Reviews

The John Report: AEW Revolution 2026 Review

By John Canton • Published Mar 15, 2026 23:55 EDT
AEW Revolution 2026 Review
AEW Revolution 2026 Review - Image via Allelitewrestling.com

This is AEW Revolution, featuring MJF against “Hangman” Adam Page in a Texas Death Match for the AEW World Title, and many title matches filling out the card.

It’s the first AEW PPV of the year, Revolution, which has been built over the last two and a half months since Worlds End at the end of 2025. This is the 7th time they have used the Revolution name for a PPV. There are 10 matches on the card, and six of them are title matches because this company has so many titles. The pre-show also has two title matches. This show in Los Angeles will have a big crowd, and it’s taking place in the same city and at the same time as the Academy Awards (also known as The Oscars), which will have a huge television audience, though not as big as it used to be. Anyway, I find it interesting that AEW is not only head-to-head with the Oscars, but they are also running this show in the same city.

I’m looking forward to the Revolution PPV. If you read my AEW Dynamite reviews weekly, then you know I’ve been pretty high on the AEW product to start the year. The roster is deep, and they have done a good job of telling stories.

The pre-show “Zero Hour” matches took place before the main show. I don’t watch the pre-show matches because the main shows are long enough. Here are the match results from the pre-show.

* Boom & Doom (“Big Boom!” A.J. and Q. T. Marshall) (with Aaron Solo, Big Justice, and The Rizzler) defeated The Infantry (Capt. Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo) (with Christyan XO, Shane Taylor, and Trish Adora) by pinfall

* TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale (c) defeated Lena Kross by pinfall.

This review will feature some matches where I’ll go summary style and full play-by-play for other matches. It’s a long night of writing with most AEW shows running four hours or longer, so I need to pace myself, too. I ordered this show from AEW’s YouTube channel for $64.40 Canadian, including tax. Let’s get to it.

AEW Revolution
From the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California
Sunday, March 15, 2026

The AEW National Championship 21-man Blackjack Battle Royal was still going on from Zero Hour at the start of the PPV. It’s something AEW has done multiple times now. There was pyro going off to welcome us to the PPV. Jack Perry eliminated El Clon, and then Ricochet hit the Spirit Gun clothesline on Perry. While Ricochet was on the apron, Perry hit a superkick, and then Perry went up top, Ricochet grabbed him, and Perry hit a Reverse Rana on Ricochet to win.

Winner AND NEW AEW National Champion: “Jungle” Jack Perry

Analysis: I only watched a few minutes of it, so I can’t give a proper rating. Jack Perry is from LA, so it was a hometown win for him, and he secures the fifth most important men’s singles title in AEW. The title isn’t a huge deal, but I guess winning it still means something.

Jack Perry celebrated his AEW National Title win with his mom and sister. Jack also looked to the heavens to salute his late father, Luke Perry. Excalibur pointed out that Jack had attended wrestling shows in this building in the past, so winning here meant a lot to him.

It’s Sunday, and you know what that means. The commentary team to start the show was Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Nigel McGuinness.

The FTR/Young Bucks match was up first, so there was a video package about it.

There was a video featuring The Young Bucks and their family. Matt and Nick’s kids said they would beat FTR tonight, and they ended with a “Superkick Party.” The Bucks are from near the LA area, so it’s close to a hometown arena for them. They were dressed in LA Lakers purple and gold outfits. The Young Bucks’ kids went out there, along with their brother Malakai’s kids, according to Excalibur. Matt’s wife, Dana, and his daughter were ringside. The Bucks and the kids posed in the ring.

FTR entered as the AEW World Tag Team Champions, dressed in Boston Celtics colors to contrast the Lakers look of the Bucks. Stokely is still in a wheelchair, of course.

AEW World Tag Team Championship: FTR – Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler (w/Stokely) vs. The Young Bucks – Matt & Nick Jackson

The Bucks hit superkicks early and cleared the ring of both FTR guys. Nick sent Cash into the barricade. Nick faced off with Dax in the ring, Cash went into the ring illegally, Nick in illegally and Nick hit a German Suplex. Why not do spots where a guy isn’t going in illegally to do a suplex? It’s lazy. Nick went for a leap onto FTR on the floor, but FTR caught him and slammed Nick onto the commentary. They sent Nick over the barricade at ringside. Matt jumped off the top with a cross body on both FTR guys. FTR managed to take control with a spike piledriver on Matt on the apron. The announcers did the cliched lines about how Matt could be injured. Nick as bleeding so he did a blade job earlier. Nick fought out of a double team and hit two superkicks, leading to a pin attempt on Dax for two. Cash got a hold of Matt on the floor and slammed Matt into the ring apron. Dax was busted open after taking a shot moments earlier. Nick hit a missile dropkick/senton combo splash. Matt got the tag while both FTR guys remained in the ring. Matt did a spot where he hit a Northern Lights Suplex into a bridging pin at the same time for two. Matt jumped off the apron and hit a Cutter on Dax on the floor. Matt’s son encouraged him to go get them. Dax punched Matt on the floor. Matt’s brother in the crowd threw a drink on Dax and Stoke had a funny reaction to it, so the fans loved. Cash missed a dive attempt too. Matt jumped off the turnbuckle with a cross body block on Dax for two. Dax worked over Matt with punches. Dax shouted, “Superkick Party” and teased a superkick like a Heartbreak Kid, but it didn’t work. Matt put a Sharpshooter on Dax and Nick put a Sharpshooter on Cash. Cash slapped Dax, who crawled to the ropes to break the hold.

