The John Report: AEW Revolution 2024 Review

It’s AEW Revolution featuring Sting’s final match as he teams with Darby Allin against The Young Bucks and there are six title matches on the show.

AEW Revolution is the first AEW pay-per-view of the year. It’s the fifth AEW Revolution PPV in company history. This year’s show has been built around Sting’s final match as a professional wrestler, which has led to over 16,000 tickets sold (thanks to WrestleTix) for tonight’s show. It will be one of the biggest arena crowds in AEW history. I’m happy for the company because their crowds for Dynamite and Collision have been down to around 3,000 fans at most shows, so this should be encouraging for the talent. There’s also some excitement around AEW since this is Will Ospreay’s first PPV as a full-timer, we know Mercedes Mone is starting on March 13th and Kazuchika Okada is expected to start in AEW soon as well. Those are some very talented people being added to the roster. As a reminder, I have reviewed every AEW PPV in company history and I ordered this one on the AEW YouTube channel since that’s an option for us in Canada. It’s not cheap, but I’m happy to support the company.

I don’t watch pre-shows because a four-hour main PPV show is long enough for me. Here are the pre-show results.

* The Bang Bang Scissor Gang (Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, Billy Gunn, Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn & Jay White) defeated Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh, Jay Lethal, Willie Mack, Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen (with Sonjay Dutt and Karen Jarrett) by pinfall. White hit Mack with the Bladerunner to get the win for his team.

* Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale defeated Julia Hart & Skye Blue by pinfall.

Let’s get to the main show.

AEW Revolution
Sunday, March 3rd, 2024
From theGreensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina

It was right to the action as usual with the TNT Title match up first. The commentary team to start the show was Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness and Tony Schiavone.

TNT Championship: Christian Cage (w/Killswitch, Nick Wayne & Shayna Wayne) vs. Daniel Garcia

Cage tripped up Garcia leading to a side headlock and Garcia came back with a shoulder tackle. Cage knocked down Garcia with a shoulder tackle. Cage ran the ropes, jumped over Garcia and Christian claimed he had a left ankle injury, but of course he was faking it so that he could poke Garcia in the eye. Cage did a necksnap across the top rope. Cage hit a neckbreaker for two. After Cage sent Garcia out of the ring, Cage jumped off the top rope onto Garcia on the floor. Garcia went for an Ankle Lock, but Christian sent him out of the ring. Christian knocked Garcia off the apron to the floor. Cage sent Garcia into the ring post to knock him down. Nick charged at Garcia, so Garcia knocked him down by the timekeeper’s area. Garcia got back into the ring with punches along with a running elbow smash. Garcia did the ten-punch combo along with a dance move to the face. Garcia pulled Cage off the ropes by yanking the left leg and Garcia got a couple of pin attempts after that. Cage was selling a leg injury a bit, which led to Garcia sending Cage into the steel steps. Garcia with a punch, Cage blocked it and Cage hit a backbreaker for two. Cage jumped off the top with a splash, but Garcia avoided it and Garcia applied an Ankle Lock submission until Cage got out of it. Garcia hit a belly-to-back suplex for two.

Cage distracted the referee, so Killswitch hit a Chokeslam. Cage jumped off the top with a splash for two. Matt Menard went to ringside and shoved Killswitch into the ring post. Shayna stared at Menard, so Killswitch was back up and Menard went fighting back up the ramp with Killswitch to the back. Cage charged, his leg gave way and Garcia hit a piledriver for two. The crowd thought that was it. Garcia did a jackknife pin attempt for two. Shayna was on the apron, so the referee was distracted and Nick hit an uppercut on Garcia. Cage hit the Killswitch on Garcia for the pinfall win at 16:50.

Winner by pinfall: Christian Cage

Analysis: ***1/2 A very good match with a predictable, cheap finish where Cage benefits from the help outside the ring. What I like about Christian Cage matches is that the pacing is better than a lot of AEW matches because it’s not rushed. Every move matters. Like when Garcia hit that piledriver and the fans thought that was it, that’s an example of making every move matter and building up key spots. They both sold well and I liked the story of the match. I didn’t think Garcia would win, but I liked the match.

Christian Cage was given the TNT Title and they cut away right away. No replays. Not much focus on the match after it was done.

Bryan Danielson was shown getting ready with Lexy Nair saying she talked to Bryan Danielson, who said he was confident he could make Eddie Kingston tap out tonight. Danielson made his entrance.

Eddie Kingston was shown getting ready as Renee Paquette was standing by saying that Eddie is determined to get that handshake from Danielson and he dedicates this match to Jun Akiyama. Kingston made his entrance.

