Reviews

The John Report: AEW Revolution 2022 Review

By John Canton • Published 6th March 2022
aew revolution 2022 tjrwrestling review

AEW Revolution is the first AEW pay-per-view of 2022 with “Hangman” Adam Page defending the World Title against Adam Cole. Other big matches included CM Punk facing MJF in a Dog Collar Match, Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson and a whole lot more.

There are 12 advertised matches for the show including three for the “BUY IN PRE-SHOW” that runs for one hour before the 8pm ET start time. Most AEW PPVs run right around four hours with the last one, Full Gear, going 3 hours, 58 minutes. This review will only be the main show. I don’t plan on writing about the pre-show matches.

I ordered the show on Fite TV here in Canada. I’m happy to support AEW. Check out my past AEW PPV reviews right here on TJRWrestling.

I missed the Buy-In Pre-Show except for the last 15 minutes because I was at a family dinner. Here are the results of three Buy-In Pre-Show matches:

* Leyla Hirsch defeated Kris Statlander by pinfall.

* Hook defeated QT Marshall by submission.

* House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews) defeated Pac, Penta Oscuro and Erick Redbeard. Black pinned Redbeard after the dreaded black mist to the face. I caught the last five minutes of this. Lots of action and nearfalls on both sides. Good match.

You can watch the AEW Buy-In Pre-Show on Youtube right here. Let’s get to it.

AEW Revolution
March 6, 2022
From Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida

It’s Sunday night and you know what that means. The commentary team was Jim Ross, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone. The show started with a shot of the crowd while an advertisement aired for AEW’s new sponsor Draftkings. I’m a heavy Draftkings user and have been for over a decade. Just saying. It’s weird not seeing a video package to start the show.

The nameplate for Jericho said “The Influencer” Chris Jericho, so I guess we’re supposed to try to get that nickname over. He’s certainly had a lot of nicknames better than that. Anyway, the crowd sang along with “Judas” for Jericho’s entrance as usual. Eddie Kingston walked down to the ring quickly.

Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Jericho

Eddie hit a half n half suplex dropping Jericho on his head/neck to start the match. There were Draftkings logos in the four corners of the ring. The fans were chanting for Eddie, Jericho went to the floor and Eddie brought him back in with a neckbreaker. Lots of pro-Eddie chants. Jericho broke free with a knee to the ribs and a palm to the face. Jericho worked over Eddie’s face with punches, the fans were chanting for Eddie and Jericho gave the crowd the middle finger leading to boos. They got into a chopfest with several chops exchanged, Eddie fired back with machine gun chops and they did some eye pokes to eachother leading to Eddie hitting a DDT for two. Jericho came back with a running clothesline to the back. They battled on the turnbuckle, Kingston was seated on the top, Jericho with punches and Jericho delivered a top rope hurricanrana. Jericho makes it look so easy even at 51 years old. Jericho flashed the middle finger to some fans again and Jericho pulled a turnbuckle pad off to expose steel. Jericho with punches, but Eddie came back with an Exploder Suplex across the ring. They battled on the apron, Jericho got a hold of him and Jericho gave Eddie a suplex off the apron to the floor with both guys bumping to the floor. Back in the ring, Jericho hit two German Suplexes. That’s not a move that Jericho did in other companies, but he does the move well. Eddie with elbow strikes to the head, but then Jericho hit another German Suplex dropping Eddie on his head. Ouch. Jericho with Lionsault on Eddie, who had to move into a better position before the move to make it look better. Nice job by Eddie with the subtle slide there. Jericho sent Eddie into the turnbuckle, Eddie bounced back with a clothesline and Jericho got a rollup into a Walls of Jericho (Liontamer) on Eddie with the fans screaming, but Eddie got his hand on the bottom rope to break the hold.

Jericho shoved referee Aubrey Edwards lightly, so she shoved him lightly back. This allowed Eddie to come back with Eddie hitting two Saito Suplexes in a row. Eddie hit the spinning back fist to the face for a two count. Great nearfall there. The fans wanted that one. Eddie went for a lift, but Jericho got out of that and Jericho hit a Codebreaker for two. That has been a finishing move for Jericho in the past. Jericho hit a German Suplex, Kingston charged and Jericho hit another Codebreaker. No cover by Jericho after that move. Jericho signaled for the Judas Effect elbow, Eddie slowly got back up using the ropes. Jericho went for the Judas Effect, Eddie moved, Jericho hit the elbow against the steel that was exposed. Kingston hit two spinning back firsts and then the Stretch Plum submission wrenching on the arm/neck. Jericho tapped out. It went 15 minutes.

Winner by submission: Eddie Kingston

Analysis: **** A fun match to open the show. Lots of hard-hitting action with the chops, the suplexes on the head and a finisher that made sense since Eddie was working on Jericho’s back/neck the whole time. The finisher stretched on Jericho’s neck/arm, so it was logical for Jericho to give up at that point. Kingston winning made sense since he’s popular with the crowd and the fans want to see him used well. This win will help Eddie rise up the ranks in AEW a bit.

Post match, Kingston was shocked that he won and actually asked the referee: “I won?” Yes, he did. Kingston had trouble keeping his left eye open after the damage he took during the match. Kingston extended his hand for a handshake, Jericho was reluctant to do it and Jericho left the ring to boos.

Analysis: I don’t know if this means Jericho is considered a heel now because people in AEW can turn one week and go back the other way the next week. Eddie is clearly more popular with the crowd.