The Bucks were in control with multiple superkicks on Dax and a kick to Cash on the floor. Nick hit a facebuster on Dax, but Cash came back with a brainbuster (more like a suplex) on the floor. Matt knocked Cash down on the floor and Dax hit a Powerbomb on Matt for a two count. The fans chanted “AEW” for them. Cash ran in with a tag team title, so Matt tossed him out of the ring. The Bucks were on the apron and they suplexed both opponents over the top on the floor. It looked like a rough landing for Dax on the floor, but the replay showed it was safe enough. All four guys were in the ring doing spots (again) and the Bucks hit multiple superkicks on both opponents. Stokely got out of the wheelchair to trip up Nick on the apron. Nick jumped off the top and was caught with a Shatter Machine for just a two count. Great nearfall there. FTR hit a Spike Piledriver on Nick and the referee counted to three, but then he saw the foot on the rope, so it is just a two count. Dax and Cash hit multiple superkicks and the FTR Trigger (double knee smash) for just a 1 count, which drew a huge pop for Nick Jackson. Nick fired up like he had the power of Nickamania and Nick rolled up Dax for two. The Bucks hit a Shatter machine on Dax. Matt sent Cash out of the ring and the Bucks hit a BTE Trigger. Cash went for a cross body block attack, but one fo the Bucks moved. Nick hit a suicide dive on Stokely in the crowd. Matt held Dax and Nick jumped off the top with the TK Driver for one…two…no! Wow. I was stunned by that kickout. Cash stopped Nick from going up top, Cash jumped off the middle turnbuckle with a Spike Piledriver on Matt. FTR hit an Avalanche Shatter Machine on Nick for the one…two…three. Wow. FTR keep the titles. It went about 18 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: FTR – Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler

Analysis: ***** Five stars, my friends. That’s as high as I go for my ratings. An outstanding match by two legendary tag teams, and they had a pretty good story going into it, which helped. I’m surprised the Bucks didn’t win since they are close to their hometown and had so much family at ringside. Of course, what happened after the match is why they kept the titles. The blood helped, the Bucks actually sold more moves than they normally do, and that led to the dramatic nearfalls near the end. I’m surprised FTR didn’t cheat more. I would have liked the match more if they could do spots without illegal men entering the ring to perform combo moves. FTR used to be the best at avoiding that, but after years in AEW, they are like other tag teams in this company that don’t care about following the rules. I’m sure a certain wrestling observer will rate this higher than I do due to bias toward AEW and especially the Bucks. Anyway, it was an incredible performance by both teams. I loved the match.

After the match, the lights went out. When they came back on, the “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland made his entrance for his return after being out for several months. Christian Cage’s music also hit and he went into the ring behind FTR. Christian sprayed something in Dax’s eyes and Cope hit a Spear on Cash. Stoke was back on his feet in the ring, hoping they wouldn’t beat him, but Christian hit a Killswitch on Stoke. Cope tossed Stoke out of the ring. Cope and Cage held up the AEW World Tag Team Titles. Cope said this is what would really hurt you and said they are going to take them. The Young Bucks went into the ring to face off with Cope and Cage as well. Cope and Cage put the titles down in the ring.

Analysis: I thought the Young Bucks would win the titles here, but having Cope & Cage back after the match suggests they are going to win the titles from FTR, so that’s why it was down this way with FTR keeping the titles. Perhaps they do a 3-team Ladder Match or TLC Match at Dynasty next month or Double or Nothing in May.

