This Saturday, AEW will be returning to Chicago, Illinois, for this year’s edition of the Tony Khan-led promotion’s annual event, All Out. The pay-per-view will witness the company’s biggest stars squaring off in a variety of matches, including a blockbuster Men’s World Title bout pitting challenger Jon Moxley against the defending champion, Will Ospreay.
A number of narrative threads are set to culminate in the Aerial Assassin’s upcoming title defense against the One True King. Chief among them is Ospreay’s desire to avenge his loss to Mox from earlier this year, and his intention of taking the latter’s place as the promotion’s next top star. The Death Riders’ animosity towards the Englishman for rejecting them this past July is another significant story element heading into the PPV.
Moxley has already spoken of his belief that he is going to defeat Ospreay at All Out 2026. Although the leader of the Death Riders could credibly regain the AEW Men’s World Title in the Now Arena this weekend, let us consider three reasons why the reigning Continental Champion should actually lose to the Billy Goat this Saturday.
#1. Jon Moxley does not need to win the AEW World Title again
Jon Moxley is not only one of the most dominant singles performers in AEW history, he is also a former four-time Men’s World Champion. The erstwhile Lunatic Fringe captured the title for the first time at Revolution 2020 by dethroning Chris Jericho. He successfully defended the strap against the likes of Jake Hager, Mr. Brodie Lee, Brian Cage, Darby Allin, MJF, the Butcher, Lance Archer, and Eddie Kingston before finally getting unseated by Kenny Omega at Winter is Coming 2020.
Later in 2022, Mox became the interim AEW World Champion while the lineal title-holder, CM Punk, was out due to injury. Although he unified the two belts by squashing the Best in the World on the August 24, 2022 edition of Dynamite, the latter unseated the Blackpool Combat Club co-founder to regain the Men’s World Title at All Out 2022. Following the unfortunate backstage events that transpired at the pay-per-view, however, Moxley recaptured the Men’s World Championship by winning a tournament for the vacated strap.
After retaining the World Title against Hangman Adam Page and Penta El Zero Miedo, the BCC member eventually lost the belt to MJF at Full Gear 2022. Almost two years later, at WrestleDream 2024, Mox regained the AEW Men’s World Championship from Bryan Danielson, whom he had betrayed and brutalized at All Out earlier. During his subsequent reign of terror, the creator of the Death Riders kept his title belt locked inside a briefcase, wherein it stayed until Hangman Page dethroned him at All In: Texas and set it free.
With such an incredibly decorated record in AEW (where he is also a former International Champion), Jon Moxley still ranks at the top of his division, even without the World Championship around his waist. He does not need the belt to establish himself any further, and as such, does not need to beat Will Ospreay for it at All Out 2026.
#2. Will Ospreay needs to beat Jon Moxley to solidify his place as AEW’s new ace
Ever since he officially joined the AEW roster in 2024, Will Ospreay has been driven by the goal of proving himself to be the best wrestler in the promotion. The Aerial Assassin did not take long after his arrival to get his first taste of All Elite gold, defeating Roderick Strong at Double or Nothing 2024 to become the International Champion of All Elite Wrestling. He retained the belt against the likes of Kyle O’Reilly, Rey Fenix, Brian Cage, and Daniel Garcia before losing it to MJF on the 250th episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite.
Ospreay regained the International Championship (rebranded by Friedman as the “American Title”) at All In: London 2024. He successfully defended the strap against PAC at All Out 2024, and put it on the line against his iconic rival Ricochet on the 5th Anniversary episode of AEW Dynamite, although their match ended in a no-contest due to outside interference. The Billy Goat later defended the title against both Ricochet and Konosuke Takeshita at WrestleDream 2024, with the Alpha emerging victorious.
Towards the end of 2024, Ospreay entered the Continental Classic, and made it to the finals of the tournament, where he was defeated by the defending Continental Champion at the time, Kazuchika Okada. The Englishman later took part in the 2025 Owen Hart Cup for a shot at the AEW World Title at All In: Texas, but unfortunately lost to Hangman Adam Page in the finals at Double or Nothing.
The Commonwealth Kingpin’s decision to support the Cowboy afterwards in his mission to dethrone Jon Moxley brought him into conflict with the Death Riders. The vicious stable annihilated his neck at Forbidden Door 2025, and as such, when Ospreay returned this year at Revolution, he went after Mox for revenge immediately.
Although the latter successfully retained his Continental Title against the United Empire founder at Dynasty 2026, in a surprising twist, the leader of the Death Riders later offered Ospreay the opportunity to train with his crew in preparation for the 2026 Owen Hart Cup.
Working with Moxley and company proved to be a game-changer for the Sky King, who ended up winning this year’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament to seal his spot in the main event of All In: London. The 33-year-old fan-favorite parted ways with the Death Riders, however, when Mox urged him to do to AEW World Champion Kenny Omega what he and his faction had done to Bryan Danielson at All Out two years ago.
Last month at Wembley, Ospreay defeated the Cleaner to finally become the AEW Men’s World Champion for the very first time in his career. Now, he faces the daunting task of defending the belt against Jon Moxley, a man he has yet to beat in the company one-on-one.
If Tony Khan truly wants to establish the Sky King as the next “ace” of All Elite Wrestling, the latter absolutely needs to retain his World Title against Mox this Saturday at All Out 2026.
#3. Jon Moxley’s story needs to continue with the 2026 Continental Classic
Earlier this month, AEW officially announced the return of the Continental Classic. The prestigious tournament is set to begin on November 18, and will most likely conclude at Worlds End 2026 at the end of the year. The inaugural edition of the C2 was held in 2023, and saw Eddie Kingston defeat Jon Moxley in the finals to become the first modern American triple-crown champion. In 2024, Kazuchika Okada entered the tournament with the Continental Title, and retained it by beating Will Ospreay in the finals.
The Rainmaker attempted to repeat this feat in last year’s Continental Classic, but ultimately lost his strap in the finals at Worlds End 2025 to Jon Moxley. The original Death Rider has since put the belt on the line against a vast number of opponents in both eliminator bouts and standard title defenses, retaining it against the likes of Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle O’Reilly, Will Ospreay, Bandido, and more. Moreover, last month, he defended his championship by surviving a brand new, elimination-style tournament, the Continental Challenge Cup.
There was a lot of intrigue surrounding Mox’s participation in the 2025 C2, as fans at the time were speculating on the possibility of the Death Riders kicking him out of their ranks if he fared poorly in the tourney, especially after the string of major losses he had suffered earlier in the year. The Purveyor of Violence may enter the 2026 Continental Classic under the same kind of pressure if he fails to dethrone Will Ospreay for the AEW Men’s World Championship at All Out.
Interpersonal tension seems to have already reared its head among the Death Riders lately over Moxley’s apparent soft spot for Ospreay. If the One True King fails to beat his former trainee in Chicago on Saturday, the setback could make him all the more desperate to hold onto the AEW Continental Championship. Mox’s story for the 2026 Continental Classic could therefore witness him fighting to not only retain his title, but also his position in the hierarchy of the Death Riders.
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Edited by Anurag Mukherjee
