PARKS’S TAKE: Which of these AEW top babyfaces should Tony Khan choose to unseat Jon Moxley as World Champion?

By Greg Parks, PWTorch columnist

"Hangman" Adam Page (photo credit Wade Keller © PWTorch)

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Four top babyfaces won major matches at AEW Revolution on Sunday, and while Swerve Strickland became #1 contender to the AEW World Title, all four have an argument to make that they should be the ones to unseat Jon Moxley as champion and save AEW from the threat posed by the Death Riders. Here are the four and the arguments I’d make in their favor if I were in the booking meetings:

“Hangman” Adam Page: An AEW original, Page is on a redemption tour after doing some very bad things to Strickland, among others. He’s a unique babyface in the AEW ecosystem, one that is violent enough to not only oppose Moxley, but to best him at Moxley’s own game. Page’s win at Revolution over MJF, and cleanly, is a big feather in his cap. If not for Strickland’s win, we could be talking about Page as being next in line for a title opportunity.

“Swerve” Strickland: Speaking of redemption tours, it wasn’t long ago that Strickland lost handily to Bobby Lashley. While many cited that match to proclaim Strickland’s push dead, he was able to rise above in this feud with Ricochet. The battle between the two has been treated as a big deal and Strickland has once again found his edge. Of the four listed here, he’s the only one guaranteed a shot at Moxley by virtue of winning the #1 contender match at Revolution. He hasn’t lost significant fan support in his post-title run. If Tony Khan thinks it’s time to pull the plug on the disappointing Death Riders storyline, or at least Moxley as champion, Strickland is the one waiting in the wings to benefit.

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Kenny Omega: Omega’s health moving forward may be a deciding factor as to just how much weight AEW puts on his shoulders. That would include the AEW Title. If Moxley is intent on tearing down AEW, no one is better positioned to defend it than someone who has actual skin in the game; in this case, an Executive Vice President like Omega. Omega has been on the shelf for so long, there are a lot of top singles matches that await him, including against Moxley. Omega would also feel like a fresh face at the top of the card given how much time he’s been out.

Will Ospreay: If we were to create a depth chart of AEW babyfaces, Ospreay may very well be sitting at number one. It would make sense, then, that the number one babyface should be the one to knock off the number one heel. Ospreay has had some big wins in AEW – but some big losses as well. Gaining the AEW Championship would help catapult him into another stratosphere and would leave no doubt that, as PWTorch.com contributor Brandon LeClair would say, AEW is in the Ospreay business. If you decide he’s your top star, treat him like your top star.

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