The Young Bucks were next as challengers for the AEW Tag Team Championships with their stooge Brandon Cutler joining them. The Young Bucks are former AEW Tag Team Champions. The ReDRagon duo Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly were next for their first AEW PPV match as a team. The AEW Tag Team Champions Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus entered to a good pop and the fans hummed along with the Jungle Boy theme song.

AEW Tag Team Championships: Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. ReDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish)

The rules for this match saw two guys in the ring while the other four men were on the apron. The story is that Young Bucks and ReDRagon are all friends with Adam Cole although it doesn’t mean they always get along.

Jungle Boy started with Kyle O’Reilly with Kyle blocking an armdrag attempt with an armbar submission. Fish tagged in for a double team kick to the chest. Fish tagged in Matt, who tagged in Nick and Boy did some choreographed armdrag with Nick keeping his balance so that boy could hit the move. Luchasaurus, he chopped and kicked everybody. The four challengers were on the floor together, then they ran away from Luchasaurus and Boy hit a dive over the top onto the heels on the floor. Fish sent Luchasaurus out of the ring, both Bucks tagged in consecutively and Nick hit a Senton Bomb off the top against the ropes. Matt dropkicked Luchasaurus while Kyle hit a flying knee off the apron onto Luchasaurus. Matt hit a neckbreaker on Boy across Nick’s knee and Kyle broke up the pin attempt. Fish and Kyle hit consecutive moves on Boy in the corner followed by Kyle hitting a knee drop. Nick pulled Kyle off a pin and Kyle said he forgot about the agreement. Boy created some space against Kyle/Bobby, then the Young Bucks pulled Bobby out. Kyle pulled Boy out of the ring, but Boy hit a clothesline on Kyle on the floor. Boy tried to tag out, but Fish hit Luchasaurus on the apron, so there was no tag. Nick and Matt hit a double team bulldog/dropkick on Boy for two as Kyle broke up the pin. Boy got a rollup on Matt, Kyle broke up the pin and Matt/Kyle argued about things. Kyle kicked Matt off the apron by accident when Boy moved. Luchasaurus got the hot tag with a double shoulder tackle, a clothesline, a boot, a slam into the mat and Luchasaurus hit corner back splashes and running kicks on the opponents. Luchasaurus with two kicks to the head and then a moonsault off the apron onto Kyle/Bobby on the floor. Awesome sequence there! Both Young Bucks were in the ring, Luchasaurus sent Matt out of the ring and Nick jumped off the top with a Destroyer on Luchasaurus. Matt got the tag, Luchasaurus popped back up with a Double Chokeslam on both Bucks, then a Chokeslam to Kyle and Chokeslam on Fish onto O’Reilly. Luchasaurus with a standing moonsault on Matt for a two count. Boy got the tag, then he held Luchasaurus’ hand while Luchasaurus had Matt on his shoulders and Jungle Boy hit a Doomsday Device clothesline for a two count. The fans chanted “this is awesome” for them. Fish tripped up Boy by the apron, Matt hit a superkick on Fish when Boy moved and Kyle tagged Boy so that Kyle was legal against Matt. That led to Kyle fighting Matt while Nick fought Fish. Luchasaurus with a clothesline, Boy into the ring with a superkick and Kyle bounced off the ropes two times leading to a double clothesline. The fans cheer and chanted “AEW” for them.

Boy tagged Matt to become legal, but Kyle was ready with a running knee on Boy. Fish tagged in with a double team DDT leading to a German Suplex by Fish for two. Fish hit an Exploder Suplex off the top on Boy, then Kyle tagged in with a knee drop and Kyle with a kneebar submission on the left knee. Fish jumped off the top with a knee drop. Matt broke up Kyle’s move with an elbow drop off the top. Nick was on fire with some kicks to the chest, but Luchasaurus caught Nick with a Chokeslam off the top into the ring. Kyle with a guillotine choke on Luchasaurus, so then Boy did a Shooting Star Press off the top onto Kyle to break that up. Luchasaurus tried to cover Kyle and then Nick hit a 450 Splash off the top to break up that pin attempt. That was wild. Matt grabbed one of the Tag Team Titles, the referee stopped him from using it and Kyle hit Boy with the title for a two count. The referee never saw the belt shot. Fish tagged in for a high/low kick up high and down low, but that only got a two count with Luchasaurus breaking up the pin. Young Bucks pulled Luchasaurus off the apron and sent him into the barricade. Young Bucks each tagged in leading to a double team superkick on Fish. Bucks hit a double superkick while Kyle hit a piledriver on Boy. Nick hit a diving attack off the top onto Luchasaurus on the floor. BTE Trigger by the Young Bucks, Matt covered Boy and Kyle broke up the pin. Nick went up top, he took way too long, so Boy shoved Matt down and Boy hit a hurricanrana on Nick leading to a German Suplex on Matt. Luchasaurus jumped off the middle rope over the top to the floor. Matt covered Boy for two. Luchasaurus was back in the ring for the Thorassic Express launch into a Powerbomb for the pinfall win after about 18 minutes. Nick almost broke it up, but he was too late.

Winners by pinfall: Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus

Analysis: ****1/4 This was a terrific tag team match. A lot of people impressed me here with Jungle Boy really standing out while Luchasaurus also had a lot of moments where he got to do power spots. The Young Bucks were tremendous doing double team moves a lot and nearly winning a few times. I thought Kyle/Fish could have had more moments to come close to winning, but at least they still did some things that made it look like they were close. Could they follow the rules better in this match? Of course, but it’s an AEW tag team match, so it’s to be expected. I don’t mind the champs retaining. It’s fine with me because they’re great. I thought Kyle/Fish might win although really it’s fine for the champs to keep the titles.