“Timeless” Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir

There’s an “Everyone Is Banned” stipulation for this match. It’s weird not seeing Storm in a title match in a PPV. Shafir used her ground game to work over Storm early on. Shafir kicked Storm repeatedly. Storm countered a submission move by grabbing a Sleeper hold, but Shafir managed to slam Shafir down. Storm hit a German Suplex that Shafir no sold and hit a front kick. Shafir remained in control with a belly-to-back suplex on the floor. Shafir was working over Storm with kicks while the referee, Aubrey Edwards, was not counting them out. Shafir kicked the commentary table after Storm moved, so Storm bit Shafir’s foot. Storm hit a DDT in the ring. Storm hit three German Suplexes in a row, and this time, Shafir actually sold them a bit. Storm hit a hip attack against the turnbuckle three times in a row. Storm hit Storm Zero for a two count. Shafir went for her Mother’s Milk choke, so then Storm gouged the face and Storm bit Shafir’s boobs so to speak. Storm did a headbutt and a Big Package (small package, but Big when Toni does it), and it was enough for the pinfall win after 10 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: “Timeless” Toni Storm

Analysis: *** A physical match that played into the style of Shafir, but then it was the more celebrated wrestler Storm finding a way to win. Shafir kicking out Storm Zero felt like a big deal. Storm did her comedy spots after that with the boob biting and Big Package for the win. It wasn’t that long of a match, which is fine.

Ronda Rousey went into the ring while Toni Storm was doing her posing routine by the entrance. Rousey pointed at Storm to come to the ring, so Storm went into the ring. Rousey is a good friend of Shafir. A bunch of referees and security guards went into the ring to separate the women. Storm was by the turnbuckle, so Shafir punched Storm, who sold it like a big punch. Rousey and Shafir left. Mina Shirakawa checked on Storm while Rousey left with Shafir.

Analysis: That’s a big get for AEW if they can get Ronda Rousey to have a match with them. I know Rousey competed in ROH before. Rousey has the MMA fight with Gina Carano on Netflix in May, but she might want to get back into pro wrestling with her buddy Shafir in AEW. Based on that Rousey-Storm interaction, it seems like a match is coming. I’m not a huge Rousey fan, but she is a big name.

Jon Moxley was up next as the AEW Continental Champion. Shafir slapped him in the face, and Rousey slapped him in the arm ahead of his match. The fans cheered Moxley.

AEW Continental Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita

There is no time limit for this match. Excalibur said Takeshita is the last man to pin Moxley in a match. Takeshita is the NJPW TV Champion, but that title is not on the line.

They were throwing punches and forearms early in the match. Takeshita rocked Moxley with an elbow smash that knocked Moxley out of the ring. Takeshita went after Moxley with a boot to the face. Moxley went back into the ring and hit a suicide dive on Takeshita on the floor. Moxley hit a running boot on Takeshita on the floor. Moxley worked over Takeshita with punches to the head. Takeshita hit a boot to the head, tried a leap off the turnbuckle and Moxley avoided it. Moxley hit a chop block on Takeshita’s left leg. Moxley wrenched on the left knee. Moxley applied a half crab submission to work on the left leg injury. Takeshita tried to fight back and Moxley applied the Figure Four Leglock submission. After Takeshita got out of that, he was able to pick up Moxley and hit a sitout slam from a Tombstone position. Takeshita hit a Wheelbarrow German Suplex, Moxley hit a shotgun dropkick and Takeshita hit a knee to the face. They decided to sell after that. There’s that strike-strike-strike sell sequence. Moxley knocked down Takeshita with a forearm to the head. Takeshita came back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count as Takeshita was selling the left knee injury.

Takeshita and Moxley battled on the apron where Moxley avoided a suplex. Moxley kicked Takeshita in the left knee. Moxley hit The Stomp on the apron. Takeshita smacked the apron. The referee counted Takeshita out on the floor and Takeshita ran back in the ring at the 9 count. Moxley hit a piledriver for two. Takeshita was bleeding from around the left eye or forehead. I’m not sure if it was a legit cut or a blade job after the apron. Moxley worked over Takeshita with fists, headbutts and licked blood like a sicko. Moxley hit Takeshita with forearms and a Gotch-style piledriver for two. They did a clothesline spot where Takeshita no-sold Moxley’s offense and showed his ability to come back. Takeshita hit a running knee to the back. Takeshita hit a high angle Exploder Suplex off the turnbuckle. Takeshita hit a running knee to the face for two. Good nearfall there. Moxley countered a move and hit a Cutter. Takeshita was back up, he charged and Moxley hit a DDT with no cover because he was down on the mat selling the fatigue. Takeshita and Moxley took a breather. They got back up and hit overhead suplexes and belly-to-back suplex. Moxley hit a clothesline, but Takeshita kicked out at 1. Takeshita hit the Raging Fire sitout slam for a two count. Excalibur claimed that Moxley was the first man to kick out of that. The fans were stunned by that kickout. The fans chanted, “Fight Forever” for them. Takeshita charged, then he stopped while selling the knee and Moxley kicked the left knee. Moxley hit a Death Rider (lifting DDT) for a two count. The fans were going crazy for that nearfall. Moxley went to the middle turnbuckle and hit the Avalanche Death Rider for just a two count. The fans chanted, “Holy Shit” for that. Moxley went for a submission, so Takeshita did a middle finger salute. Moxley applied a Bulldog Choke while trapping the arms and Takeshita passed out, so referee Paul Turner called for the bell. Moxley gets the win after 24 minutes.

