The Young Bucks returned at AEW Dynasty 2025 this past Sunday, interfering to help Jon Moxley and costing Swerve Strickland the AEW World Title match.
Fightful Select has shared more details regarding AEW’s creative direction for Dynasty 2025 and how injuries affected those plans.
When it was reported that Bryan Danielson was present backstage at Dynasty 2025, speculation arose that he was responsible for the finish. However, that was not the case.
The final decisions for AEW TV are made by CEO Tony Khan. One source joked that if Danielson actually wielded that much influence, he wouldn’t have lost the AEW World Title last year. It was confirmed that Khan was responsible for the finish.
Many within AEW were uncertain about how long The Young Bucks would be away before their return, and other talent had expressed interest in working with them.
The Young Bucks were backstage at a recent show in California but left before it began. Matthew and Nicholas Jackson also attended Christopher Daniels’ final match in Cincinnati. Some sources indicated that they hadn’t been informed about The Young Bucks being part of any long-term plans, while another source mentioned that “we planted seeds for this a while back.”
There are no updates on whether AEW ever planned for Swerve to win the title, and reports suggest that Moxley intended to have a lengthy title reign even before his victory.
AEW has been discussing the backstage success of the Moxley/Death Riders storyline, pointing out a “disconnect” with fans on social media. AEW stated that their live and DVR ratings have increased since Moxley became champion, reaching a peak during his Street Fight with Cope last month on Dynamite.
One source noted that Jay White was set to turn heel before his injury, and it was suggested that he could have played a role in the Dynasty main event.
White’s injury resulted in “significant” changes to the creative plans in the past week. Meanwhile, Orange Cassidy and Brian Cage, who were also injured, were originally slated for Dynasty as well.
