Former champion to make huge AEW return and kick Christian Cage out of The Patriarchy? Analyzing the possibility.

AEW is approaching its biggest event of the year: Double Or Nothing. The seventh annual edition of Tony Khan's flagship pay-per-view will surely feature several storyline swerves and major happenings. New speculation indicates a potential blockbuster return and double-cross involving Christian Cage and The Patriarchy.

Captain Charisma found a major career resurgence in All Elite Wrestling after debuting just over 4 years ago at Revolution 2021. After a few setbacks and tension within The Patriarchy, Revolution 2025 brought more unwanted drama to Christian as he failed to capture the AEW World Championship after cashing in his guaranteed title shot to make Cope vs. Jon Moxley a Triple Threat. The unfortunate streak continued on Dynamite after a backstage incident with Nick Wayne.

The Prodigy is making his name in AEW, managed by Mama Wayne. Nick is a second generation star, and along with Kip Sabian, currently provides Christian with additional muscle to aid his own championship pursuits. Dynamite saw the 19-year-old call Christian out backstage, labeling him a liar.

Wayne blamed Cage for not winning the AEW World Championship, then demanded an apology and explanation. Christian shoved Wayne, insulted his late father, then accused the rising star of riding coat-tails. The veteran also threatened Wayne, and promised he would become World Champion. The ongoing drama within the faction is a reminder of the missing member: Killswitch.

Christian's bullying and heel antics previously led to tension with the former Luchasaurus. The masked grappler remained loyal to The Instant Classic, but is currently on the shelf after suffering a health scare last fall. There was talk of Killswitch returning from injury at Revolution last weekend, perhaps for an "alternate ending" that likely would have involved his Patriarchy leader. Rumors and speculation have picked up on potential creative directions, with many wondering if the former Jurassic Express member might be returning to get revenge for a certain opportunity that was wasted.

The Post-Modern Phenomenon worked his last match at All In. After losing the World Trios Championship earlier in the show, Cage and Killswitch entered the 12-man Casino Gauntlet. Introduced as Luchasaurus, the former WWE NXT Superstar looked to finish Cage with a chokeslam, but pulled a swerve and helped the Canadian legend win a guaranteed future shot at the World Championship, which Cage unsuccessfully cashed in at Revolution last weekend. Now there's a feeling among some that we could see Killswitch return to take control of The Patriarchy, perhaps with the feeling that Cage is failing as a leader.

Killswitch does have pre-faction history with his stablemates. Wayne's first-ever AEW PPV match was a WrestleDream 2023 loss to the former Luchasaurus. Killswitch and Sabian have never faced one-on-one, but Jurassic Express did defeat Sabian and Peter Avalon in 2020. Cage and Killswitch also have a strong history as the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion first teamed with Jurassic Express shortly after debuting, taking on the role of mentor to Jungle Boy aka Jack Perry.

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Will Ospreay also going for the AEW World Championship

Christian Cage isn't the only star gunning for the AEW World Championship. Will Ospreay has had his eye on All Elite Wrestling's top prize since arriving, and on Dynamite he declared his goal of headlining All In: Texas on July 12.

The UK star plans to reach this goal by winning The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Ospreay announced that he is on another level to end the promo, then reiterated this narrative on X.

The Aerial Assassin defeated longtime friend and foe Kyle Fletcher at Revolution last weekend. The bloody Steel Cage match ended in 29 minutes.