A commercial for AEW heading to Las Vegas for Double or Nothing on May 29 along with Dynamite and Rampage before that.

Taz joined commentary for this match since two of his guys are in the next match. Taz should be a regular part of the commentary team in my opinion. I like him a lot.

A video aired about the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match with the winner earning a TNT Title match.

The entrances took place for the six wrestlers with Christian Cage up first, Powerhouse Hobbs was next and the FTW Champion Ricky Starks was next. Wardlow got a solid babyface reaction from the crowd, AEW newcomer Keith Lee got a strong reaction and Orange Cassidy got a big pop as well.

Face of the Revolution Ladder Match: Keith Lee vs. Christian Cage vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Wardlow vs. Ricky Starks

There was a giant brass ring above the ring. The first man to climb a ladder and retrieve it will win the match. The winner gets a TNT Title match. They showed Dan Lambert with Scorpio Sky, Ethan Page and other members of America’s Top Team watching the match from an upstairs location.

The trio of Hobbs, Wardlow and Lee tossed their smaller opponents out of the ring. Taz: “We might need a bigger boat.” That’s a Jaws line. Go watch it, kids. Cassidy went into the ring doing his comedy kicks and Starks stopped that. Starks sent Cassidy into the barricade. Christian used a ladder to attack a bunch of guys on the floor. Starks knocked Christian down and grabbed the ladder. Cassidy did a dropkick on Starks with his hands in his pocket. Christian sent Cassidy and Starks over the top to the floor. Christian set up the ladder, but Hobbs stopped him and Hobbs climbed the ladder. Christian went up after Hobbs and hit a reverse DDT off the ladder. Lee was up on the apron, he sent Christian into the ladder and Starks was back in the ring so Lee hit a double cross body block on Christian/Starks at the same time. Lee caught a jumping Cassidy, then he used Cassidy as a weapon and threw him at other opponents. Lee climbed up the ladder, Wardlow stopped him there, then told him to come down to fight, so Lee went down to have a fight. Hobbs took advantage of that staredown to hit Lee/Wardlow with the ladder. Hobbs and Starks were on opposite sides, they shook hands since they were members of Team Taz and Cassidy knocked them down. Cassidy put the ladder on his shoulders, some wrestlers bumped into it and Lee/Wardlow stopped that. Hobbs splashed a ladder onto Lee followed by Hobbs running a ladder onto Lee. Hobbs launched Cassidy into the ladder that was up against the turnbuckle. Hobbs gave Orange a delayed vertical suplex that was against the turnbuckle with Lee holding the ladder to help their balance. Christian charged, Hobbs stopped him at first and then Christian hit a Spear onto Hobbs onto a ladder bridge. Starks got back into it with a Spear off the middle rope onto Christian. Starks climbed the ladder, but Wardlow was there to tip the ladder over and Starks had a rough landing after that. They did a spot where a bunch of guys were on the ladder. Wardlow shoved two guys that were on his back and then all six guys tried to reach for the ring while climbing two ladders. Cassidy and Christian bumped into the ropes while Lee and Starks bumped into the ropes. Wardlow and Hobbs each touched the ring, then they looked at the crowd for some reason and punches knocked both guys down. All six guys were down.

The match reset with Lee, Hobbs and Wardlow looking at Cassidy with Lee tossing Cassidy over the top to the floor. Hobbs bumped over the top to the floor. Wardlow clotheslined Lee over the top the floor. Wardlow left the ring to fight Lee instead of going for the brass ring. Wardlow and Hobbs worked together against Lee, then they split a ladder apart and wanted to use it together, but Hobbs hit Wardlow followed by Hobbs hitting Lee. They were standing by the commentary table, where Wardlow hit a running shoulder tackle that knocked Lee/Hobbs off a stage onto some tables on the floor. It was only about an eight foot drop, but it looked and sounded good. Starks battled Christian in the ring with Starks hitting a low blow to the groin. Starks did a slow climb, so that allowed Wardlow to get back into the ring. Danhausen went into the ring, he cursed Starks and pulled him off the ladder. The fans popped for the comedy gimmick. Christian went up top, Starks pulled him down and Wardlow gave Christian a Powerbomb. I think Wardlow messed up because he was in the ring, then he had to leave for Danhausen and then he did a move. Wardlow jumped up to stop Starks and Wardlow gave Starks a Powerbomb on the ladder bridge. Wardlow climbed up to grab the brass ring that he unlocked to win the match. It went about 18 minutes.

Winner: Wardlow

Analysis: ***1/2 A good ladder match with plenty of big bumps and moments that worked well. I think they could have more interesting climbing spots with near finishes. The part of the match where Wardlow, Lee and Hobbs left up the ramp was dumb because we are led to believe the other three guys weren’t even trying to get the ring. You have to book those kinds of spots in a better way or else it looks silly. Anyway, Wardlow was the right winner here. There was no chance for Christian, Cassidy and Starks. It was more about the big guys, who really didn’t do much with the ladders other than some power spots. Wardlow winning was the right call.

Wardlow gets a TNT Title shot. Sammy Guevara is the TNT Champion that has to defend against Scorpio Sky on Dynamite and then after that match, Wardlow gets his title shot.

Analysis: I think Wardlow is going to win the TNT Title when he gets his title shot.

