Tony Khan Defends AEW Revolution 2025 Main Event Amid Fan Criticism

Sunday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view was met with widespread praise, but many fans felt the ending failed to live up to the rest of the show’s high-energy action. A significant portion of the audience had hoped to see Jon Moxley drop the AEW World Heavyweight Championship to Cope, especially given the underwhelming nature of the Death Riders storyline.

However, that was not the case. Moxley retained his title after Christian Cage unexpectedly cashed in his championship opportunity. As the night came to a close, Swerve Strickland, who had secured the position of number one contender earlier in the evening, made his presence felt by attacking Moxley, sending a strong message ahead of their inevitable clash.

The final stretch of the show featured a series of marquee matchups, including AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm defending against Mariah May in The Hollywood Ending, Kenny Omega capturing the International Championship from Konosuke Takeshita, and a brutal Steel Cage showdown between Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher, culminating in the highly anticipated main event.

At the post-show press conference, AEW CEO Tony Khan reflected on the decision surrounding the night’s main event and addressed the criticism from some fans.

Khan stated, “I thought it was absolutely fantastic. Both are main event quality wrestlers. With AEW Grand Slam Australia, I thought we put together a great show with great moments and for where we were going next, I thought it made a lot of sense, and for where we had been, I felt it was a fantastic main event. Tonight, they delivered, and it was absolutely fantastic, great match. I really believed in it, and I really believed in the story.”

He further emphasized his confidence in the match placement, acknowledging that in hindsight, adjustments could always be made but standing firm on his decision.

"Absolutely, that is a match capable of main eventing, just like in Australia. Hindsight is always 20/20, but to me, putting it back together and looking back, [AEW Revolution] is one of my all-time favorite shows."

Khan also shed light on the physical toll of the night, particularly on Toni Storm.

"Toni Storm was in no condition to come up here. She lost a lot of blood. I thought it was a great moment for Swerve to have that moment and have the crowd come back and do the ‘Whose House? Swerve’s House.’ They didn’t know they would see him again. It was a big reaction, and the crowd got behind Swerve at the end, which is never a surprise."

He went on to highlight the overall strength of the final four matches, noting that any of them could have been fitting main event bouts.

"From start to finish, it was a great show. That would be a great main event, and I also thought, in particular, there were a lot of matches that could have been the main event, including any of the last four. That’s why I called it a big closing four. Knowing that Swerve was waiting in the wings and he’s the number one contender, I had a feeling the crowd would get behind seeing Swerve at the end of the show.”

With Strickland now set to challenge Moxley at AEW Dynasty on April 6th, the AEW World Title picture is heating up, and fans will be watching closely to see if the company’s latest direction pays off.