Quick Thoughts: AEW Revolution
Normally I would start this by talking about how good AEW has been on the weekly Dynamite show but I wanted to cover something else before covering my thoughts on the show. I'm sure by now everyone has seen the results of Super Showdown with Goldberg beating the Fiend. I don't even know what to say, I laughed then I was sad. Look WWE isn't for me anymore the star building process isn't a thing anymore for them. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug but if you don't build people i f you cannot book people strong to make new stars you won't have people to keep doing this with, it annoys me that a character like the Fiend who has been built up as a unstoppable machine to be done in 4 minutes, Ricochet beat in a minute getting no offence in. Look when Goldberg and Brock leave for six months how am I supposed to care for the rest of the roster? You've shown that your main roster, your roster who is there week in and week out do not matter and are not as good so why bother watching. It's a vicious cycle to go into and I don't see WWE kicking out of anytime soon.
So why bring it up? Well because we have so many quality alternative out there now to WWE. I had the privilege of going to Royal Quest last August for NJPW and have watched near on all AEW PPV's live. We have a choice as fans to walk away from a product we don't like and have great alternatives out there to support. With that out the way let's go through the AEW Revolution card. The first PPV for AEW in 2020 this show has benefited from a long build time helping the show to be built as a PPV that was must see near on all of these matches had stories fleshed out going in or were just getting started. Either way it made for a good show.
Buy In Match: Dark Order vs. SCU
Kicking things off was a tag team match based around Christopher Daniels and where his priorities lay, with the impeding arrival of The Exalted One SCU felt it could be Daniels and said for Daniels to not join them at ringside. Credit to AEW they have managed on a lot of acts that were not working to turn them around (I'll get into more detail on another example later) but Dark Order as this cult is creating a lot of intrigue and I cannot wait to see who the Exalted One is. Dark Order winning this match was the correct call and so was Daniels what looked to be officially ruled out as the Exalted One. As well as this it was good to see Colt Cabana in AEW. I imagine he will prove a valuable hand for the company. This leads me to think we will see an 8 man tag match with SCU & Colt against all four current members of Dark Order but so far this has been built well and I do hope we get that big reveal very soon.
Match One: Jake Hager vs. Dustin Rhodes
Kicking off the main card for the AEW in ring debut of Jake Hagar taking on the man who's hand he broke in Dustin Rhodes. I felt this to be a decent opener nothing special honestly I would've had Darby and Sammy in this spot on the card as it would've been the match to get the crowd more hyped up. Hager looked good and it was the right call for him to win and he done it by the submission he has won MMA matches with so it really worked on his overall presentation. I am interested where Dustin goes now, the feud seems done and with it being announced he will be teaming with QT Marshall I wonder what awaits him next.
AEW then announced its special Blood and Guts with the 'Blood and Guts Match' which will be their War Games match, two rings surrounded by a cage with a roof on it as well. This will take place at Newark New Jersey on March 25th and I cannot wait for this. With 3 weeks of build I expect this to take up a lot of the time. With many saying it should be Inner Circle vs. The Elite but I disagree. While the Inner Circle should be in it I think to keep with the stories we are telling on the show it should be Moxley assembling a team to battle them. Give me Moxley, Darby a debuting Brodie Lee (who is rumoured to debut on March 18th) and a few others (possibly Lance Archer). I think the heel stable vs a rag tag bunch of faces would makes this better and help with the story they want to tell and could wrap up the Moxley vs. Jericho feud in a big way.
Match Two: Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara
This was one of the matches I was most looking forward to. Both guys have been so good at getting over on TV since the start of Dynamite and it was rightfully justified that they get a singles match. What can you say, Darby diving right onto Sammy as soon as he hit the ring, the 630 Senton through the table even before the match officially started was such a sight and they kept it going. These two had great chemistry and really worked well to get both over. While Sammy will be a star it is clear Darby already is and the right man won. I love Darby he's so good. Hagar saving Sammy from more of a beating makes me think Darby's issues with the Inner Circle will continue which leaves me hopeful that what I hope for Blood and Guts is what happens.
Match Three: Kenny Omega & Adam Page vs. The Young Bucks
Man, I love Hangman Page. Who would've thought the man who looked so out of his depth at All Out and the run up to it would be one of the best parts of all AEW programming. Out right need to say to begin with this was the match of the night and it can be argued the best match in AEW history. The story told between these four in this match alone let alone the whole feud is something worth going back and investing in. Right team won in the end going towards the show I would've said for The Bucks to win but Hangman and Omega not only are a good team but them as tag team champions still has legs to it. The post match look of Hangman going to hit Kenny but not doing it and helping to the back was so good. I cannot express how invested I am in the Hangman Adam Page story and cannot wait to see how it progresses now, especially with who will be the one's to take the belts from them in the end and when Hangman will turn on Kenny as teased in the post match.