Tony Schiavone was on the stage to announce a contract signing. It was Shane “Swerve” Strickland making his AEW debut. We know him from his run in WWE NXT. Talented guy. Shane said he can talk about all the dream matches and the championships he’s going to take, but all he’s got to do is ask a question. He said: “Who’s house?” The fans chanted “Swerve’s house.” My LA Rams do that same gimmick.

Analysis: A nice addition to the AEW’s big roster. Swerve was one of my favorite guys in NXT in the last few years. I thought WWE was dumb to cut a guy as talented as him. Remember when Jay Lethal was introduced and people thought he’d be a big deal in AEW? He mainly gets to wrestle on Youtube now. I hope it goes better for Swerve, but this roster is so deep that it’s hard.

Tay Conti made her entrance with some warpaint on. Anna Jay and Negative One wished her luck. Jade Cargill was next as the AEW TBS Champion for the new title created for the women’s division. Jade is 28-0 in her AEW career. They had a guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram playing Jade’s theme song.

TBS Championship: Jade Cargill (w/Smart Mark Sterling) vs. Tay Conti (w/Anna Jay)

Jade kissed her on the lips. JR: “What the hell?” Mind games, I guess. Jade wanted the Jaded slam, but Conti countered it and Jade went for a leg lock. Conti got a swinging DDT for a two count. The short shorts that Conti wears make her popular with a lot of fans. Just saying. Conti went up top and she hit a somersault dive onto “Smart” Mark Sterling on the floor. Cargill hit a pump kick on Jay, who was just standing there. Cargill sent Conti into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Conti got a kick and they exchanged pin attempts. Conti sent Cargill into the ropes, Jay with a chair to the face (the referee didn’t see it) and Conti got a pin attempt for two. Conti with her own kiss leading to a DDT for two. Cargill blocked a Conti move leading to a spinning Eye of the Storm powerslam for two. Cargill went up top and hit a Frog Splash for two. That was pretty impressive. Conti to the floor, Cargill followed and Conti hit a knee to the face. Back in the ring, Conti hit a piledriver for two. Conti to the top rope, Cargill hit her with a forearm and Cargill hit the Jaded slam for the pinfall win. Cargill is 29-0 in AEW. It went seven minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Jade Cargill

Analysis: **1/2 Just an average match. A decisive win for Cargill. Conti got some nearfalls throughout the match, but the fans really didn’t buy her having a shot to win. It was the shortest match of the main show so far. Cargill’s undefeated streak continues.

The Dog Collar Match between CM Punk and MJF was next. They got a video package as expected. Long term feud here.

CM Punk’s music started to play, the fans were singing and then MJF’s music played instead. Tony: “What the hell?” Excalibur: “What an asshole.” Why? He’s not in charge of the music. MJF made his way down to the ring. CM Punk’s entrance was not “Cult of Personality” at the start. Instead, they played another song while having some smoke appear in the entrance area. Punk did his usual pose on the stage and yell: “It’s clobbering time.” Punk had the “XXX” on the back of his jacket. Excalibur noted that Punk was paying tribute to his Ring of Honor past with his attire and the theme song from AFI. That was a cool throwback to Punk’s past, but the whole arena was chanting for Cult of Personality while a lot of fans likely had no idea what this song was.

Dog Collar Match: CM Punk vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

The referee Paul Turner put the dog collars around the necks of both guys and there was a steel chair that stretched across the ring. No disqualifications or countouts in a match like this. Win by pinfall or submission.

When MJF tried to get away multiple times to start the match, Punk pulled him back and choked MJF across the ropes. Punk kicked MJF in the ribs and threw him into the turnbuckle. Punk kept pulling MJF back whenever MJF tried to run away. MJF said: “I’m sorry.” JR: “He’s a disingenuous dick.” Pretty much. Punk worked over MJF with punches against the turnbuckle. MJF slipped out of the corner with a superkick and a Powerbomb for two. MJF whipped Punk in the back with the chain. Punk sent MJF into the turnbuckle, Punk with a rising knee to the jaw and then MJF pulled the chain to block a bulldog attempt. MJF punched Punk with a chain to the head, then Punk used his right hand to blade himself (it was on camera) and MJF punched Punk again. MJF grabbed the microphone for a promo saying he wanted Punk to quit. MJF went for a move off the ropes, Punk pulled him down and the microphone went flying. Punk with a Russian legsweep takedown followed by Punk hitting a knee drop. Punk with a rising knee strike in the corner, then Punk wrapped the chain around the neck and hit a bulldog. Punk’s face was full of blood. Punk used a steel chain to whip MJF across the back. Punk went for a GTS, but MJF gouged the eyes/blood on Punk’s face and MJF applied a sleeper hold. MJF took Punk to the ground in the sleeper, Punk’s arm dropped twice and he fought back before a third arm drop. Punk countered the sleeper by kicking off the ropes for a two count. That’s the Bret Hart finish against Roddy Piper and Steve Austin. Punk went for the GTS, but MJF blocked it and MJF went for the Salt of the Earth submission. Punk countered it into a pin attempt, MJF was screaming and he nearly tapped. MJF pulled the hair for a pin attempt to cause Punk to release the hold. MJF went for the piledriver by the ropes, but Punk countered that. Both guys were down trying to regroup a bit.

