AEW Revolution 2025: Where Do We Go From Here?

From Kenny Omega's emotional title win to Toni Storm's bloody battle with Mariah May to Will Ospreay's somehow even bloodier cage match with Kyle Fletcher, AEW Revolution 2025 was a show that held large portions of the wrestling spellbound for nearly the entire runtime — and then there was the main event, as convoluted and widely frustrating a piece of booking as you'll ever see outside Vince Russo's private notebook. But no matter how you felt about the event's ending, one thing is for certain — there's a lot to unpack after that show, creatively, and a lot of the various pieces are beginning to fit together in interesting new ways.

Swerve Strickland is the new No. 1 contender to the AEW World Championship, still held by Jon Moxley after his latest lucky escape. Moxley never got a pin over his Revolution challenger, Cope, who was instead thwarted by old frenemy Christian Cage, who cashed in his guaranteed title shot only to take the deciding fall himself. Meanwhile, long-rumored plans for AEW All In 2025 are seemingly falling into place, as Mercedes Mone and Kazuchika Okada retained their titles while Omega acquired his. And while we're expecting a rematch from at least one Revolution contest in the near future, two others seem to represent the competitors putting their hatred of each other aside for the foreseeable future.

There's a tangled web to unravel in the wake of Revolution 2025! Where do we go from here?

It's not very often in wrestling — or combat sports for that matter — for a record to remain at 1-1 between two competitors, with that built-in desire to see a definitive winner and the best of a pair decided. Couple that with the history of MJF as a character and it doesn't seem likely that "Hangman" Adam Page getting the win at Revolution is truly going to see an end to their feud at this stage. Especially if MJF is as dedicated to exposing his contemporary as a fraud as much as he claims he is. 

Page and MJF have a history dating back to the very first match on the card of very first show, Double or Nothing 2019, with Page winning the Casino Battle Royal also involving MJF to stand opposite Chris Jericho to inaugurate the AEW World title. They met in singles action for the first time later that year, with MJF getting the win to inaugurate the Dynamite Diamond Ring which he continues to hold today, which was something he paraded over his rival heading into this past weekend. Things are level now, and while it's been made abundantly clear that MJF holds a grudge, it's also worth noting that Page isn't exactly one to let things slide either – he did burn down a house after all. It wouldn't come as much of a surprise to see Page at least attempt to move on to bigger things, especially with another rival in Swerve Strickland getting back in the World title hunt, only for MJF to bait him into a rematch. It's just a question of when and where that will happen. It was just seen how the rivalry between Ricochet and Strickland directly fed into the latter earning his title shot, so that's also another possible route for theirs to continue.

Written by Max Everett

Did you know that the last time Mercedes Moné wrestled a match that didn't have a championship on the line was nearly two years ago? And even that, her first match with Stephanie Vaquer in New Japan Pro Wrestling in May 2023, was in a tournament to determine the first NJPW STRONG Women's Champion. The woman is literally built for championship matches, and because of that, she needs someone worthy enough to face her in the near future.

During Moné's AEW TBS Championship win against Momo Watanabe, the camera panned to Billie Starkz who was seen taking notes, and as most of us know, Starkz has been aligned with ROH Women's World Champion Athena for nearly the same amount of time that Moné has wrestled exclusively in championship matches. From the moment Moné signed with AEW in 2024, a lot of people wondered how long it would be before these two women would finally cross paths, and it looks like we will be getting that match at some point this year.

The logical place to do the match is, of course, All In Texas on July 12, not just because it's the biggest show AEW will do all year, but Athena is literally from Texas and hearing her get the hometown treatment will be a sight to see. Plus, Moné is reaching that point in her AEW run where she is a heel, but people can't help but love the way she wrestles which kind of nullifies any heel work she does because, at the end of the day, Mone is fantastic at what she does which makes it very hard to boo her.

So if Moné and Athena happens at Globe Life Field, what will "The CEO" do in the meantime? 

At either Dynasty in April, or Double or Nothing in May, I would personally have her beat the color out of Starkz in a way that could get her heel heat back, thus setting up the match with Athena naturally. Doing that match at Double or Nothing would give AEW six uninterrupted weeks of build towards All In, leaving Dynasty as an empty slot for someone else to fill. The women's division is stacked right now, so giving her an opponent like a Thunder Rosa for example will bridge the gap nicely while giving fans another very solid match.

