Quick Thoughts: AEW Revolution 2021

2021 has finally come and with it brings a whole next rotation of PPVs for AEW for me to give my thoughts on. It's hard to believe just 12 months ago AEW had a full venue for Revolution to see Jon Moxley win the AEW title it feels like multiple lifetimes ago not 12 months. Regardless as with all wrestling companies AEW has tried to make the best out of the bad situation and with a fun card lined up I was hopeful it could live up to it. 

Britt Baker & Maki Itoh vs. Thunder Rosa & Riho
AEW brought over Maki Itoh over as Britt Baker's partner and it was a great move. Itoh is insanely charismatic and will be a big star on that alone. While not the best in the ring that can come in time and with that I hope they get her full time soon as Itoh is a phenomenal. The match was good and serves as another step in the Baker and Rosa match. I look forward to the eventual blow off match. I do wonder what is next for Riho. With her being back full time in America (I assume) I wonder what they will do with her. With Riho & Statlander to return soon I'd imagine it would be a good shot in the arm for the women's division to get some much needed depth (I just hope Statlander gets a bit of a gimmick refresh).

AEW Tag Team Championship Match: Young Bucks (c) vs. Jericho & MJF
I've been really enjoying the MJF and Inner Circle story, this match seemed pivotal to if MJF betrays Jericho. Win and they continue on but lose and it would come to ahead which the later promo seemed to indicate. All in all this was a very good choice for the match to start a PPV off with. The way the Young Bucks wrestle is perfect for opening a show it's fast past and flashy, it gets audience attention right away. I feel the right team won as it was time to move the Jericho & MJF story along and the Bucks still have ground to cover as tag champs. While I hope they lose the belts to Death Triangle it seems a match with the Good Brothers for the belts is most likely to happen post that and before they drop the belts.  

Casino Tag Team Royal
What could be said for this match which helps it is that we saw a wide host of teams all with team names and gimmicks and most with tag team attire. It's such a strong position to be in and you know I like that tag wrestling is cared for. On the match itself it's always weird a match set up for tag teams that I'm now looking for singles match based on interactions in the match which is good overall I suppose. So, give me John Silver vs. PAC and Fenix vs. Jungle Boy the final four were great and I think the right team won. I love PAC and Fenix so I'm biased so it is a good choice. I think it helps in giving some teams a shine especially a team like Bear Country who this might've been the first time a lot of people have seen them. It's a good showcase of the whole tag division and I just wonder now do Death Triangle get the belts and in my (biased) opinion they should. 

AEW Women's World Championship: Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Ryo Mizunami
Ryo Mizunami was a surprising choice to me for the winner of the Women's eliminator tournament. It seemed clear the winner would come from the Japan side just on the fact you'd have to fly them over for the final but I was happy this was a new matchup. Shida winning makes sense, I've said all along Britt Baker should be the one to take the belt off of her and you'd think the post match angle will help to move this along. Ryo has been good in the tournament and this was the first time I've really been able to see her work. It's a shame that the pandemic has stopped AEW utilizing Joshi talents more as they help the women's division a lot. Hopefully when this is all done the like of Ryo, Itoh and Emi Sakura can be seen more on Dynamite and other programming. 

Miro & Kip Sabian vs. Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy 
I'll level with you, I'm glad this feud is over (well I hope). I like Chuck and I think he will struggle until Trent is back (unless he teams with Orange) but I want Miro to do more. I'm not as far on the 'look how much Miro is ruined' bandwagon as other who I think are overexaggerating. While the story isn't exactly his Magnum Opus he's looked a killer in the ring and I believe has yet to lose quite frankly you can properly heat him up to feud with someone I dunno maybe Darby or someone else have Kip tag his tag pinfall losses. As for the match? Well it happened it wasn't great but wasn't bad Miro looks like a killer he ended the feud winning which is what was wanted. You just need to see where he goes to next in terms of a feud I say just move him to Team Taz or even better turn him face and have him vs. Brian Cage. Just some baseless speculation. 