Punk wrapped the chain around the right knee leading to a running knee with the chain that led to MJF bumping out of the ring to the floor. That led to MJF doing a blade job as well, so they were both a bloody mess. Punk worked over MJF with punches followed by a whip into the steel steps. Punk put the chain around his knee again, he charged, MJF moved and Punk hit a running knee into the steel steps. Punk was favoring the right knee after he hit the steps while Punk sent MJF into the ring. Punk lifted MJF for a GTS, but he couldn’t do a move because Punk’s right knee was hurting. They went to the apron where set up Punk for a move and they battled over a Tombstone piledriver with Punk countering MJF to hit a Tombstone piledriver on the apron. They went back into the ring with Punk going up top, he shouted “Best in the World” and Punk jumped off with an elbow drop, but MJF moved and Punk hit the mat. MJF covered for a two count. MJF went under the ring to retrieve a small black bag and we all knew what it was. MJF poured thumbtacks in the middle of the ring. MJF with a rising knee strike. MJF teased a bulldog out of the corner, Punk bit the hand of MJF and MJF kicked the right knee. Punk kicked MJF in the gut, he teased a suplex on the tacks and MJF avoided it. They kept on going for moves, but neither guy could do it and Punk hit a roundhouse kick to the head. Punk teased Pepsi Plunge off the top rope, but MJF tripped him up and Punk was crotched along the top turnbuckle. MJF’s blood on his face looked like it stopped, so it must have been a weak cut. MJF gave Punk a superplex off the top onto the thumbtacks in the ring. Most of Punk’s body didn’t hit the thumbtacks, but some of Punk’s back hit the thumbtacks and he had a few tacks there. MJF covered for a two count. MJF used the chain to punch Punk for a two count. Wardlow shouted for Wardlow, so Wardlow walked out wearing a dress shirt and suit jacket. MJF wanted the ring, but Wardlow didn’t have it. Punk pulled MJF in and hit the GTS knee to the face. MJF bumped onto the thumbtacks. Wardlow found the Dynamite Diamond Ring in the other pocket, he said “oops” and the fans cheered. Wardlow put the Dynamite Diamond Ring in the ring and left it for CM Punk to use as the fans chanted “Wardlow.” Punk put the ring on his right ring finger. MJF spit in Punk’s face and then Punk punched him with the Dynamite Diamond Ring for the pinfall win after 26 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: CM Punk

Analysis: ****1/4 A very good match that was different than anything else on the show. It was the bloodbath we expected it to be. I don’t think it was better than their Dynamite match was, but it was still really good and a nice way for Punk to get revenge against MJF. The pace was slower than other matches, which is fine with me because these guys actually sell whereas some people in AEW don’t sell a lot. It was also a match that was heavy in storyline with Wardlow finally turning on MJF by screwing him since he didn’t give him the ring and instead Wardlow gave Punk the ring. Punk had it already won with the GTS leading to MJF bumping onto the thumbtacks, but having Wardlow screw MJF as well was a smart way to play into the finish of the match. That should lead to Wardlow feuding with MJF in the months ahead, which has been building for a long time.

Punk celebrate the win by spinning the dog collar around his head with Excalibur saying he was invoking Bruiser Brody. That’s a cool reference. Punk celebrated while the fans cheered for him.

A video package aired about Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women’s Title.

AEW Women’s Championship: Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. (w/Jamie Hayter & Rebel) vs. Thunder Rosa

I missed a few minutes of the match because sometimes nature calls, as they say. They had a clean ring mat after the last match was so bloody. Rosa was in control with a backbreaker. Rosa hit a running knee attack against the turnbuckle. Rosa went for an attack, Baker moved and Baker hit a neckbreaker. Hayter choked Rosa across the rope while Baker distracted the referee. Rosa with an enziguri kick to the head, then a charging attack, Baker caught Rosa and Baker sent Rosa into the turnbuckle. Baker put her boot against Rosa’s face that was against the ring post. Rebel and Hayter did some cheap shots on Rosa followed by Baker hitting a suplex for two. Baker with a hammerlock takedown leading to some forearms to the face. Rosa broke free with a German Suplex. Rosa with clotheslines on Baker, then a drop toehold into the ropes and Rosa hit a dropkick to the back. Rosa with a running dropkick to the ribs followed by a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Baker with an Air Raid Crash for two. Baker hit a pendulum suplex for two. That was a weird spot because it looked awkward like they had trouble setting it up. Baker with another suplex. Baker stalled by putting on her black glove, so Rosa came back with a dropkick and an uppercut. Rosa hit a superplex standing on the middle rope and a neckbreaker onto the knee. Rosa with a sliding lariat for two. Baker with a forearm to the face, then a neckbreaker and a double underhook suplex. They exchanged punches, then it turned into multiple pin attempts and Rosa fought out of Baker going for a submission. Rosa hit a belly to back suplex for two. They battled on the turnbuckle a bit with Baker hitting an Avalanche Air Raid Crash off the middle rope for a two count. Good nearfall there. The announcers are trying to kiss the wrestler’s ass to put over the rivalry, but the fans aren’t into it that much. They battled over a piledriver leading to Rosa getting a nearfall. Rosa hit a Tombstone Piledriver with a cover, but the referee was distracted by Rebel. Rosa decked Rebel on the apron. More pin attempts by the ladies. The referee called for help for Rebel, so Hayter gave Baker the title. Baker hit The Stomp on the Women’s Title and the referee turned around to count a two count. Baker went for the Lockjaw submission, Rosa ought out of it and applied the Lockjaw, but Baker got out of it. Rosa had Baker in a submission, the referee was looking at Rebel on the apron again and Baker tapped out. Rosa took out Rebel with a Spear off the apron to the floor. Rosa decked Hayter with a clothesline on the floor. Rosa went back into the ring with Baker hitting The Stomp for the pinfall win after 17 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.