All in all, Moné vs. Athena at Globe Life Field is, or at least should be, where we go from here. It's a match AEW fans have been begging for and now that they are finally teasing it, it's down to the company to stick the landing. If and when that match eventually happens, I can also see Moné losing her title as the AEW Women's World Championship scene will need something new now that Toni Storm and Mariah May have ended their story. I understand this all sounds like fantasy booking and it might not be for everyone's tastes, but this is an easy lay-up for Tony Khan heading into All In Texas, let's just hope he doesn't mess it up.

Written by Sam Palmer

While generally speaking, an eventual sequel is quite apt for something billed as a "Hollywood Ending," it would be somewhat counter-intuitive to have the bout between Toni Storm and Mariah May at Revolution as anything but the chapter closer. After all, May was finally ousted by Storm with a Storm Zero through a table — literally emblazoned with "Hollywood Ending" — on the ramp, and it wouldn't make too much sense for her to try and resume things so quickly after they had, well, ended. Rather, it would seem that May will be taking, at the very least, a break from competing for the world title as it is held by Storm while the champion goes on to defend her belt. From there things have been left fairly open ended, with a number of worthy suitors for Storm's title — specifically Deonna Purrazzo and Taya Valkyrie — occupying the roster. 

Just within the Casino Gauntlet match to get her shot at May in February were the likes of Jamie Hayter, Julia Hart, Kris Statlander, and Willow Nightingale, who are all on the hunt for another championship; Hayter, for example, has yet to challenge for the Women's title since she lost it to Storm at Double or Nothing 2023. For May, this is a departure from the status quo of her AEW career, always somewhat under the shadow of her alliance and subsequent rivalry with the "Timeless" one until this past weekend. Whenever she does return will likely serve as a reset in her direction, and with Forbidden Door in the UK on the fast approach, she has plenty of options — and titles — to pursue.

Written by Max Everett

Kenny Omega scored the victory over Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution, and won the AEW International Championship after he challenged the former champion following "AEW Collision Grand Slam: Australia." Following his return from diverticulitis and his extended time on the shelf, Omega waited a bit before setting his sights on gold, but when he did, Takeshita, the International title, and the Don Callis Family were in his sights.

Kazuchika Okada retained his Continental Championship over Brody King at the event as well. Okada wasn't initially booked for Revolution, but after taking out King from behind on "AEW Collision," AEW President Tony Khan made the match announcement on social media before the go-home "AEW Dynamite" episode. The victory was Okada's 11th successful defense of the gold since winning it from Eddie Kingston in March 2024.

A big rumor swirling in regards to AEW is the hope that the company will unify the International and Continental Championships. With Omega and Okada's wins at Revolution, the rumor seems more and more likely. It's been said that the pair will square off to unify the belts at All In in Texas in July, so there are at least three pay-per-view events that have been announced as of this writing, Dynasty in April, Double or Nothing in May, and Forbidden Door in June, that the champions and company need to get through before that can happen. 

With four months to go and just how good both of these men are, it seems unlikely that either of them will lose their gold before the big event. Okada hasn't defended the Continental Championship much and is a very protected champion. With Omega just having returned from a major injury, it doesn't seem likely that AEW would take the strap off him anytime soon. There could be various challengers for either men who will likely be on the Dynasty and Double or Nothing cards, at least, in addition to possible "Dynamite" matches. Those could include anyone from Kyle Fletcher, to Ricochet, or even Powerhouse Hobbs, but it doesn't seem likely, if the rumor is true and AEW wants to lose one of its belts, that it will be anything other than Omega versus Okada at All In.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Will Ospreay got the victory in a brutal, bloody cage match against his former friend Kyle Fletcher, with Ospreay getting the pin off the brutal and less-often seen Tiger Driver '91. The pair have been feuding for months after Fletcher cost Ospreay the International Championship at WrestleDream last year, turning heel on his friend and nailing him with a screwdriver, joining the Don Callis Family. Ospreay and Fletcher were even at 1-1 over the last few months in singles competition, with Fletcher getting the win over Ospreay at Full Gear, and Ospreay getting his win back during the Continental Classic semifinal match at Worlds End. Now that they're even and the feud is seemingly wrapped up neatly, where do both men go from here?

Following their match, Ospreay said in a social media promo that he wanted to be given the ball and be the top guy in the company. That sounds like Ospreay is gunning to get into the AEW World Championship picture, where he absolutely should be. While Swerve Strickland is next in line for Jon Moxley's title, which will likely happen at AEW Dynasty next month, a match pitting Ospreay against Strickland, even if both are babyfaces, would be a crowd pleaser. The last time they met one-on-one is at Forbidden Door last year, where Strickland retained the gold over Ospreay. If Moxley retains the championship over Strickland, a babyface versus heel match with Ospreay taking on Moxley would also work, especially if Ospreay is the man to end Moxley's reign and the not-so-well received Death Riders storyline.