Winner by submission: Jon Moxley

Analysis: ****1/2 Excellent match. I was very entertained by it, and I loved the physicality throughout the match. They each kicked out big moves repeatedly. I thought Takeshita might win, so I liked that it was an unpredictable match. A lot of the no-selling turns me off a bit because it makes the moves look weak and it makes the wrestlers look like they are incapable of hurting somebody. I understand it’s a Japanese style of wrestling too, but I don’t necessarily love it. With that said, it was still an incredible match.

After the match, Moxley held out his hand as Takeshita got back to his feet. Takeshita refused a handshake and was about to leave the ring. However, the fans were cheering, so Takeshita shook Mox’s hand and the fans cheered. Moxley celebrated with his buddies in the Death Riders after the match.

Analysis: Konosuke Takeshita has an extremely bright future in AEW as a babyface. For right now, he’s in the heel Don Callis Family group, but I think long-term, he can have success as a babyface.

There was a video of a man training in some facility, and it was clear that it was Will Ospreay.

Will Ospreay made his return for the first time since leaving for neck surgery last summer. Ospreay ran to the ring and hit a Hidden Blade on Moxley in the ring. Moxley and the Death Riders are the guys who injured Ospreay last August in his last match. That was the storyline anyway. Ospreay also beat up Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia and Pac. Will jumped off the top with a twisting cross body block on the heels on the floor. Moxley bailed to the floor and Ospreay stood tall in the ring. Ospreay pointed to his surgically repaired neck. The fans loved seeing Will and were singing along with his “Ospreay, Ospreay” song.

Analysis: It’s always good to see Will Ospreay back in good health. I think Ospreay winning the AEW World Title at All In in August in his home country of England makes a lot of sense. The neck surgery that Will had last August was not the kind of surgery that would put a guy out for a full year, so I’m glad he’s able to come back sooner than that.

Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron were interviewed by Renee Paquette in the trainer’s room since Willow was hurt on the pre-show. Willow has a left shoulder injury, but Willow said she is cleared.

A video aired to set up the AEW Women’s Tag Team Title match with Willow and Harley defending against Megan Bayne and Lena Kross.

AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships: Babes Of Wrath – Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron vs. Divine Dominion – Megan Bayne & Lena Kross

I missed about two minutes at the start of this. Harley hit a DDT after being the face in peril early on. Willow made the hot tag and was favoring her left shoulder injury. Willow hit a Death Valley Driver to show she was doing okay. Kross and Bayne each caught both opponents and hit fallaway slams. Why are all 4 wrestlers in the ring for so long? Because it’s AEW. The crowd was barely reacting as the heels got a lot of offense. Kross hit a superkick on Willow and Willow hit a backslide pin. Bayne hit a jumping clothesline on Willow. Bayne and Kross hit a double Chokeslam on Willow for the pinfall win after about 5 minutes.

Winners by pinfall AND NEW AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions: Divine Dominion – Megan Bayne & Lena Kross

Analysis: *1/2 A short match to put over Divine Dominion as a dominant team while Willow Nightingale was selling the right shoulder injury during the match, so she was weakened and couldn’t do much. The titles were likely going to Bayne and Penelope Ford in the match where Ford got hurt, so this was done to remedy that situation. The crowd didn’t seem to care too much about this since they barely reacted to the match. Good for Bayne as somebody who has challenged for a lot of titles, and Kross is new in AEW.

A video aired for the Swerve Strickland-Brody King match where they both claim to be the most dangerous man in AEW.

Bryan Danielson joined commentary, replacing Nigel McGuinness, so it was Danielson on commentary with Excalibur and Tony Schiavone. I would rather have Tony “every match is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen” Schiavone leave, but it’s not up to me.