Analysis: ***1/4 It was good, but not at the level of their wild match on Dynamite last year. The crowd was definitely not into it for most of the match, but then they started caring more later as Rosa kept getting screwed out of the win. Baker winning cheap is fitting for her as a heel champion while Rosa has a legit beef that could lead to another title match. I thought Rosa might win here, but it didn’t happen. Baker’s long title reign continues.

There wasn’t much post match. They went right into the next video package.

A video aired for Jon Moxley’s match against Bryan Danielson. That’s what I’m looking forward to a lot on this show.

Bryan Danielson entered first looking confident as usual. Big pop for Jon Moxley walking in through the crowd and looking ready to go.

Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson

They spent the first couple of minutes doing some mat wrestling as they battled for control. Bryan with a hard slap to the jaw, then a snapmare and a kick to the back. Bryan with a hard slap to the jaw, Moxley with chops and a snapmare leading to his own kick to the back. The fans were chanting for “Moxley” at that point. Moxley worked over Bryan with punches and kicks against the turnbuckle. Moxley with a running back elbow. Bryan was seated, Moxley delivered multiple kicks to the chest and Bryan did a dragon screw leg whip across the ring. Bryan delivered kicks to the chest, Moxley blocked a head kick and Bryan hit a kick to the ribs. Bryan delivered knees to the ribs and Bryan stood on the ribs. Bryan with more kicks to the body. Moxley with three hard chops, but then Bryan continued the assault on the ribs with a spin kick to the body. Bryan with a suplex. Bryan went up top, he jumped off with a headbutt, took too long and Moxley moved, so Bryan hit the mat. Moxley with punches, Bryan with a knee to the ribs and a running dropkick in the corner. Bryan with another running dropkick. Bryan charged, Moxley avoided him and hit a German Suplex followed by a Saito Suplex on the back. Bryan with a roundhouse kick to the head followed by a front facelock with a body scissors around the ribs and Moxley countered with a slam. Bryan charged at Moxley against the turnbuckle, so Moxley gave him a back body drop over the top to the floor. They each went for suicide dives, but Moxley caught him and then it turned into a slugfest. The referee left the ring to join them rather than count them out. They did repeated headbutts. Bryan and Moxley each punched eachother, so then they went down.

They were back in the ring with both guys bleeding from the forehead. That’s what the headbutt spot was fore. Moxley did a big blade job since he was full of blood on his head. Moxley with more headbutts (into his own hand) and Bryan got out of a finisher attempt leading to a rolling elbow, but Moxley bounced off the ropes with a clothesline with Bryan doing a flip bump. Moxley sent up Bryan on the top rope, then Moxley dug the fingernails into the back (a dreaded move) and Bryan shoved Moxley so that he was seated on the turnbuckle. Bryan gave Moxley a belly to back suplex off the top for two. Bryan grounded Moxley with a dragon sleeper using a body scissors as well. Moxley got his foot on the bottom rope to break. JR said it helps to be 6’4” and I think that’s a stretch to say he’s that tall. They battled over some more holds, Moxley worked over Bryan with elbows to the head and Moxley went for a sleeper, but then he turned it into a cross armbreaker. Bryan went for the Lebell Lock submission near the ropes, but Moxley got to the bottom rope to break the hold. Bryan tried to stomp on Moxley, but Moxley turned it around and they kicked eachother Moxley with stomps to the head. Moxley applied the Bulldog Choke submission, Bryan was slowly fading and Bryan turned it into a pin for two. Bryan hit a suplex followed by a kick to the ribs and Bryan hit the running knee for a two count. Bryan stomped on Moxley’s head a bit, then Bryan applied a triangle choke submission and Moxley grabbed the beard to try to get out of it. Bryan with punches while Moxley looked like he was fading and Moxley countered it into a pin where was on top of Bryan, who was holding onto the submission. It went about 20 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Jon Moxley

Analysis: ****1/4 That was a violent match with a lot of technical wrestling and a controversial finish of sorts because of how close it was at the end of the match. It was no surprise that Moxley bladed since he likes to do that especially in PPV matches. Bryan controlled a lot of the match and was on offense a lot. I think the finish was fine to show that they are very evenly matched. Bryan lost the match only because he held onto the submission too long and Moxley was able to counter it into a pin. I liked how it was booked. It was a bit disappointing that the crowd wasn’t into the match more, but they did get into it by the end and for some of the nearfalls/near submissions towards the finishing part of the match.

Post match, Bryan was pissed off about the loss and he shoved referee Bryce Remsburg. Moxley’s hand was raised as the winner, Bryan kicked him and it led to a brawl. There were referees and security guys that showed up to break it up. William Regal walked down to the ring with the fans calling him William Regal as his name. The fans popped for Regal and chanted “holy shit” for him. Regal got in Moxley’s face and slapped him in the face. Regal also slapped Bryan in the face. There was a “Regal” chant. Regal wanted them to shake hands with fans chanting “yes” for them. Moxley and Bryan shook hands right in front of Regal. Bryan left with Regal following him.

Analysis: Good to see Regal there. He was another questionable release by WWE. Even though he isn’t a wrestler anymore, he can do a lot as an authority figure and help in a backstage role. I liked the handshake too. Hopefully Regal can teach AEW tag teams how to have matches without making the referees look like idiots, but that’s probably not going to happen.

They finally showed some replays to show Moxley was pinning Bryan, who didn’t let go of the submission hold.

