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Chris Jericho turned down Cody's challenge, which prohibits the AEW official from another title opportunity. If not Cody, who should challenge Jericho and possibly defeat him?
For the time being, Chris Jericho is celebrating, no doubt with 'a little bit of the bubbly' as he basks in his defeat of Cody, turning back the AEW official's challenge at Full Gear.
But the problem with being the World Champion of any promotion is that there are constantly people gunning for your title. You can't swing a dead cat and not hit someone in AEW who probably feels they deserve a chance to wear the fledgling promotion's vaunted 'big belt.'
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The desire to be a champion and actually being one are two different things, however. In this slideshow, we will examine AEW superstars, friend, and foe to Jericho alike, who might become AEW World Champion in the near future.
We will also examine candidates who will probably NOT be wearing the AEW's big belt anytime soon.
Without further ado, away we go with our first entry on the list, a man who many feel was greatly wasted in WWE.
Might be AEW Champion soon #1: Jack Hager
The hitherto undefeated Bellator MMA star and former WWE World Champion Jack Hager made a major impact at AEW with only a handful of appearances.
When he revealed himself to be Jericho's secret weapon in The Inner Circle, AEW fans went ballistic. Jack Hager had been perceived by fandom at large as a talent that WWE thoroughly wasted. Though he had brief flirtations with greatness, including capturing the WWE World title, he never seemed to sustain any momentum.
Hager wound up being a gatekeeper for wrestlers seeking to escape the midcard for the main event. Even the popular We the People gimmick didn't help Hager escape the midcard doldrums.
So he quit and sought his fortune in both MMA and the indie scene. Hager is undefeated in his MMA career (though a recent bout did end in a no-contest due to an errant knee to the groin of his opponent) and his stock is fairly high as a legitimate badass. This, combined with AEW wanting to prove that they are willing to elevate talent that other promotions may have overlooked, gives him a decent shot of being AEW Champion within the next year.
Probably won't be AEW Champion soon #2: Sammy Guevara
If you need an example of just how young Sammy Guevara is, keep this in mind. He was just two years old when the very first episode of WCW Monday Nitro aired on TNT.
Guevara has been turning heads on the indie scene for some time, though perhaps his star rose a bit too fast. Guevara double-booked himself on accident, and was fired from Major League Wrestling for failing to appear on their card.
But Guevara has persevered and wound up with a prominent position with Chris Jericho's Inner Circle stable. In case you were wondering just how much stock Sammy has with AEW, he was given the privilege of wrestling Cody on AEW Dynamite's debut event.
Guevara has all the promise in the world, but he probably won't be wrestling for the AEW World title anytime soon, much less win it. In a few years, quite possibly, but for now there are too many more experienced and established challengers in the queue.
Might be AEW Champion Soon #2: MJF
While it's great that AEW can provide platforms for established talent like Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho, and Jack Hager, it is also a place where fans who don't closely follow the indie scene can see some future legends in the business.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman, perhaps better known by the initials MJF, is such a future legend. MJF cut his teeth in the insane Combat Zone Wrestling promotion. At that point in his career, MJF was a babyface who wrestled under the name Pete Lightning, and as his name might suggest he was primarily a high flyer.
MJF has evolved into a more complete wrestler, though he can still come off the top rope if it suits him. Despite his involvement with popular indie leagues MLW and CZW, a lot of fans who only follow more mainstream promotions had never heard of him until his involvement with AEW. Since he was intrinsically involved in the finish of the Jericho/Cody match, you can bet that he's not done with the AEW World title picture.
Probably won't be AEW Champion soon: Pentagon Jr.
There are a lot of reasons that Pentagon Jr.'s star is on the rise, not just in AEW, but in all of pro wrestling.
For one, he's a traditional luchador through and through. Pentagon Jr. has never appeared without his mask (nor has his brother Rey Fenix) and he is a proud upholder of the masked wrestling dynasty.
For another, his in-ring skills are simply phenomenal. Pentagon Jr. is every bit as good as AJ Styles, Ricochet, or Kenny Omega. The only thing holding him back slightly is that English is his second language, and thus mike skills are almost a no go.
Pentagon Jr. was brought in for the AEW tag team division and is currently embroiled in a war with So Cal Uncensored for the AEW Tag Team Championships. Thus, it's unlikely he will be utilized as a single star any time soon.
Might be AEW Champion soon: Kenny Omega
Some things are just inevitable.
Much like the night is dispelled by the inexorable light of dawn, and the ocean tides waxing and waning, another inevitability rears its head on AEW: Kenny Omega will win the AEW World Championship.
Fans, wrestlers, and promoters alike seem to believe that at some point in the future--possibly the near future--Kenny Omega will emerge as the face of AEW, bearing its World Championship in the process.
Kenny Omega has said that he doesn't care about championships so long as his character is booked well. That being said, AEW has a marquee star in Omega that can really put them on the map if he becomes the figurehead of the promotion.
Chris Jericho, essentially, is just keeping the title warm until Omega claims it. It's inexorable as the dawn.
Probably won't be AEW Champion soon: Jon Moxley
Jon Moxley is another one of those athletes who is more concerned with creative control over his character and being used correctly rather than title belts or top spots in the company.
For those of you who don't know, the former Dean Ambrose wrestled for a long time before signing his first WWE deal. This wily veteran is a consummate professional, striving to create delicately nuanced portrayals of very real violence in a beautiful and deadly ballet which may or may not involve the use of foreign objects.
At this point Moxley doesn't even have to wrestle - he could move on to Hollywood like the Rock did, or open his own school, or even use his gift of gab as an announcer. Moxley continues to wrestle because the loves the sport.
So why won't a marquee player like Jon Moxley be AEW champion anytime soon? For one, the rocky relationship between AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling is to blame. Moxley has already stated he will be at the Tokyo Dome in 2020, while rumors persist that he will be working for a different promotion than AEW in the future.
All of these factors combined make Moxley and unlikely candidate for the AEW World Title picture.
There you have it; Three wrestlers who might be AEW Champion soon, and three that probably won't be. Questions or comments? Please leave them after the article and as always thanks for reading.