Swerve Strickland (w/Prince Nana) vs. Brody King

The vicious Swerve was aggressive early on. Swerve sent King face first into the steel bar connecting the ring post to the turnbuckle. Swerve pulled the mat up to expose the floor, so King picked up Swerve and slammed him onto the barricade. King sent Swerve into the barricade. Excalibur said they need to be cognizant of the count of the referee. What referee? The referee was on the floor lol. The announcers had to cover for the referee, letting them fight it out on the floor. King worked over Swerve with forearms to the chest. They battled by the turnbuckle as Swerve got a hold of King’s right forearm and pulled on it against the turnbuckle. Swerve pulled on King’s fingers against the steel bar by the turnbuckle. King pulled back on Swerve’s head against the ring post. Swerve was tapping, but it wasn’t in the ring. King gave Swerve a back body drop on the steel steps. King charged at Swerve on the floor and Swerve hit a knee. The referee was counting them out, he got to 6 and then King hit a sidewalk slam onto the exposed floor. The referee stopped the count at that point, and then he started the count again. The announcers had to explain the inconsistent refereeing again, saying he was being lenient. King and Swerve exchanged strikes and Swerve hit a pump kick to the throat. Swerve chopped at King’s knee and Swerve gave King a Powerbomb on the apron. Swerve pulled the turnbuckle pad off the bottom turnbuckle. Swerve teased kicking King into the steel, but King managed to send Swerve into the turnbuckle. King went to the top turnbuckle, he knocked down Swerve with elbows and King hit a cross body block to knock Swerve down. King hit a cannonball on Swerve against the turnbuckle that was exposed. King hit a sitout slam off the shoulders for a two count.

King grabbed a hold of Swerve on the apron and choked him by the ropes. They left the ring where Swerve sent King into the barricade. Swerve hit a Vertebreaker on the floor that was exposed after the mat was pulled up. The referee counted King down, so King got back in right before the ten count. Swerve jumped off the top with a Swerve Stomp for a 1 count. That’s the third match on this show with a 1 count after a big move. It’s a popular thing on this show. Swerve hit a House Call kick, another House Call kick and King missed an attack, so Swerve hit a third House Call kick to the head for the pinfall win after 14 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Swerve Strickland

Analysis: ***3/4 It’s the usual great PPV match from Swerve Strickland, but it was not an epic match like Swerve’s best. King put up a fight before Swerve eventually wore him down and finished him off. I figured Swerve would win this match to build him up for the continuation of his feud with Kenny Omega. These guys worked well together. The refereeing hurt the match, but that’s common for AEW matches at this point.

After the match, Prince Nana brought a cinderblock into the ring, and that led to Kenny Omega’s return after a month away because of Swerve injuring him. Swerve left with Nana while Omega stood with King in the ring.

Analysis: There should be another Swerve Strickland-Kenny Omega match soon, possibly at Dynasty or Double or Nothing.

A video package aired about the AEW Women’s World Title match with Thekla defending against the former champion Kris Statlander in a 2/3 Falls Match.

AEW Women’s World Championship 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match: Thekla vs. Kris Statlander

Kris was aggressive early on with a charging attack against the turnbuckle and then she threw Thekla into the turnbuckle. Thekla hit a boot to the face and Kris sent Thekla into the turnbuckle. Kris hit a delayed vertical superplex from the middle turnbuckle. Kris hit two sliding lariats for two. Kris hit a catapult to send Thekla into the turnbuckle. Thekla avoided an attack and hit three kicks to the head for two. Thekla wanted to use her belt, but referee Paul Turner stopped that and threw the belt out of the ring. Thekla hit a bridging pin by the ropes and Thekla held onto the bottom rope to take the first fall. The referee never saw the cheating.

Thekla leads 1-0

Kris hit a running dropkick after the bell rang for the second fall. Kris hit a clothesline on the floor. Kris charged on the floor and it was obvious Thekla would move, so Kris hit the steel steps. Thekla jumped off the apron with a double foot stomp to the back. Thekla sent Kris into the barricade. Back in the ring, Kris avoided a charging Thekla, who hit a boot to the face. Thekla applied the Tarantula submission against the ropes. Kris hit a running kick to the head for two. Kris ran the ropes and hit a clothesline. Kris hit a belly-to-back suplex for two. The fans were quiet for this match as Thekla went after Kris on the turnbuckle. Kris headbutted Thekla a few times, until Thekla came back with a Spider Suplex off the turnbuckle. Thekla jumped off the top with a cross body block on the floor. Kris caught Thekla, went for a move on the floor and then Kris sent Thekla into the barricade. Kris swung Thekla into the barricade four times. The referee Paul Turner wasn’t counting them out of the ring. Kris did a catapult that sent Thekla into the steel steps. Kris hit a boot to the head and a sitout slam for two. Thekla hit repeated chops, so Kris slapped Thekla in the face. Thekla jumped on Kris’ back and pulled on the arms. Thekla went for a submission move on the arms, but Kris countered it into Sunday Night Fever sitout slam for the pinfall.

The match is tied 1-1.