Meanwhile, Tony Khan confirmed the signing of Regal and they are using the William first name just like he had in WWE.

They did a rundown of matches coming up on TV. Thunder Rosa faces Leyla Hirsch with the winner getting an AEW Women’s Title match so Rosa could get the title in a few weeks in a rematch. Also, Sammy Guevara vs. Scorpio Sky this Wednesday on Dynamite.

The A.H.F.O. stable that rarely wins big matches was next with Matt Hardy, Andrade El Idolo and Isiah Kassidy made their entrance. Sammy Guevara entered as the TNT Champion that still has two titles for some reason. Sting was next. Sting is 7-0 in AEW. Darby Allin was after that following some weird vignette that aired.

Trios Tornado Tag Team Match: Sting, Darby Allin & Sammy Guevara vs. Matt Hardy, Andrade El Idolo & Isiah Kassidy

A tornado tag means there are no tags in this match. All six men are legal.

This match was chaotic right as soon as the bell rang. They were fighting all around the floor. Allin and Sammy hit a double team suplex on Andrade on the floor. Hardy and Kassidy did a double team splash, Sting no sold it and hit a double clothesline. Sting with a garbage can that he used as a weapon. Allin with corner splashes on Hardy and Kassidy. Sammy with a double jump off the ropes into ta Cutter on Kassidy. Andrade dropped Sammy to the outside and hit a dropkick on Sting, who had the trash can. Andrade slammed Allin into the turnbuckle. Andrade set up Allin on the top rope, Sammy got involved and then Andrade managed to hit a double foot stomp on Allin. Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on Sammy for two as Sting made the save. Andrade tossed Allin out of the ring while Sting worked over Matt with punches. Andrade jumped off the top, Allin moved and Andrade went crashing on the floor. Sting whipped Matt into the turnbuckle. Marq Quen showed up to whip a chair at Sammy. Sammy tossed Quen over the barricade. Kassidy did the Silly String DDT spot on Sammy on the floor. Sting hit Matt in the back with a steel chair a few times. Sting whipped Matt into a retaining wall while Allin and Andrade were there. The Butcher and The Blade showed up to help Matt’s team. Butcher rammed Allin into the barricade repeatedly. The Blade knocked down Sting out there too. Sammy fought against both Private Party guys. There were two tables set up while Kassidy was on a platform above the tables. Sammy got a hold of Kassidy and they did a Spanish Fly off the platform through the tables! That was brutal. Ouch. It was probably a fall of about 12-15 feet or so. There were multiple tables that were stacked in the crowd area. Sting fought back against Butcher, Blade and Matt. Andrade hit Sting with some object while Matt hit a low blow on Sting. Matt walked Sting up some steps and they went over to the platform that was about the four tables that were stacked. Andrade and Allin were fighting in the same area. Sting fought back to knock Matt down. Andrade was laying on the table to rest for some reason and Sting jumped off the platform and hit a splash onto Andrade through multiple tables! I don’t know why Andrade was just randomly lying on the tables, but holy shit Sting deserves credit for even doing that crazy spot. Matt whipped Allin over the barricade. Matt Hardy was alone with Darby Allin in the ring with Matt hitting a chair shot to the back. Allin used the chair to Matt’s throat. Allin hit a Scorpion Death Drop onto the chair. Allin went up top, he jumped off with a Coffin Drop and didn’t even touch Matt. Allin still pinned for the win after 14 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Sting, Darby Allin & Sammy Guevara

The replay was shown with Excalibur trying to tell us that Allin’s head connected with Matt, which was comical, but whatever. They had to try to cover for the non-finish spot.

Analysis: ***1/4 A wild match where they were allowed to fight all over the building and break some tables. They sure broke a lot of them. Sting’s spot was the highlight, but it was dumb how Andrade just laid on the table like that. They should have set up that spot a lot better than whatever they were trying to do. The finish was also messed up since the Coffin Drop didn’t hit and it looked lame that Allin was able to win the match after that. Anyway, no surprise that Sting’s team won so he remains undefeated. Matt Hardy’s group has lost a lot, but his brother Jeff is likely coming to AEW, so that should lead to another Hardy Boys reunion. It’s too bad Andrade is booked so poorly in AEW. He should be doing way more.

Here’s the Sting dive without showing the part where Andrade gently laid on the table waiting for him.

A video package aired about the AEW World Title match between “Hangman” Adam Page and Adam Cole.

Adam Cole made his entrance wearing some Halo armor since he’s a video game guy. I am not anymore, but I did play Halo when I was a gamer. Cole did his “Boom” point and the fans chanted with “Adam Cole bay bay” right on cue. “Hangman” Adam Page made his entrance to a pretty good reaction from the crowd. Cole is 11-0 in AEW if you ignore his Lights Out Match loss to Orange Cassidy. Page won the title at Full Gear in November and this is his fourth title defense.