Continental Crown Championship: Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson

Eddie had the three titles with him as the Continental Crown Champion. The fans chanted for both guys, but they liked Eddie more. Bryan grounded Eddie followed by kicks to the body. Eddie managed to trap Bryan against the turnbuckle leading to several machine gun shops. Eddie hit a Saito Suplex followed by Bryan going to the floor, so Eddie hit a suicide dive onto Bryan on the floor. They battled on the apron with Eddie hitting chops, then Bryan moved and Eddie chopped the ring post. Bryan suplexed Eddie from the apron to the floor. Back in the ring, Bryan trapped the right arm and stomped on the arm. Bryan hit a missile dropkick. Bryan worked over Eddie’s hand a bit and then Eddie caught Bryan leading to an Exploder Suplex. Eddie countered an armbar attempt into a DDT for two. Bryan came back to send Eddie into the turnbuckle followed by a running dropkick in the corner. Bryan hit another running dropkick. Bryan went for another dropkick, Eddie moved, but Bryan managed to kick Eddie in the back along with a Dragon Suplex dropping Eddie on his head/neck for two. They battled by the turnbuckle where Eddie hit some forearms, but Bryan came back with a running dropkick to the head. Bryan hit a Butterfly Superplex followed by Bryan going for a submission where he pulled back on the arms until Eddie got to the ropes to break the hold.

Bryan did the elbow strikes to the shoulder that we are supposed to think is to the head, but clearly hitting the shoulder. Eddie came back with a spinning back fist and a Northern Lights Bomb for two. Bryan charged, Eddie hit the spinning back fist and Eddie was selling the hand injury while Bryan kicked the right hand. Bryan hit the running Busaiko Knee for the two count. That’s a move that Bryan has won World Championships with. Nigel: “Come on Eddie!” Tony: “Stop cheering.” Bryan stomped on Eddie’s head a few times followed by a triangle choke submission. Eddie sold it like he was fading, but Eddie got his foot on the bottom rope to break the hold. Bryan worked over Eddie with kicks to the chest while the fans chanted “YES” for the kicks. Eddie blocked a kick and hit a half-and-half suplex, but Bryan landed on his knees. Bryan hit an overhead suplex, Eddie no sold it and Eddie hit Bryan with a half-and-half suplex that Bryan sold this time. They exchanged punches to the body. Eddie hit knees to the body, so Bryan came back with hard slaps to the face and Eddie hit lefty strikes to the face. Bryan hit a back body drop. Bryan charged leading to Eddie hitting a lefty clothesline. Eddie hit a Powerbomb with a high stack pin for the pinfall win at 19:45.

Winner by pinfall: Eddie Kingston

Analysis: ****1/4 It was an excellent match as usual from Bryan while Eddie is more than capable of keeping up with him. Bryan working over the right arm throughout the match was a logical decision to weaken Eddie’s strong striking game. I didn’t think the Powerbomb looked that great in terms of being a finishing move, but at least Eddie pinned him with a stacked cover to make it look tough to kick out of. I’m just saying it wasn’t an impressive Powerbomb that we have seen many times in wrestling. I still liked the match a lot.

After the match, Eddie Kingston wanted Bryan Danielson to shake his hand like they agreed to do before the match. Bryan was reluctant to do it. Eventually, Bryan did extend his hand and they shook hands. The fans cheered.

Analysis: That’s how you elevate a guy by having a former World Champion like Bryan Danielson putting over Eddie Kingston in a clean manner. The post match handshake adds to the respect as well.

A quick video aired about the 8-Man All-Star Scramble Match that was up next.

Taz replaced Nigel McGuinness on commentary so he joined Excalibur and Tony Schiavone. The entrances of the eight men in the All-Star Scramble match was after that.

All-Star 8-Man Scramble Match: Hook vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Lance Archer (w/Jake Roberts) vs. Magnus vs. Brian Cage (w/Prince Nana) vs. Wardlow (w/Adam Cole, Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs. Dante Martin vs. Chris Jericho

The first pinfall or submission wins this match. The winner will receive and AEW World Title match. Magnus is a CMLL wrestler. I don’t like his chances.

The four strong guys Wardlow, Cage, Archer and Hobbs cleared the ring, which led to “MEAT” chants. They all flexed while the guys on the floor stayed out of the ring. The fans chanted “MEAT” during some cross body block and clothesline collisions. Archer with a boot to Cage and Wardlow clotheslined Hobbs out of the ring. Archer did a rope walk into a moonsault onto a standing Wardlow. Hobbs hit Archer with a spinebuster and Cage hit Hobbs with a Death Valley Driver. Wardlow hit an impressive hurricanrana on Cage. Jericho hit a Codebreaker on Wardlow for two because Hook broke it up. The four shorter guys in the match exchanged strikes. They did shoulder tackles to eachother for their version of meat. Jericho jumped off the top onto Hobbs on the floor. Dante hit a dive through the ropes and Magnus hit a twisting dive onto the floor. Hook went up top and hit a double axhandle on Cage on the floor. Magnus hit a jumping kick to the head, but Dante kicked Magnus in the head. They three superplexes in a row and then Cage had to lay in the ring as Dante hit a Frog Splash on him for two. Dante did a bunch of flips and at one point hit the ropes going over the top, so then he just hit a dive onto Jericho. Magnus hit a 619 kick followed by a Cutter for two. Magnus hit a backbreaker on Dante followed by a corner clothesline and a double knee attack. Archer was back in with a knee smash on Magnus. Archer hit a hiptoss off the middle turnbuckle along with a Chokeslam by Archer on Magnus for two. Archer lifted up Magnus, Jericho kicked Archer in the gut and Jericho/Magnus hit a double suplex on Archer. Jericho and Magnus each hit a Lionsault on Archer for a two count for Jericho. Hobbs was back in to clear the ring and Hobbs hit a clothesline on Archer. Hobbs hit a running powerslam on Archer. Hobbs hit a powerslam on Martin for two. Cage with a superkick on Hobbs followed by a backdrop suplex. Cage knocked Hobbs out of the ring.