They did a spot where Thekla got a hold of Kris and Kris bumped into referee Paul Turner, so Turner bumped to the floor. Thekla took the belt of referee Turner and wanted to use the leather belt as a weapon. Kris punched Thekla and Kris used the leather belt to whip Thekla’s body. Kris hit the Sunday Night Fever again, but nobody was there to count the fall. Julia Hart and Skye Blue went into the ring to support Thekla. Kris fought them off and hit a double clothesline. Turner was back in the ring, complaining about his belt being taken off, and he took the belt from Kris. Thekla hit a Spear and a Stomp. Thekla hit a second Stomp for the pinfall win after 18 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Thekla (2=1)

Analysis: ***1/4 It wasn’t a dominant performance or anything like that, but Thekla found a way to win thanks to her buddies Hart and Blue proving a distraction late in the match. Thekla’s first fall was a cheap one with the rope grab, and then Thekla benefited after the referee took the belt away, and Thekla hit some big moves after that to win. Statlander is talented, but I didn’t think she had a shot here because it was all about Thekla continuing her title reign. The crowd response was quiet for most of this match. They need to work on getting some babyface women.

The AEW Trios Tag Team Title match was next, with the Don Callis Family against Mistico and Jetspeed. I’m taking a break for a few minutes in a very long show.

AEW World Trios Tag Team Championships: Don Callis Family- Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis vs. Mistico and Jetspeed – Kevin Knight & “Speedball” Mike Bailey

Knight and Bailey were wrestling with masks on to pay tribute to their masked friend Mistico. When I got to the match a few minutes into it, Davis blocked a move by Knight and tossed Knight over the top onto Bailey and Mistico on the floor. Davis took the masks off Knight and Bailey, which led to boos. Kyle grabbed a mask, rubbed it against his crotch (gross) and tossed it into the crowd. Davis tossed Bailey into a kick by Kyle and then Davis hit a forearm on Knight. Okada dropkicked Knight. Mistico was on fire with a double arm drag, kicks and a hurricanrana/arm drag. Bailey and Knight each hit missile dropkicks. The three babyfaces hit tope suicidas aka suicide dives onto the heels on the floor. There were four guys in the ring exchanging strikes as Okada and Knight each hit dropkicks. When Okada did a middle finger, Knight bit the finger. Nice counter. Okada dropkicked Knight and Kyle superkicked Bailey. Why do we need four guys in the ring so often? Because AEW. Mistico hit a cross body block on two guys, Davis wit ha kick, Bailey with a knee drop and Okada hit a flap jack on Okada. Knight hit a hurricanrana on Okda and Kyle hit a jumping kick. Mistico hit an impressive Tornado DDT on Kyle.

The six guys were all fighting on the apron, so the three babyfaces all hit moves on the apron, including Mistico doing Code Red on Kyle. Bailey went up top and hit a Shooting Star Press for a two count. Davis brought a chair into the ring, the referee took it away, Okada handed Kyle a title belt to use and Bailey stopped that. Knight hit a DDT on Kyle. Bailey went up top and hit a Shooting Star Press knee drop on Kyle for two because Davis broke it up. Davis hit an enziguri kick and a forearm as an illegal man, so then he tagged in as if tags matter. Davis hit a gutwrench piledriver on Knight and Bailey back to back for a two count because Mistico broke up the pin. Bailey hit a spin kick on Davis for two because Kyle broke it up. Knight got the tag and hit a springboard clothesline on Davis for two. Mistico sent Okada out of the ring and hit a twisting dive onto Okada on the floor. Kyle hit a running kick on Knight on the turnbuckle. Mistico hit La Mistica on Kyle and Bailey kicked Davis. Knight jumped off the top with a UFO Splash onto Davis (it was a long jump) for the pinfall win to win the AEW World Trios Championships. It went about 18 minutes.

Winners by pinfall AND NEW AEW Trios Champions: Mistico and Jetspeed – Kevin Knight & “Speedball” Mike Bailey

Analysis: **** It turned into a great match that I’m going 4 stars out of 5 more. I admit I’m not a huge fan of the Trios Titles and I don’t think they are necessary, but it turned into an excellent match with a crazy amount of nearfalls in the final few minutes. Mistico is incredible and the fans really like the guy because of how charismatic he is. That UFO Splash by Knight to win the match was excellent. I’m actually surprised by the title change because the Don Callis Family trio recently won the titles, but I guess they were just transitional champions. Fletcher and Okada don’t need Trios Titles when they already have singles titles.

The team of Bailey, Knight and Mistico celebrated as the new AEW Trios Champions. A graphic was shown on screen to say that Mistico is All Elite, which means he’s going to be in AEW more often. Excalibur said that Mistico is signed with CMLL, but also with AEW. They played Mistico’s song in the arena and the fans love the guy.

It’s time for the Bandido-Andrade El Idolo match. There are still 3 matches left, and it’s nearly 11 p.m. ET, so this show is going to be over four hours for the main show.

Andrade El Idolo (w/Don Callis) vs. Bandido

Bandido is the ROH World Champion, but that title isn’t on the line. Don Callis joined commentary.

