The Death Riders captured the AEW World Trios Championships at All In: London 2024 but fans have been far from impressed with their reign. In an AEW Digital Exclusive, Claudio Castagnoli, one-third of the reign champions, blamed AEW’s roster for why the titles are rarely defended.
“You wanna know why these titles haven’t been defended in over two, three months, huh?… That’s because the pool is so shallow when it gets to the level that we are at. It’s absolutely pathetic!”
Since winning the titles, the Death Riders have defended the titles just six times, two of these title defenses coming in February 2025. Prior to that, fans would have to go back to the November 7, edition of AEW Collision to see the championships on the line.
These sporadic title defenses have only the issue fans have with the Death Riders and AEW’s top storyline. Many feel the group lacks a clear creative direction, and that their mission to ‘reshape’ AEW has been too vague without clear goals. Fans have also taken issue to the faction briefly aligning with the Learning Tree, a somewhat comedic group that the ultra-serious Death Riders should, in theory, be opposed to in their mission to change AEW.
With a lack of clear challengers and a “pathetic” pool of talent, it remains to be seen how much longer the Death Riders hold the Trios titles. While the group is finally defending the titles more, the lengthy reign has proven an issue for countless fans.