AEW’s Revolution 2025 main event featuring Jon Moxley defending his AEW World Title against Adam Copeland was originally intended to be more chaotic with additional participants, according to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live.
The initial concept for the championship match would have involved more wrestlers than those who ultimately appeared, including some potential returns. However, Alvarez noted that this plan was scrapped shortly before the event took place.
I do know this, okay? I don’t know all the details, but there was an idea for the main event that involved way more people than actually ended up being out there, including some returns. At the last minute, it just got axed. I don’t know who it was or what they were going to do, but there was a second plan that didn’t take place. Whatever it was, it involved people who had been there before or had been there in the past.
Alvarez clarified that despite the changes, Jon Moxley was always intended to retain the AEW World Championship and proceed to face Swerve Strickland at the next pay-per-view.
I think what happened was there were changes to the main event, and people heard about that. Then they saw what almost happened with the hand on the chest, and then he got yanked off. They came to this conclusion that he wouldn’t put the guy over. That’s not what happened.
I mean, I’m 99% sure that, no matter what was planned before or after, Moxley was always retaining, and he was always going on to face Swerve at the next pay-per-view.
Moxley successfully retained his title after Christian Cage cashed in his guaranteed contract but passed out when Moxley applied the bulldog choke. Cage’s cash-in was reportedly done to conclude that storyline element.