They did some backflips to avoid eachother early on and the announcers put it over. I get that the gymnastics routine is done to show how athletic the guys are, but it’s also good to see people throw strikes. Bandido was tossed into the air and hit a hurricanrana. Bandido hit a pump kick to knock Andrade down to the floor. Bandido hit a hurricanrana on the floor. Andrade countered a springboard with a Powerbomb into the mat. They left the ring so that Andrade could slam Bandido into the barricade. Andrade took his pants off the reveal his trunks and the fans popped for that. Don was in awe of it. Andrade found the planted female fan at ringside and took a selfie with her. Andrade grabbed a headlock. After Bandido broke free, he tried something by the turnbuckle, but Andrade stopped that. Andrade tried a double foot stomp, Bandido avoided it and Bandido gave Andrade a German Suplex and Andrade hit the turnbuckle. Don Callis left commentary to complain about it. Callis went back to commentary. Bandido hit some strikes, but Andrade came back with a boot to the head. Bandido jumped off the ropes with a twisting splash onto Andrade. Bandido hooked the arms and hit a German suplex. Bandido kicked Andrade out of the ring. Bandido jumped over the top onto Andrade and landed on his feet.

They went back into the ring to exchange suplexes. Bandido hit two German Suplexes, Andrade hit two vertical suplexes and Bandido hit three more German Suplexes. Bandido went up top and hit a Shooting Star Press for a two count. Bandido was trying something on the apron and the ropes, but Andrade swept the legs to knock Bandido down. Andrade went up top and hit a moonsault onto a standing Bandido on the floor. That was great. Andrade found another beautiful woman in the front row and took a photo with her. Andrade put his number in her phone, or so we are led to believe. Back in the ring, Andrade did his double jump moonsault spot for a two count. The fans chanted, “This is awesome” for them. That is true. Andrade connected with the running double knee attack against the ropes for two. Bandido countered a move with a cradle for two. They went up top and Bandido jumped off the top with a fallaway slam for two. Bandido had Andrade on his shoulders and hit a rising knee to the face. Andrade got back up with the spinning elbow smash for two. Bandido hit a spinning kick to Andrade’s back. Bandido grabbed Andrade from the mat and hit a 21 Plex for a two count. Normally that move is done from a standing position, so that looked impressive. Bandido had Andrade on his shoulders and Bandido hit a knee smash. Bandido went for 21 Plex, Andrade landed on his feet and Andrade hit another spinning elbow. Andrade jumped off the turnbuckle with Bandido for the twisting slam called the DM and that was enough to get the pinfall win. It went about 21 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Andrade El Idolo

Analysis: ****1/4 This one was also an excellent match on this show. It could have gone either way and that was a big reason why I liked it. Since the ROH World Title wasn’t on the line, it makes sense that Andrade got the win because it’s a way to put him over without giving him the ROH World Title. The amount of counter holds they did was pretty amazing and they make so many difficult moves look easy. While I enjoy Bandido a lot, I’m glad Andrade got the win because it tells the audience he’s on the best run of his career and I’m happy to see it.

A video package aired about The Dogs against Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin and Roderick Strong.

Tornado Trios Match: The Dogs – David Finlay, Clark Connors & Gabe Kidd vs. Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin & Roderick Strong

No tags in this match. Anything goes in this match. The pinfall or submission has to be in the ring.

The Dogs were dominating the action early in the match. I had to step away to use the bathroom so I missed some of the happenings early on. Allin was tied to the turnbuckle. Strong got in there and he cleaned house on the heels. Orange hit a dropkick, and also a DDT. Orange hit a DDT on Clark. Strong slammed Clark onto Orange’s knees. Orange got scissors to cut the tag rope and Allin was free. Allin jumped off the top with a Coffin Drop onto three heels on the floor. Strong hit a backbreaker on Clark for two. They were multiple submission moves applied, and Finlay saved his partners. Kidd sent Allin to the ropes and shoved Allin over the top to the floor. Orange hit Stundog Millionaire on Clark, but Clark came back with a Spear. Kidd went after Allin the aisle. Allin knocked Kidd off the ramp and onto the floor. Allin used the skateboard wheels to the back of Kidd’s head. Clark hit a powerslam on Strong. Clark and Finlay hit a chop block/Spear combo on Strong for two because Orange made the save. Finlay gave Orange a Dominator. Finlay hit a knee smash on Strong and Allin jumped off the top with a Coffin Drop. Allin tied Kidd’s hand to something by the ramp, so Kidd was stuck. Orange rolled up Clark for two, Strong with a knee and Orange hit an Orange Punch. Strong hit the End of Heartache double knee attack to the back. Orange covered Clark for the pinfall win after 12 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin & Roderick Strong

Analysis: ***1/4 A good match that was very physical and surprisingly not bloody, but that may be because of the final match on the show. I’m surprised that The Dogs lost in their PPV debut as a trio. Why book them to lose like that? I don’t get it. I would rather see them look like a credible team by giving them a win in their first PPV match. Allin was the most fun guy to win the match, but he won it for his team when he managed to neutralize Kidd by the ramp. Anyway, this didn’t feel like a great match or anything like that, but it was still a solid tag.

