 2024, Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli turned their backs on Bryan Danielson. The duo launched a brutal assault on The American Dragon, which left the wrestling world stunned.

The conflict between Danielson and Moxley eventually culminated in a World Title match at WrestleDream 2024. The Ace of All Elite Wrestling picked up the win in this match, putting an end to Danielson's 48-day reign.

It is quite unfortunate that the 43-year-old veteran lost his championship in favor of cementing The Death Riders' dominance. The Leader of the Yes Movement scripted history at All In 2024 when he dethroned Swerve Strickland.

Bryan Danielson celebrating his title victory with his family in front of an ecstatic Wembley crowd remains one of the most beautiful visuals in the history of the Jacksonville-based promotion. Tony Khan should have rewarded The American Dragon with a longer title reign for scripting history at All In.

Instead, Danielson kept the AEW World Championship for less than two months. The veteran only had a couple of successful title defenses before losing his crown to The One True King.

Jon Moxley could have justified TK's decision to take the title off Danielson by going on a career-defining run as the AEW World Champion. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

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#1. Jon Moxley's fanbase has declined in the past few months

Jon Moxley had high ambitions for his fourth AEW World Championship reign. The former International Champion introduced The Death Riders to kick off a new era for the Jacksonville-based promotion.

Intending to improve the TV ratings for the TK-led company, the 39-year-old star decided to take matters into his own hands. Unfortunately, things did not go as Moxley had planned.

The underwhelming response to The Death Riders storyline led to a significant change in the audience's perception of Jon Moxley. In the past, Moxley had stepped up as a savior for AEW numerous times. However, the champion's fourth title reign has proved detrimental to the TK-led company.

The Purveyor of Violence has let down many fans with his recent heel run. Many critics have called out the poor creative ideas of The Cincinnati native, with numerous fans calling him the worst World Champion in the promotion's history.