Match Four: Nyla Rose vs. Kris Statlander
The match for the Women's Championship was put in an awkward part of the show, then again anything following the tag title match would have a hard time. While a decent match both women do lack that experience at the top level to take this match. With the belt only just being put on Nyla it was the right call to keep it on her. I do wonder where they will go with the women's division now as it is the one that needs the most work. It is however getting better especially Britt Baker who gets better on the mic each week. I do hope for more Hikaru Shida, Shanna and Yuuka Sakazaki going forward as I think all of those can add good things to the start of this division. I do think Kris will be a women's champion in AEW but just not yet. I see a lot of people don't like her 'alien' gimmick but I think its harmless if anything they can transition it to a gimmick where it is all a mind game to throw her opponent off. But let's be real there isn't wrong with the bop on the nose Kris does, its a small spot that doesn't hurt anyone.
Match Five: MJF vs. Cody
A match built on emotion which has had a very strong build and it has been one of the main parts of Dynamite leading up to the show. With this match I found it a lot better than the second viewing I did feel it should have been more of a fight then a match. Despite the match having blood, Arn getting hit and some good moves I felt it lack something. This is MJF's biggest match to date and he will become a great wrestler and a top heel for the company in the future but this wasn't the night, his look and promos are great but I hope he can get the experience he needs in ring wise to reach that next level. However, I still think the right man won and I am still interested to see where they go next with this feud.
Match Six: PAC vs. Orange Cassidy
Man I love PAC. Man I love Orange Cassidy. This match was based on Orange and his crowd response and they loved everything he did. This was the first match I have seen with Orange Cassidy in a one on one capacity and I loved it, everything his does gets a great reaction and its all deserved, he is a joy to watch. However, coming off the iron man match PAC needed the win and he got just that. It looks like we will see Best Friends taking on the Lucha Bros but that is a story for another time, the real talking point here is how good Orange is and I hope we get to see more in ring from him now.
Main Event: Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley
First of all what an entrance for Jericho, I would very much like a recording of that choir version of Judas. It cannot be understated how great of a champion Jericho has been but it was time for him to lose the belt. Moxley had to overcome the odds of one eye and a full stable of people who wanted to bring an end to his hope. The match itself was good and told the story that they have been building up since Full Gear and Moxley's win. I did like the end reveal of Moxley's eye being fine just before the final move to win, one last mental win over Jericho before taking the title. I'm interested to see where we go with Moxley and his title reign now he's won, I do hope my Blood and Guts prediction is right.
In conclusion I would say this is my favourite AEW PPV so far. Helped by the amount of TV time they have had since the last show. Not only has to show moved stories along but created intrigue on new elements. The next big show for AEW will be Blood and Guts at the end of this month followed by Double or Nothing and it is quite nice to not really see what the card will be for that but if the last month or so of TV is anything to go by we will be in for a fun ride with AEW for the foreseeable future.
So why bring it up? Well because we have so many quality alternative out there now to WWE. I had the privilege of going to Royal Quest last August for NJPW and have watched near on all AEW PPV's live. We have a choice as fans to walk away from a product we don't like and have great alternatives out there to support. With that out the way let's go through the AEW Revolution card. The first PPV for AEW in 2020 this show has benefited from a long build time helping the show to be built as a PPV that was must see near on all of these matches had stories fleshed out going in or were just getting started. Either way it made for a good show.
Buy In Match: Dark Order vs. SCU
Kicking things off was a tag team match based around Christopher Daniels and where his priorities lay, with the impeding arrival of The Exalted One SCU felt it could be Daniels and said for Daniels to not join them at ringside. Credit to AEW they have managed on a lot of acts that were not working to turn them around (I'll get into more detail on another example later) but Dark Order as this cult is creating a lot of intrigue and I cannot wait to see who the Exalted One is. Dark Order winning this match was the correct call and so was Daniels what looked to be officially ruled out as the Exalted One. As well as this it was good to see Colt Cabana in AEW. I imagine he will prove a valuable hand for the company. This leads me to think we will see an 8 man tag match with SCU & Colt against all four current members of Dark Order but so far this has been built well and I do hope we get that big reveal very soon.
Match One: Jake Hager vs. Dustin Rhodes
Kicking off the main card for the AEW in ring debut of Jake Hagar taking on the man who's hand he broke in Dustin Rhodes. I felt this to be a decent opener nothing special honestly I would've had Darby and Sammy in this spot on the card as it would've been the match to get the crowd more hyped up. Hager looked good and it was the right call for him to win and he done it by the submission he has won MMA matches with so it really worked on his overall presentation. I am interested where Dustin goes now, the feud seems done and with it being announced he will be teaming with QT Marshall I wonder what awaits him next.