Wardlow hit multiple German Suplexes on different guys. Wardlow with a spinebuster on Cage. Hook jumped on Wardlow’s back going for the Red Rum submission and Jericho applied a Liontamer/Walls of Jericho on Wardlow at the same time. Cage broke up the submission moves and Hook came back with a German Suplex on Cage. Jericho chopped Hook repeatedly, but Hook came back with a high angle suplex and Hook hit a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Hobbs threw Hook out of the ring. Jericho dropkicked Hobbs off the apron to the floor. Hobbs gave Jericho a front slam on the floor. Hobbs charged and Jericho threw some fog machine stuff into Hobbs’ face. Cage got a leaping knee strike on Hook in the ring and Cage hit a Death Valley Driver on Hook. Wardlow back in with a headbutt on Cage along with a wind up clothesline. Wardlow hit a Powerbomb on Cage and Dante rolled up Wardlow for two. Dante hit a spinning slam on Magnus. Archer clotheslined Dante to put him down. Dante hit a jumping kick to Archer’s head and Dante hit a double jump moonsault onto Archer. Wardlow knocked down a leaping Dante and clotheslined Archer out of the ring. Wardlow headbutted Hook followed by a clothesline. Wardlow hit a Last Ride Powerbomb on Dante for the pinfall win at 15:45.

Winner by pinfall: Wardlow

That win means that Wardlow will receive an AEW World Title match.

Analysis: *** I like that choice of Wardlow getting the win. It wasn’t my pick, but I certainly agree with him winning the match. My problem with matches like this is they spend so much time where it’s two or three guys fighting in the ring while the other six guys have to wait on the floor waiting for their spot. There was too much that in the match and a lot of the spots just felt so random without any sort of psychology. There are plenty of cool moves, but the match is lacking substance. Anyway, there were some fun moments although I wouldn’t call it a great match by any means.

There was a video package for the AEW International Title match between Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong.

AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. Roderick Strong

Orange had his ribs/lower back taped. The action spilled to the floor where Strong slammed Orange back-first onto the top of the barricade. Orange came back with a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Strong picked up Orange and slammed him hard onto the mat. Strong hit repeated backbreakers. Strong sent Orange hard into the turnbuckle. Orange sent Strong face first into the turnbuckle multiple times along with elbow smashes. Strong got a hold of Orange by the turnbuckle, which led to Strong hitting a gutwrench Powerbomb onto the top turnbuckle. Great spot that was risky, but it was sold well. Strong did the comedy kicks to the body leading to boos from the crowd. Strong hit a slam onto the knees so it was a rib breaker. Orange hit a move snapping the neck and Strong hit backbreaker. Strong applied a Boston Crab submission, but Orange got the rope to break the hold. Strong applied the Strong Hold version of the Boston Crab with the knee to the back and Orange got out of that. Orange countered a move leading to a DDT by the Orange guy. Orange jumped off the top with a Diving DDT for two. Orange stomped on Strong repeatedly with some aggression. Orange hit the Panama Sunrise that Adam Cole uses and that only got a two count. Strong hit a backbreaker along with a rising knee. Strong ran the ropes leading to Orange hitting an Orange Punch. Orange hit Beach Break right by the ropes, so Strong put his foot on the bottom rope for a two count. Orange went for an Orange Punch, but Strong avoided it and Strong hit the suplex into the double knees called End of Heartache for the pinfall win. It went 12:45.

Winner by pinfall AND NEW AEW International Champion: Roderick Strong

Analysis: ***1/4 The match was good, but I wouldn’t say it ever felt great. Orange certainly had better title defenses in the last two years. I think this was the most likely title change on the show, so having Strong win is a result that I expected and predicted. It was time for Orange to lose the title while Strong getting his first singles title is a nice accomplishment for him as a veteran wrestler that always has good matches.

