Former WWE champion to replace Jon Moxley, Heel faction FINALLY implodes? - 3 major surprises that can happen on AEW Dynamite this Wednesday

After receiving mixed reviews for WrestleDream 2025, AEW has quickly shifted its focus to its upcoming pay-per-view, Full Gear 2025, which is less than a month away. The Jacksonville-based promotion began preparing for Full Gear during recent episodes of Dynamite and Collision.

On the flagship show, the Women's World Title match was confirmed for the upcoming PLE after champion Kris Statlander accepted Mercedes Mone's challenge, which she had issued at WrestleDream. Moreover, a major No. 1 Contenders' match was scheduled to determine World Champion Hangman Page's next challenger, set to take place on this week's episode of Dynamite: Fright Night.

With Dynamite: Fright Night this Wednesday, Tony Khan will take the next step toward building momentum for Full Gear next month, and fans can expect some intriguing twists on the show. That said, let's look at three surprises the promotion might reveal on Fright Night.

#3. Claudio Castagnoli betrays Jon Moxley on AEW Dynamite: Fright Night

Jon Moxley has been going through a turbulent time in AEW lately. The Purveyor of Violence's record in big matches has taken a hit, from losing the World Championship to Hangman Page to falling in the Lights Out Steel Cage match at Forbidden Door against Will Ospreay's team, and more recently, losing to arch-nemesis Darby Allin in an 'I-Quit' match at WrestleDream 2025.

Given the setback, Moxley's group, the Death Riders, might hold a vote of no confidence in their leader on Dynamite, with former WWE United States Champion and multiple-time WWE Tag Team Champion Claudio Castagnoli (fka Cesaro) leading the coup. After Moxley, the Swiss Superstar is the most experienced member of the group and could persuade the rest of the faction to abandon the One True King, thereby taking over leadership of the Riders.

#2. The Don Callis Family could implode

Tensions between the Don Callis Family members Konosuke Takeshita and Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada have been high ever since the duo failed to capture the AEW World Tag Team Championships against Brodido at WrestleDream 2025. During the bout, Okada accidentally hit Takeshita, and instead of feeling any remorse, he grinned at the reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.

The Alpha didn't let that slide and looked to confront the Rainmaker on last week's Dynamite, only to be stopped in his tracks by Don Callis and AEW TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher. Since that incident, it was announced that the Invisible Hand has called for a family summit set for this week on Dynamite: Fright Night. While the summit is meant to resolve internal issues, there's a high chance it could backfire, with the egos of both Takeshita and Okada getting the better of the two, leading to an implosion within the faction, which could either create subgroups or result in the eviction of one of the two stars.

#1. Cedric Alexander joins the Hurt Syndicate

WWE released Cedric Alexander in February this year, and despite signing with TNA shortly after, fans were speculating that the 36-year-old would reunite with his Hurt Business (now the Hurt Syndicate in AEW) buddies MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin in the Jacksonville-based promotion. Since Cedric's contract is nearing expiration, those rumors might finally become reality this week as Tony Khan may sign Cedric and debut him on Fright Night.

Jake The Original Tribal Chief

@Jacob620420

According to Fightful, AEW’s talked about “adding new, younger members” to The Hurt Syndicate. They have not heard any talk if one of those new members will be Cedric Alexander.

This week on Dynamite: Fright Night, Syndicate's Bobby Lashley has a big opportunity to become the No. 1 Contender for Hangman Page's AEW World Championship. He will face Samoa Joe, Ricochet, and Hook in a four-way match. At some point, the allies of all the competitors will likely interfere to support their stars. Amid the chaos, Cedric could debut and help the Almighty secure the No. 1 Contender spot, marking a major win for the Hurt Syndicate as their newest member.