AEW then announced its special Blood and Guts with the 'Blood and Guts Match' which will be their War Games match, two rings surrounded by a cage with a roof on it as well. This will take place at Newark New Jersey on March 25th and I cannot wait for this. With 3 weeks of build I expect this to take up a lot of the time. With many saying it should be Inner Circle vs. The Elite but I disagree. While the Inner Circle should be in it I think to keep with the stories we are telling on the show it should be Moxley assembling a team to battle them. Give me Moxley, Darby a debuting Brodie Lee (who is rumoured to debut on March 18th) and a few others (possibly Lance Archer). I think the heel stable vs a rag tag bunch of faces would makes this better and help with the story they want to tell and could wrap up the Moxley vs. Jericho feud in a big way.
Match Two: Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara
This was one of the matches I was most looking forward to. Both guys have been so good at getting over on TV since the start of Dynamite and it was rightfully justified that they get a singles match. What can you say, Darby diving right onto Sammy as soon as he hit the ring, the 630 Senton through the table even before the match officially started was such a sight and they kept it going. These two had great chemistry and really worked well to get both over. While Sammy will be a star it is clear Darby already is and the right man won. I love Darby he's so good. Hagar saving Sammy from more of a beating makes me think Darby's issues with the Inner Circle will continue which leaves me hopeful that what I hope for Blood and Guts is what happens.
Match Three: Kenny Omega & Adam Page vs. The Young Bucks
Man, I love Hangman Page. Who would've thought the man who looked so out of his depth at All Out and the run up to it would be one of the best parts of all AEW programming. Out right need to say to begin with this was the match of the night and it can be argued the best match in AEW history. The story told between these four in this match alone let alone the whole feud is something worth going back and investing in. Right team won in the end going towards the show I would've said for The Bucks to win but Hangman and Omega not only are a good team but them as tag team champions still has legs to it. The post match look of Hangman going to hit Kenny but not doing it and helping to the back was so good. I cannot express how invested I am in the Hangman Adam Page story and cannot wait to see how it progresses now, especially with who will be the one's to take the belts from them in the end and when Hangman will turn on Kenny as teased in the post match.
Match Four: Nyla Rose vs. Kris Statlander
The match for the Women's Championship was put in an awkward part of the show, then again anything following the tag title match would have a hard time. While a decent match both women do lack that experience at the top level to take this match. With the belt only just being put on Nyla it was the right call to keep it on her. I do wonder where they will go with the women's division now as it is the one that needs the most work. It is however getting better especially Britt Baker who gets better on the mic each week. I do hope for more Hikaru Shida, Shanna and Yuuka Sakazaki going forward as I think all of those can add good things to the start of this division. I do think Kris will be a women's champion in AEW but just not yet. I see a lot of people don't like her 'alien' gimmick but I think its harmless if anything they can transition it to a gimmick where it is all a mind game to throw her opponent off. But let's be real there isn't wrong with the bop on the nose Kris does, its a small spot that doesn't hurt anyone.
Match Five: MJF vs. Cody
A match built on emotion which has had a very strong build and it has been one of the main parts of Dynamite leading up to the show. With this match I found it a lot better than the second viewing I did feel it should have been more of a fight then a match. Despite the match having blood, Arn getting hit and some good moves I felt it lack something. This is MJF's biggest match to date and he will become a great wrestler and a top heel for the company in the future but this wasn't the night, his look and promos are great but I hope he can get the experience he needs in ring wise to reach that next level. However, I still think the right man won and I am still interested to see where they go next with this feud.
Match Six: PAC vs. Orange Cassidy
Man I love PAC. Man I love Orange Cassidy. This match was based on Orange and his crowd response and they loved everything he did. This was the first match I have seen with Orange Cassidy in a one on one capacity and I loved it, everything his does gets a great reaction and its all deserved, he is a joy to watch. However, coming off the iron man match PAC needed the win and he got just that. It looks like we will see Best Friends taking on the Lucha Bros but that is a story for another time, the real talking point here is how good Orange is and I hope we get to see more in ring from him now.
Main Event: Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley
First of all what an entrance for Jericho, I would very much like a recording of that choir version of Judas. It cannot be understated how great of a champion Jericho has been but it was time for him to lose the belt. Moxley had to overcome the odds of one eye and a full stable of people who wanted to bring an end to his hope. The match itself was good and told the story that they have been building up since Full Gear and Moxley's win. I did like the end reveal of Moxley's eye being fine just before the final move to win, one last mental win over Jericho before taking the title. I'm interested to see where we go with Moxley and his title reign now he's won, I do hope my Blood and Guts prediction is right.
In conclusion I would say this is my favourite AEW PPV so far. Helped by the amount of TV time they have had since the last show. Not only has to show moved stories along but created intrigue on new elements. The next big show for AEW will be Blood and Guts at the end of this month followed by Double or Nothing and it is quite nice to not really see what the card will be for that but if the last month or so of TV is anything to go by we will be in for a fun ride with AEW for the foreseeable future.
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