After the match, Strong was given the AEW International Title and he was joined in the ring by Matt Taven & Mike Bennett. Kyle O’Reilly was at ringside and he went into the ring. Kyle hugged his buddy Strong. Bennett tried to give Kyle a shirt of the Undisputed Kingdom, but Kyle put the shirt on Strong’s shoulder and said something to Strong. Kyle left while the fans chanted “Welcome Back” to him.

Analysis: Welcome back to Kyle O’Reilly after missing over a year due to major neck surgery. Great performer. Anyway, we don’t know what he said to Strong, so it will be interesting to see how that story develops.

A video package aired for FTR’s match against BCC’s Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli.

For their entrance, Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli had some old school Road Warriors shoulder pads with spikes on them. FTR got a big ovation especially being from the state of North Carolina. The fans like the home state guys.

FTR – Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler vs. Blackpool Combat Club – Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli

This is a 30-minute time limit match since they recently had a 20-minute time limit draw. Dax and Claudio started for a couple of minutes with nothing happening there. Moxley worked over Cash with chops and Cash hit a back body drop. Cash hit a dropkick. Dax nailed Moxley with a hard chop, but Moxley came back with a kick to the gut. Claudio was back in with uppercuts on Dax and then Dax came back with a legsweep. Cash worked over Claudio with chops along with punches until Claudio dumped Cash out of the ring. Rough bump by Cash with his ribs hitting the apron. Moxley sent Cash into the barricade. Moxley sent Cash on the barricade followed by a lefty clothesline. Moxley hit a back body drop on Cash on the floor. Claudio was back in with a gutwrench suplex. The BCC guys were preventing Cash from tagging out. Moxley got an eye poke on Cash followed by a Claudio kick. Cash gave Claudio a backslide for two, but Moxley was back in with a punch on Cash. Moxley did a catapult that sent Cash throat first into the ropes. Claudio hit a double stomp to the back. Moxley hit a superplex off the middle turnbuckle for two. Moxley taunted Cash, who came back with a clothesline. After Dax got the tag, he got some offense on Claudio with strikes. Cash made the tag and went for a missile dropkick, but Claudio avoided it. Claudio nailed Cash with a clothesline for two. Dax was bleeding from the forehead and it looked like a blade job. Dax was back in for a double team move, but Claudio countered it with a powerslam for two. Moxley was back in as the legal man and he hit a slam (I missed it) for two.

Dax was a bloody mess as he exchanged strikes with Moxley. Dax caught Moxley with a Powerbomb for two. Cash sent Claudio into the barricade. Dax hit a piledriver on Moxley with an assist from Cash. That was followed by Cash hitting a dive onto Claudio and Dax covered Moxley for two. FTR wanted a Powerplex, but Claudio hit a forearm on Cash while Moxley picked up Claudio hit a springboard uppercut like a Doomsday Device. Cash dove onto Claudio to break up a pin attempt. All four guys were in the ring exchanging strikes until Dax dumped Moxley out of the ring with a clothesline. FTR went for Shatter Machine, but Claudio blocked it. Moxley with a Cutter on Cash and Claudio gave Dax the Swing leading to Moxley hitting a dropkick for a two count. Moxley elbowed Dax along with some head biting and Dax spit in Moxley’s face. FTR hit Shatter Machine on Moxley for two because Dax had to spin around the cover right where Claudio was to break it up. Claudio hit an uppercut on a diving Cash on the floor. Claudio hit a Neutralizer on the floor and Cash hit a piledriver on Claudio on the floor. Moxley hit Death Rider for two because Dax countered it into his own rollup for two. Claudio went into the ring and choked out Cash while legal man Moxley choked out Harwood with a Rear Naked Choke submission or a sleeper if you want to call it that. Dax sold it like he was out, so that was it. It went 21:50.

Winners by submission: Blackpool Combat Club – Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli

Analysis: **** A terrific, four-star level tag team match between two talented teams that know eachother well. I don’t think it matters that much who wins a match like this because they are both great teams and it could go either way whenever they wrestle. I don’t know if Dax bet hardway or if he bladed, but the blood helped to tell the story about how Dax was worn down and that led to Moxley being able to wear down Dax and choke him out. The crowd wasn’t into it in the first half, but they got into a lot by the end. I enjoyed it a lot.

A video package aired about Toni Storm’s match against Deonna Purrazzo in a match between former friends.

