Upon returning to All Elite Wrestling in 2024, fans noticed a change in attitude for Jon Moxley.
The longtime Blackpool Combat Club member came back a lot colder and sadistic, which led to him and the rest of the group turning on Bryan Danielson at All Out 2024.
Then one month later, Moxley defeated Danielson to become the new AEW World Champion and ended the career of “The American Dragon.”
From the ashes of Bryan’s career and the BCC, Moxley created The Death Riders alongside Marina Shafir, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta and PAC.
Over the past few years, The Death Riders have ran roughshod over AEW as the most dominant faction and have added the likes of Daniel Garcia and Gabe Kidd along the way.
However, there was a recent addition that has caused conflict within the faction and that is Will Ospreay.
After breaking his neck and putting on the sidelines for months in 2025, Ospreay came back for vengeance, but it blinded him, leading to a loss against Moxley at AEW Dynasty 2026.
Following this loss and another to Mark Davis, Moxley offered Ospreay some training that would rebuild him into a machine that could be capable of winning the AEW World Title.
Despite using that help to win the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Finals, Ospreay turned his back on The Death Riders after being nearly forced to put a plastic bag over the head of his idol and friend Kenny Omega at Redemption 2026.
Now, it seems like there might be some dissension between Jon Moxley and his stablemates as he prepares to face Will Ospreay for the AEW World Title at All Out 2026.
Will The Death Riders excommunicate Jon Moxley?
Following his loss to “Hangman” Adam Page for the AEW World Title at All In Texas 2025, Jon Moxley went through a downward spiral.
For months, Moxley had a series of significant losses that broke his confidence.
Losing to Darby Allin at WrestleDream 2026, Moxley questioned his ability to never give up.
That led to Moxley submitting to Kyle O’Reilly on two separate occasions at Blood and Guts and Full Gear 2026.
After these losses, many fans believed The Death Riders would betray Moxley before long.
However, the group stayed loyal to Moxley and cheered him on as he went on to persevere and win the 2025 Continental Classic tournament to become the new AEW Continental Champion.
Even when Moxley brought Will Ospreay into their faction, The Death Riders remained by his side.
Following the announcement that Moxley will challenge Ospreay for the AEW World Championship at All Out 2026, it seems like some cracks are starting to form in The Death Riders.
This started when Moxley stopped Gabe Kidd from attacking Ospreay with a steel chair on the September 2 episode of AEW Dynamite.
Then on the September 9 Rebel Heart Dynamite, both Kidd and PAC questioned why Moxley brought Ospreay into their stable and still has some respect for him after his betrayal.
This feels like the first time there have been any outright doubts against “The Ace of AEW.”
While loyalty has been key to The Death Riders’ success, it might be the right time to remove weakness from the faction.
If Jon Moxley comes up short against Will Ospreay in Chicago, fans could see a moment that is more than two years in the making.
The Death Riders turning on Moxley at the same event and same arena that they betrayed Bryan Danielson two years ago would be poetic justice.
Considering this recent tension, The Death Riders betraying Mox should be one of the most memorable turns in recent AEW memory.
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