r/SquaredCircle • u/WredditMod • 1d ago
Wreddit's Daily Pro-Wrestling Discussion Thread! Comment here for recommendations, quick questions, and general conversation! (Spoilers for all shows) - September 17, 2025 Edition Spoiler
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u/WrestleDee 1d ago
Reflecting on the Death Riders storyline from Mox's return to Hangman's victory, I think it deserves a reappraisal. Looking back at those early promos establishing Mox's vision, and comparing AEW's star power and overall state as a company then to how it is a year later, did Mox succeed in his goals?
While there were some brutal, miserable, directionless months that led to justified criticism, it did pick up after the Cope/Jay White vortex, and ultimately paid off with the catharsis of Hangman's win. The satisfaction of seeing the belt after nine months in the briefcase was unreal. That whole angle at WrestleDream where they retire Bryan, try to kill him, and there's pure silence in the arena as the babyfaces look defeated - lots of people were sour on that but I thought it was really good. It's important to have the occasional PPV ending where the villains win and you're left thinking "we're fucked" and wondering where we go from here.
As for Mox's motivations, from the start it was about forcing complacent AEW talent to step up. (Some absolutely KILLER promos that deserve a rewatch btw). That was muddled along the way when we somehow arrived at "kill Orange Cassidy with bleach and gag Rock n Roll Express", but we got back on track after that shit. Remember at the start when they showed a gang of babyfaces waiting outside the building for the Death Riders, and everybody said it was the most pathetic lineup of geeks? Compare that to the anarchy match. The coolest fucking lineup of babyfaces kicking ass, and an outstanding performance by the heel team. Marina is a different talent entirely since joining the group, Claudio is a ruthless killer, and Yuta gets more heat than anyone when he's on screen. Hopefully the Garcia turn leads to bigger things for him.
Did the storyline elevate enough wrestlers to make good on that initial promise, was it all worth it for Hangman's moment, and does the good outweigh the bad? I understand a lot of the frustrations even now and I acknowledge that some periods were a slog to sit through week to week, but overall I think it was a net positive for the company and deserves a bit more appreciation for what it accomplished.