AEW Women’s Championship: “Timeless” Toni Storm (w/Mariah May & Luther) vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Mariah May was dressed in the old Toni Storm attire. Deonna tried a takedown into a submission, but Storm got to the ropes to break it. There was a submission attempt by Storm and Deonna got to the ropes and broke it. Deonna hit a running clothesline, so Storm left the ring. Deonna hit a sliding dropkick knocking Storm down on the floor. Storm used the referee leading to a cheap low blow kick to the groin. Taz wondered if it worked and Tony said it looked like it worked. Storm grounded Deonna with a chinlock. Storm was in control with some basic moves leading to a clothesline. Deonna came back with a hard chop and Storm got some slaps. Deonna hit elbow strikes to the head followed by two running double axhandles and a leg sweep. Deonna went for an armbar, Storm got out of it and Deonna hit a boot to the face. Deonna hit a flatliner for two. Storm came back with a hip attack against the turnbuckle along with a DDT for two. Storm applied an Ankle Lock, Deonna got out of that and Deonna kicked Storm to the apron. Deonna knocked Storm off the apron onto Luther on the floor. Deonna jumped off the middle turnbuckle onto both guys on the floor. Deonna rolled through into an armbar submission. Strom tapped, but Luther distracted the referee and Deonna knocked May off the apron. Storm hit a Storm Zero for the pinfall win at 12:15.

Winner by pinfall: Toni Storm

Analysis: **3/4 A solid title match with the champion winning thanks to the help from her friends on the floor. That was similar to the Christian Cage win earlier in the night. A few parts of the match felt like they were just out there filling time and not really doing much, but the last couple of minutes were better. I’m not surprised by Storm retaining because it made sense to me and Purrazzo needs to be built up more.

It was Will Ospreay and Konosuke Takeshita up next, so there was a video about that.

Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis was on commentary since both wrestlers are part of the Don Callis Family group for now. Callis was replacing Taz for this match. I missed the first few minutes. I didn’t want to, but sometimes a man needs a break for a few minutes.

Takeshita was in control with a superplex followed by a senton bomb off the ropes. Takeshita used his power to knock down Will with forearms to the chest. Will got some offense going with an elbow strike or maybe a clothesline off the ropes. Will hit an impressive corkscrew kick leading to Takeshita doing a flip bump. Takeshita left the ring so that Will could dive on him with a cross body block. Will hit a belly-to-back suplex. Will delivered some quick kicks to the face followed by a hard chop. Takeshita hit an impressive slam off the shoulders followed by a running kick that sent Will out of the ring. Takeshita hit a running somersault dive over the top onto Will on the floor. Back in the ring, Takeshita went for a senton off the top, but Will got the knees up to block. Will went up top for a twisting move, but Takeshita avoided it and Takeshita hit a bridging German Suplex for two. Will delivered a kick and a flip, but Takeshita hit a German suplex again. Will caught a running Takeshita in his arms leading to a Spanish Fly slam. That led to “this is awesome” chants. They did the “stand and throw strikes” spot that they do in AEW too often. Will hit a superkick. Will hit a rolling elbow to the jaw, which led to the referee holding Will back to check on Takeshita, who said he was fine.

Will hit some light kicks to the body and Takeshita came back with two forearms to the head. Will delivered more quick Kawada kicks and Takeshita delivered another forearm smash to the head. Takeshita charged with a clothesline, Will countered that, a counter by Takeshita and Will hit a jumping kick. Will hit a superkick and a Tiger Driver for two. Will went for the Oscutter, but Takeshita caught him with a spinning Blue Thunder Bomb. Both guys were down, so the fans gave them a standing ovation and “fight forever” chants. Will rolled out of a German Suplex attempt, Will hit repeated kicks to the head and Takeshita blocked an Oscutter again. Will ran the ropes leading to an Oscutter for a two count. Will charged and Takeshita hit a forearm smash leading to a two count since Will got his right shoulder up. Takeshita with a headbutt while Will trapped Takeshita against the ropes and hit a superkick. Will went for a move off the ropes, but Takeshita gave him a turnbuckle brainbuster against the turnbuckle so that Will’s lower back hit the turnbuckle. Ouch. That led to a two count for Takeshita. There was a visible bruise/scar on Will’s back. Takeshita hit a running kick to the head for a two count. Ospreay blocked a knee strike and hit a Stundog Millionaire followed by a Poison Rana. Takeshita hit an impressive front slam using his legs and a German Suplex. Ospreay came back with an uppercut for just a one count. The fans came alive with a standing ovation and “AEW” chants. Incredible! Takeshita went for a running attack, but Will caught him and hit a Styles Clash. Will hit the double underhook Tiger Driver 91 where he dropped Takeshita hard on his neck. Ospreay hit the Hidden Blade running forearm to the back for the pinfall win. Takeshita kicked out right after the three count to show how close it was. It went 22:02.

Winner by pinfall: Will Ospreay

Analysis: ***** Wow! That was awesome. It reached that next level. It was an outstanding match as you would expect from wrestlers of this caliber. They got plenty of time and had a hard hitting match with a bunch of nearfalls for both of them. I would have liked a bit more selling at times, but that’s a small complaint. I think Ospreay winning was the right call because AEW paid him a lot of money to work there, so it’s not like they are going to have him lose his first match as an official AEW wrestler. It is five stars to me, but maybe if I watched it again I’d go down a bit. I don’t know. I’m just giving my initial thoughts and going five stars for it. It’s certainly at that level. What I really liked is that they both sold well and did it in a realistic way. Sometimes we see no selling too much and it frustrates me, but in this match, both guys sold properly, which tells the audience that the moves matter. It’s not just about getting to the next spot. They matched up well and had a very entertaining match. Kudos to Will and Konosuke for an incredible performance. The Greensboro crowd certainly loved it and so did I.