As for Fletcher, despite the big loss, he's still been made a star (a "Protostar," if you will) in his feud with Ospreay. Despite declaring he's "not like" Ospreay, he's certainly proved he can hang with the best in the ring. With Fletcher still aligned with the Don Callis Family, it's highly likely Callis will weasel Fletcher in to some kind of championship match in the near future. If Konosuke Takeshita needs some time off, Fletcher could be next to face Kenny Omega to attempt to bring the International Championship back to the family. If not, Fletcher versus Daniel Garcia for the TNT Championship could be interesting, as Garcia doesn't seem to be doing much with the belt, and it would do a lot more for Fletcher's credibility.

Written by Daisy Ruth

If anything can be taken from Revolution as a positive for Christian Cage, then at least his failed cash-in for the World Championship inadvertently cost his career-long rival from reaching the top of the mountain again. That was the story coming out of the main event between Cope and Jon Moxley on Sunday night, with Moxley stood alone without the Death Riders against the relentless onslaught of a man both versed in sadism and championship winning; it seemed it would take a miracle for Moxley's reign of terror to continue, and it certainly didn't feel like it would come in the form of Christian, and yet it did. 

Cope appeared to have the title all but won, until Christian came down to the ring and cashed in the "Next AEW Champion" contract and targeted his rival to win the newly made three-way bout. Cope persisted despite a spear, taking a Killswitch as Moxley recovered and looked on; Mox then seized upon Christian to win via a bulldog choke. Moxley will continue on as champion but already has his next challenger scheduled as Swerve Strickland at Dynasty next month. And it certainly appears that there is going to be some unresolved angst between the rivals fans would be forgiven for thinking had already moved on. Cage and Cope fought four times between 2023 and 2024 with the TNT Championship on the line, with Cope failing to win the title at his first attempt. He then won the second attempt, but Christian then used Killswitch's cash-in contract moments later to win the title back, only to finally take it again in an "I Quit" match. Almost two years on from the first "Go F*** Yourself" from Christian to Cope, this week's "AEW Dynamite" seems likely to stage the latest chapter of the saga between the former brothers, and it likely won't be long before they're back in the ring opposite one another.

Written by Max Everett

For the most part, AEW Revolution 2025 was another stellar pay-per-view from the company that has made a habit out of producing top quality, big time events on pay-per-view as if it's the easiest thing in the world. 

However, the main bombed so hard that even the most loyal Jon Moxley fans are now asking themselves "why do we keep defending this guy?" Granted, his matches with the likes of Orange Cassidy, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Darby Allin have ranged from good to fantastic, really making him seem like the boogeyman (no not that one) of AEW, but for the love of all that is good and pure in this world, he needs to drop the title. Thankfully for us, we seem to be nearing the end of his reign of terror as the AEW World Champion, and judging by what we've got coming up in the next few months, there are a number of names that could realistically take the belt from Moxley. 

The first, and honestly the one that they should go with for some short term success is Swerve Strickland, who became the number one contender at Revolution by beating Ricochet, while also standing tall at the end of the night as he claimed AEW to be his house. Moxley and Strickland will meet at Dynasty on April 6 and personally, I would love for Strickland to be champion again as he did a great job as champion in 2024, and he won the title at Dynasty last year to add some meat to the story. With that said, it seems pretty obvious that Tony Khan wants to pay this off at All In Texas on July 12, which brings me on to the next contender.

Darby Allin chose to potentially die on Mount Everest than be in the Death Riders story right now, and you can't help but respect it at this point because Everest seems like the lesser of two evils. Allin was the choice everyone had in mind before the Continental Classic, and had he not gone mountain climbing he might already be champion. Given that Sting and Bryan Danielson look to be in attendance at All In Texas, Darby could easily be the man to end the whole story. 

Hangman Page is another as he was involved towards the back end of 2024, but got muddled up in a four way match where the story was muddled and disjointed, but he is mad enough to go back for more when it comes to the Death Riders. Finally, there's a man even more mad that Hangman, and he's someone with a lot of history with everyone in the Death Riders. I know he's been gone for nearly a year, but Eddie Kingston is another man who could genuinely fix this whole story with one promo and I'm not even half kidding, and on top of that, if there's anyone who seems to be as, if not more, ride or die for AEW than Darby, it's the Mad King. 

It looks like we are finally nearing the end of the story, just don't let Cope near that belt ever again, no matter how good Alter Bridge are.

Written by Sam Palmer