AEW World Championship: “Hangman” Adam Page vs. Adam Cole

There was a funny “Let’s Go Adam” chant to start the match that is funny because they have the same name. They exchanged punches a bit followed by Page taking control with two big clotheslines. Cole bailed to the floor, so Page hit a baseball slide dropkick on the floor. Page whipped Cole into the barricade a few times. Page with a running boot while Cole was hanging by the apron. Page broke the referee’s count as if they have countouts in AEW. Page tried a clothesline, Cole moved and Page hit the ring post. Cole with a superkick. Cole whipped Page shoulder first into the steel steps. Cole put his boot across the throat of Page and then Cole hit a Ushigoroshi slam onto the knee for two. Cole hit a neckbreaker for two. Cole hit a spinning slam off the shoulders for two. Cole got another slam that I missed, then he went for a move off the ropes and Page got a boot to the face. Page with a fallaway slam and a springboard lariat while Cole was on the apron. Page got a hold of Cole on the floor leading to a Powerbomb on the apron. Page went up top and hit an impressive moonsault onto Cole on the floor. Page went to the ropes while Cole was on the floor, so Cole kicked him in the head. Cole with a backstabber (knees to the back), Cole ran the ropes and Page hit a Liger Bomb for a two count. They battled by the turnbuckle, Page countered a move from Cole and Page jumped off the top…right into a superkick to the face. I have reviewed a lot of Cole matches in the last few years and he always does that spot in the bigger matches. It’s because he’s precise in terms of making that superkick look good. Cole went for a superkick, Page avoided it and hit a Deadeye slam for a two as usual for that move.

Page and Cole exchanged punches while they were on their knees. Cole with a pump kick, then a superkick and Page hit a rolling elbow strike. Page with a clothesline attempt, but Cole got a takedown leading to a crossface submission and Page got to the ropes to break the hold. Page avoided a move from Cole and hit a Tombstone Piledriver for two. A lot of that move on this show. Cole with a knee, Page with a forearm, Cole with a kick and then Page hit a suplex. Cole hit a suplex into the knee for two. Cole went to the middle turnbuckle where he was seated Page went after him and Page hit a fallaway slam off the top for a two count. Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish went down to ringside, Page was distracted and Cole superkicked Page to the floor. Cole hit a Panama Sunrise piledriver on the floor. Back in the ring, that got a two count. Barely any reaction to that nearfall. Cole hit a Panama Sunrise in the ring and then a Boom knee strike for two. Cole did not expose the knee, so maybe that’s why he was unable to win with it? That’s the story Excalibur tried to tell. Cole with two superkicks, Page came back with a clothesline. Cole avoided a Buckshot Lariat attempt and Cole hit superkicks again. Cole wanted more, so Page just collapsed to the mat to avoid being kicked in the head. Kyle and Fish set up a table at ringside. Page got a hold of Cole and Page gave him a Deadeye slam off the apron through the table. That move looks like it is all Page taking the bump on the knees, so it doesn’t look good as a move to do through a table. The Dark Order nerds went down to ringside, so they got into a fight with Kyle/Bobby and got them out of there. They went fighting to the back. Back in the ring, Page hit the Buckshot Lariat with Cole landing near the ropes, so Page covered for a two count because Cole got his right hand on the bottom rope. Page used his belt to tie Cole to the top rope. Page delivered three superkicks to the head, but Cole came back with his own superkick. Cole freed himself from the ropes. Page with a superkick on Cole. Page exposed his knee and hit a Boom knee to the head. Page hit another Buckshot Lariat for the pinfall win after 24 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: “Hangman” Adam Page

Analysis: ****1/4 It was another great match for Page as the World Champion. I don’t think Page can have a bad match at this point because he’s so talented and always has long matches. Cole put up a fight, lots of nearfalls and near finishes throughout this match as well. I thought that Page winning was obvious because it was his first PPV title defense, but to their credit at least Cole put up a hell of a fight and nearly won a few times. I don’t know if the attempted interference was necessary although I assume that was done to have Page get angrier and tie Cole to the ropes to lead into the finish. Anyway, these guys are awesome. I enjoyed this match a lot.

Post match, Page went over to a fallen Cole and shook his hand. Cole laid there on the mat. Page celebrated with the AEW World Title. That was the end of the show.

AEW Revolution had a runtime of 3 hours, 54 minutes.

Analysis: They like running PPVs for four hours. It was consistent with what they’ve done in the past. No post match surprises or anything like that.

Five Stars of the Show

  1. Jon Moxley
  2. Bryan Danielson
  3. Adam Page/Adam Cole
  4. CM Punk
  5. Eddie Kingston/Chris Jericho

Final Thoughts

It gets an 8.75 out of 10 from me.

It is so hard to rate a show like this because there’s a lot to like, but when I think back to All Out last year, I rated that a 9.5 because it was an awesome mix of great matches and surprises as well. This one did have great matches as well although there wasn’t anything on the show that I’d call a definite match of the year contender. When I think of Full Gear last year, I think that card was better in terms of match quality as far as the best matches go and I rated that a 9 out of 10. I’ll go just a notch below that with an 8.75 out of 10 here. That’s a very high score.

It’s tough to rank my favorite match on the show, but I was most excited about Danielson/Moxley coming into the show and that was probably my favorite match. I liked the Page/Cole match a lot too although it was less dramatic due to the predictability factor since there was no way Page was losing his first PPV title defense. Punk/MJF had a better match on TV recently although as a story, I liked their match a lot. Cool nostalgia with Punk’s look and entrance music. The Tag Team Title match was a chaotic match that was very fun to watch. I liked Kingston/Jericho as well – it was a smart choice for an opener. There was a lot to enjoy on this show. Old man Sting doing a crazy dive was memorable too! Too bad we had to see Darby Allin miss his finisher and still pin Matt Hardy. Oops.

There were no title changes on the show, so some critics might say it was disappointing for that reason. No major surprises other than William Regal appearing at the end of Moxley/Danielson and Regal signed with AEW now. I don’t think the lack of title changes hurts the show that much, but I thought there might be some title changes.

This was not a particularly hot crowd. They were quiet at times and that hurts the show a bit. It’s not the fault of the talent.

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