After the match, Will and Takeshita were on their knees as they bowed to eachother. Ospreay’s good friend Kyle Fletcher got into the ring with Ospreay and they hugged. It was mentioned by Excalibur that Ospreay will face Fletcher this Wednesday on Dynamite.

Analysis: That’s a great first TV match for Ospreay as a contracted AEW wrestler.

A video package aired for the AEW World Title match between Samoa Joe, Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland.

Jim Ross joined commentary with Excalibur and Tony Schiavone.

The entrances took place for the AEW World Title match with Swerve Strickland joined by Prince Nana, who did the dancing routine. Nana asked: “Whose House?” so the fans could chant “Swerve’s House.” They stole that from my LA Rams since Swerve is a fan of the team, which is good and makes him very likable in my eyes. That led to “Hangman” Adam Page up next with some boos for him. Samoa Joe, the AEW World Champion, was last. They stood in the ring for Justin Roberts to do the championship introductions. Page was booed during the introductions.

AEW World Championship: Samoa Joe vs. Swerve Strickland vs. “Hangman” Adam Page

In a triple threat match, it’s first pinfall or submission wins the match.

Joe did his “avoid a guy’s move” spot early by avoiding Swerve’s elbow smash. Joe hit a suicide dive forearm on Swerve. Page tried a dive, but Joe kicked him in the head. Joe was sent out of the ring as Page hit a fallaway slam. Swerve hit a high boot knocking Page down. Swerve hit elbow smashes on both guys. Swerve back into the ring with a dropkick for Page. They exchanged holds with Page hitting a belly-to-belly slam for two. Joe kicked Swerve out of the ring and Joe hit a Powerbomb for two. Joe applied an STF submission followed by a Crossface submission. Swerve tried something off the top rope, Joe went after him there and Joe headbutted Swerve down to the floor. Joe hammered both guys with strikes. Swerve and Page gave Joe a double Powerbomb to knock Joe down, so Swerve & Page had a staredown to rekindle that rivalry. Page grabbed Swerve by the pants leading to a clothesline to the back. Swerve got a sunset flip on Page for a two count. Joe charged at Swerve, who sent Joe out of the ring. Swerve kicked Joe on the floor. Page tried a lift, but Swerve got out of it. Page did a moonsault onto Swerve and Page hit a safe Tombstone that was more a slam rather than a piledriver. Joe prevented a pin from being made. Page countered an STO by Joe followed by a boot to the face. Swerve hit a Powerbomb on Page followed by a flatliner and a vertical suplex for two because Joe broke it up. Joe hit a Muscle Buster on Page. Joe had to sit there for three seconds and wait for Swerve to jump off the top with a Swerve Stomp. Swerve hit a running House Call kick to Joe’s head. Swerve hit a House Call kick on Page for two.

Joe tried to catch Swerve in a sleeper attempt, but Swerve got out of that. Swerve trapped Joe against the turnbuckle leading to a jumping DDT. Swerve hit a 450 Splash off the turnbuckle onto Joe’s back. There was no pin attempt. Swerve went up top again and hit another Swerve stomp on Joe for two because Page pulled the referee Paul Turner out of the ring, but I think Joe kicked out of it anyway. Swerve brought the AEW World Title into the ring and hit Swerve with it. The fans booed. Page hit Swerve with the AEW World Title again. Page told Swerve he will never have this title. Page hit a Buckshot Lariat on Joe, but there was no cover attempt. Page hit a Buckshot…forearm. It wasn’t really a lariat. A second referee Bryce Remsburg went into the ring to count the pin and it was a two count. Page went for a Buckshot Lariat, Joe avoided it and Joe applied the Coquina Clutch submission, but Swerve broke that up with a Sky Twister Press off the top. All three guys were down. Swerve was handed Nana’s crown, but Swerve tossed it down. Joe went for a choke, but Swerve got out of that. Page punched referee Remsburg in the back of the head repeatedly and tossed Bryce out of the ring. The fans booed that. Page nailed Swerve with a clothesline and Joe hit a clothesline on Page. Hangman hit a Buckshot Lariat on Joe and Swerve hit his own Buckshot Lariat on Page. Swerve hit a JML Driver on Page. Joe suplexed Swerve on his head. Joe applied the Coquina Clutch on Page, referee Turner was back in and Page tapped out to give Joe the win. The match went 19:41.