Big Money Match: Adam Page vs. Matt Hardy
I love Hangman and lord I wish for him to be world champion. The first step was here the first real big PPV and Matt Hardy needed a loss. If you look at his gimmick as Big Money Matt (by the way it is a million times better than Broken Matt I've had my fill of that gimmick) it makes sense that he would lose his money the heel gets comeuppance. With Hangman's story being he lost his friends through his own actions and then Kenny pushing him away as well I am glad he now has friends in Dark Order even if he doesn't join them. In the end Hangman has friend and Matt's money and now hopefully we can move onto Hangman getting back into the main event scene and winning the AEW world title but I do feel he will need a few more big wins before that. 

Face of the Revolution Ladder Match
My initial thought post this match was is Cody turning heel? The near valiant return from injury had to be done expecting the response. I do think that a lot of people got good moments. Ethan Page is a good signing as should be a good mid card heel for the company which they are lacking in my opinion. While personally I wanted Penta to win because Penta vs. Darby is one of the matches I want to happen in AEW that hasn't (to my knowledge) but Sky is an interesting choice. since his return from injury they have been positioning him as a heel so interesting to see the next steps on this. I think Sky is a good hand and really was the stand out member of SCU as a trio I am interested if he wins on Wednesday with the Street Fight being a factor in Darby's condition. Scorpio vs. Darby is a match I could see going either way.

I should also note here I am a massive Christian Cage fan so with this yes I am happy he's signed. A hall of fame talent? Absolutely put his accomplishments up against others and you see he is and that before considering the ground work he helped build with the TLC match and even a rejuvenation of Tag Wrestling in the 90s from the lull it was in. I can't wait to see what he does and on top of that I'm so glad he's got his TNA theme even if it was a remix. One of my favourite themes.

Darby Allin & Sting vs. Team Taz (Brian Cage & Ricky Starks)
I much like others may have had their fill of cinematic matches but this I loved. This was really well produced and Darby has to be given a lot of credit for his work on this. I loved the setting to this and with that the unique moments that a setting like this could use with the walls and even Hobbs and Cage throwing Darby through that window panel. Again more praise to Darby for that massive give onto Cage at the end that looked like it hurt but should live as moment in time for his career and AEW as a whole. I know some will say the wrong team wrong but it makes sense here for Sting and Darby to win the whole story has been Team Taz always looking to injure and end the career of Darby so makes sense for his team to win. I do wonder where all four men go next especially Team Taz where do you put them? The more immediate future is with Darby and his TNT title defence Wednesday and how that goes with the considerable injuries you imagine carried with the match like this? Do we see Scorpio Sky win the TNT title? I think we just might. 

AEW World Championship Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Jon Moxley
I suppose I should start with the end to this one. Yes the 'explosion' sucked, yes it sucked for Kingston selling nothing. Yes it was a let down for the ending I won't deny that and all the social media account dedicated to hating AEW will use this for their agenda but whatever . However, I won't deny the match before was good. After watching Onita vs. Chono and Onita vs. Funk leading up to it I don't know if I want to see any form of this match again. As a gimmick it was just not for me I'm not one for the big no ropes barbed wire matches, I'm not the same person I was when I saw my first match like this on the Hardcore Homecoming DVD it's just a change in taste. I won't take away the damage these two did to each other it's weird as a feud ender it ends with outside interference I guess Mox & Kingston will face the Good Brothers I don't know.

Not to get all fantasy booker but I am interested in how they for lack of a better term pivot the ending. Yeah you can say Kenny is a bad constructor who didn't want any possibility of him getting blown up but what about Kingston? Do you say his actions throwing the past few months between him and Mox away to save his friend sent him into a state of shock or something else. Above all I am interested to see how that moves away. Above all I'm glad nobody got majorly hurt from this match if reports are to be believed. 

All in all I liked the show. The ending will get talked about but shouldn't take away from the good to great action all night. The moving the PPV hurt this as the build got extended and as such I'm looking forward to a fresher show going forward. With 2 months before Double or Nothing I am interested to see who ends up where by then in terms of the PPV card.  

I should end this post by saying I have now watched the post PPV episode of Dynamite. It felt fresh for all the new feuds. I'm glad Baker vs. Rosa gets the big main event pay off I'm sure will deliver. MJF getting his own stable is good and a face Inner Circle is something I don't think anyone expected and we have 2 stables of 5 people each I'm just saying (well hoping) we get Blood and Guts maybe even at Double or Nothing. But on that note we will just have to wait and see.