Winner by pinfall: Samoa Joe

Analysis: ***1/2 I thought it was very good most of the way. There were some slow points, but I liked it as a fast-paced match. A triple threat match is supposed to have a lot of nearfalls and near finishes throughout the match. This match certainly had a lot of that. Hangman Page certainly came across as an asshole heel by beating up the referee Bryce Remsburg during the match. I thought that Joe winning was the obvious result here although Swerve was certainly booked in a way where he looked like a guy that could have won. They also did a nice job of having spots in the match where it looked like Swerve and Page were consumed with beating eachother, but the finish didn’t come across that way. The finish was Joe taking advantage of the situation and picking up the big win.

A commercial aired for the first-ever AEW Dynasty PPV on Sunday, April 21st in St. Louis.

Ric Flair was introduced to be on hand for the match. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat was announced as the special guest timekeeper for the match. They showed Magnum TA, Ivan Koloff and Scotty Riggs at ringside watching the match.

The Young Bucks duo of Matthew & Nicholas Jackson made their entrance wearing robes and they were booed heavily.

A video package aired for Sting as they showed something in a theatre called “The Final Showtime.” It featured Sting sitting in a theatre by himself watching highlights of himself in the ring along with photos from his career. That led to Sting’s AEW debut in December 2020 and all of the matches leading up to tonight’s final match.

Sting was left alone in that empty theatre: “It’s showtime. Showtime for the last time. Let’s do this”

Analysis: That was an excellent video package. I loved it and I think any Sting fan would.

Sting’s entrance was next. One of his sons was dressed as the classic Sting in the red, white and blue. Another son was dressed in the black and red Sting look aka Wolfpac Sting. They also played the classic Sting song as The Stinger made his entrance in the black and white face paint. Huge ovation for Sting. Tony Schiavone screamed: “It’s Stiiiiiiiiing” on commentary. Sting got a huge ovation from the fans as you would expect.

AEW Tag Team Championships Tornado Tag Team Match: Sting & Darby Allin vs. The Young Bucks – Matthew & Nicholas Jackson

Sting & Darby are 28-0 as a team. Tornado Tag Team rules mean that you don’t have to tag in and out. Anything goes in a match like this. It ends by pinfall or submission.

Allin started the match by diving onto both Bucks on the floor. The Young Bucks were set up against the turnbuckles. Both of Sting’s sons were in the ring and they hit Stinger Splashes on both Young Bucks while Sting and Allin hit splashes as well. Sting got a hold of both Young Bucks leading to the Scorpion Death Lock submission on both Bucks at the same time. Sting sent Nick into the barricade and Sting sent Matt into the barricade too. Sting hit both Bucks with chairs to the back. Sting’s son set up a table on the floor. Sting tossed both Bucks over the barricade on opposite sides of the ringside area. There were multiple tables being set up while Allin grabbed a ladder too. Sting slammed Nick off the barricade to the floor. Sting did a back body drop on Matt on the floor. Allin hit a Coffin Drop off the top onto both Bucks on the floor. Sting grabbed a pane of glass from under the ring. Allin and Sting’s son with blonde hair put a pane of glass onto a pile of chairs. String tried a baseball bat attack, Nick moved and Sting hit the glass. The glass didn’t break the first time, so Sting hit it a second time and broke the glass. The four wrestlers went fighting into the crowd. They were fighting by the entrance area where Nick hit a jawbreaker on Allin. Nick gave Allin a Falcon Arrow slam off the stage and through two tables nearby. Great move. Matt gouged Sting’s eyes and Matt suplexed Sting off the stage through two tables. It was only about five feet off the ground, but still a nasty bump for a 64-year-old like Sting to take. The Young Bucks were in control of Allin in the ring and gave Allin a Powerbomb onto the ladder. Allin hit a flipping Stunner on Nick and a Code Red on Matt. Allin set up a giant ladder in the ring. He set up Nick on the pane of glass that was on top of the stack of chairs. Allin jumped off with a flip, but Matt pulled Nick out of the way and Allin did a somersault dive onto the glass pane. Allin’s black was bleeding heavily due to all the glass that he went through. That was brutal and there’s a lot of blood.

Matt brought Sting back to the ringside area where The Young Bucks beat on Sting with punches and kicks. The AEW doctors were checking out Allin on the floor. Sting blocked a suplex attempt by The Young Bucks and punched them both repeatedly. Sting avoided a charge from Matt, so Nick accidentally kicked Matt. Sting choked Matt and put him on the table that was in the ring. Sting climbed the very tall ladder, but Matt was back up. Nick had another glass pane set up in the ring. Matt gave Sting a Powerbomb through the table, but Sting no sold that and Sting was back up throwing punches. That’s classic Sting. The Bucks tossed Sting into the glass pane. Good thing Sting’s body is covered with clothes. Matt did a low blow kick followed by a Scorpion Death Drop for two. Nick tried to grab a Tag Team Title, but Ricky Steamboat stopped that with a chop. Matt hit Ricky with a shot to the gut. Sting went into the ring to check on his buddy Sting. Matt brought a Tag Team Title into the ring and Flair protected Sting. The Young Bucks had enough of that and hit a double superkick on Flair. The Young Bucks hit a double superkick on Steamboat too. Matt hit Sting in the face with an AEW Tag Team Title for one…two…no. Sting kicked out. Matt: “We’re not sorry, we hate you.” The Young Bucks did a double superkick, but Sting no sold it and clotheslined both Bucks. Sting hit Scorpion Death Drop on Matt for two because Nick made the save. Young Bucks hit the EVP Trigger double knee to the head for a two count because Sting got his left shoulder up. The Bucks hit the EVP Trigger, but Sting kicked out after a one count. The Bucks hit a double superkick again. Young Bucks went for the Tony Khan Driver, but Allin stopped that by shoving Nick off the turnbuckle and through a table on the floor. Sting hit a Scorpion Death Drop on Matt for two. Allin went up top and hit a Coffin Drop. Sting applied the Scorpion Deathlock submission on Matt as the fans erupted in cheers. Matt tapped out to give Sting’s team the win. Huge pop for that. The match went 21:04.

Winners by submission: Sting & Darby Allin

Analysis: **** That was fun. A lot of fun. A four star match for a final match is impressive for Sting. I don’t know about how it was technically, but as a fan of professional wrestling and a fan of The Stinger, it really was a lot of fun to watch. I was very impressed by Sting’s performance in the match, but all four guys really busted their asses to put on a show. The Young Bucks had plenty of moments in the match where it looked like they might win and they hit a lot of signature double team moves that have won them matches before. However, there was no way that Sting was going to lose on this night and I think we all knew that going into the match. That spot with Darby Allin diving through the glass pane was insane, but that’s what Darby does. I liked how it was booked and the finish was done perfectly. If you think my rating is too low here then that’s fine. I think around four stars is fair. I’m not going to go to the five star level for a stunt show match like this, but I did enjoy watching it.

Sting and Darby Allin celebrated as the AEW Tag Team Champions. The fans were standing and cheering for The Stinger and Allin, who had a lot of blood on his back. Sting continued to celebrate while there was confetti in the ring.

Darby Allin said they had three minutes left on this pay-per-view, so let’s show some love for The Stinger. That led to fans chanting “Sting” loudly as Sting moved around the ring to soak it all up.

Sting: “Thank you Greensboro.” Sting said he’s been thanking us since March of 1988 when he went 45 minutes with Ric Flair for the World Title. Sting said that Greensboro was incredible in 1998 and beyond. Sting said that he wanted this to be a night that wrestling fans will not forget. A fan was crying in the crowd. Sting said that it is him that is saying that this will be a night he will never forget.

Sting thanked Darby Allin for being the greatest tag team partner he’s ever had. Sting wondered how many stitches Darby might need tonight. Darby said that he said he would die in his last match, but he got through it. Sting said he’s kind of old now, but he’s a risk-taker like Allin. Darby said something to Sting about the time left on the show. Sting said I gotta wait, I’m getting cues, hold on and they signed off there at 11:59 PM ET. I assume they will post what Sting says after that on YouTube after the show, which is fine.

Analysis: It would have been nice if they planned that post match stuff out better, but it is what it is. I did enjoy seeing the fans give Sting that huge ovation and the cameras did find a fan that was crying, so that’s always good to see just to see how emotional some fans get. Thank you Sting for an incredible career. That final match was a blast.

AEW Revolution had a runtime of 3:59:55 minutes on pay-per-view.

There was a post-show speech by Sting that AEW posted on YouTube, so check that out here.

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Five Stars of the Show

1. Sting – Congratulations on an incredible career.

2. Will Ospreay

3. Konosuke Takeshita

4. Eddie Kingston & Bryan Danielson

5. Darby Allin & The Young Bucks

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Final Thoughts

It gets a 9 out of 10 from me.

Awesome show. I thought the main event with Sting & Darby Allin beating The Young Bucks was a lot of fun and a nice reminder of what pro wrestling is supposed to be. Yeah, there is some no selling and some silliness involved, but that’s okay because it’s all about giving Sting that memorable final match. The only thing they did wrong was Sting’s post match speech was cut off because the show reached the four-hour mark, but AEW did post his speech on YouTube so it’s fine, I guess.

They really had a strong lineup going in and the card delivered several outstanding matches with the Ospreay-Takeshita match earning the five star rating from me. Those guys absolutely crushed it. They made everything look easy and took it to the next level in that match. There were some other terrific matches like Kingston/Danielson and FTR-BCC’s Moxley & Castagnoli, Joe-Hangman-Swerve and more. There really wasn’t anything that was that bad and even the worst matches were still good.

I thought this was one of the best AEW PPVs ever. They have a very talented roster and this card was an example of how deep it is.

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Email: mrjohncanton@gmail.com

Twitter: @johnreport