It’s finally main event time as we get a video package about MJF-Hangman Page for the AEW World Title.

The challenger, “Hangman” Adam Page, made his entrance first. They had a guy playing a trumpet as part of this entrance. Page hat a chain wrapped around his right arm.

There was a video featuring AEW World Champion “Maxwell” Jacob Friedman mocking Hangman as a cowboy. Max said there was one more thing he had to do to Hangman and they showed MJF pissing on Hangman’s grave, or at least that was the idea of it. MJF made his entrance with a cowboy hat and a poncho style jacket.

AEW World Championship Texas Death Match: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. “Hangman” Adam Page

No time limit. No disqualifications. No match stoppage because of blood. Pinfalls don’t matter. The match only ends when someone submits or can’t answer the 10 count. If Hangman loses then he can’t compete for the AEW World Title ever again. The bell rang at 11:47 p.m. ET as we near four hours for the show.

Happy 30th birthday to MJF, who is awesome. MJF was wearing some Terry Funk-style gear, so that’s pretty cool. Page attacked with punches, so MJF bailed to the floor. They went fighting into the crowd with Page in control. Page drank some beer that a fan gave him and it looked like MJF’s mouth was bleeding. Page tossed MJF over the barricade and Page punched MJF. Page brought a trash can lid into the ring and MJF blocked that with a punch. MJF hit a body slam, followed by a rope walk and his hip trust to the face. Page got up quickly with the trash can, he chased after MJF and Page stopped running, so Page hit MJF with the trash can lid. Page got a piece of paper and used it to give MJF papercuts on his fingers. Page also stapled a drawing on birthday boy MJF. Page pulled the paper off with the staple, so MJF was selling it. There was broken glass in the ring, so Page slammed MJF onto it and dragged MJF into it. Page used some barbed wire and punched MJF with it. MJF was bleeding heavily moments later. Page used the barbed wire into MJF’s throat to cause some more pain. MJF was bleeding heavily as Page hit a forearm to knock MJF out of the ring.

They were out on the floor as Page set up a table, so MJF tripped Page into the barricade. MJF got a piece of broken glass and pulled it back against Page’s head, or at least that was the idea. The camera stayed on MJF while Page did a blade job, so he was bleeding heavily. MJF used the glass to hit Page in the head with it. MJF bit a body slam on Page in the ring. MJF dragged Page through the glass. MJF used a broom to push the broken glass out of the ring to the floor. Page broke the broom handle, so MJF got it from Page and MJF hit him in the back with a chair. MJF used a steel chair to hit Page in the back. MJF hit Page in the back with another chair shot. MJF brought a syringe into the ring, put it through Page’s cheek and squeezed it as some watery substance came out of it. MJF went for a chair shot, Page blocked it and Page punched MJF. Page hit MJF with a forearm and a chair shot to MJF’s back. MJF got back up to break the referee’s count

It was over 30 minutes into the match as MJF and Page had light tubes. MJF was on one side of the ring and Page was on the other side MJF kicked Page in the ribs, Page stopped MJF from using the light table and then Page hit MJF again with the light tube. Page used another light tube to hit MJF in the top of the head. MJF was bleeding heavily from the forehead.  MJF had blood all over his back and chest. Page brought in a handful of wooden skewers. They each tried to put the sewers into the other guy’s head. MJF looked like he might have had the advantage, but Page was able to put the skewers onto MJF’s head and Page punched the skewers so that they were spiked into MJF’s head. Page hit a Buckshot Lariat. The referee Bryce Remsburg went to 9 and Hangman was apt 10. Page hit a running boot to the face of MJF. Page grabbed a steel chair that he brought into the ring and put one end of the chain around MJF’s neck. MJF was freaking out about it while Page punched MJF to keep him down on the floor. Page had MJF trapped on the ring apron. Page set up a table on the floor. Page asked the fans if they had a lighter, but then he decided to go another route. Page put a barbed wire board onto the table that was on the ring apron while MJF was down on the mat. The fans chanted, “We Want Fire” and Page was asking if they had a lighter. Page and MJF each tried moves from over the barricade. Page punched and kicked MJF. Page went to the middle turnbuckle for a move, so MJF pulled on the chain and Page did a great bump flipping over onto the barbed wire table. The referee was counting Page on the floor, and Page got up at a 9 count. They went to the top of the ramp and Page held onto MJF and they went crashing through a table beside the ramp. There were explosives on the table, and they were all loud. When referee Bryce Remsburg made his way over to count, both guys were up at 9.

Page brought MJF back to the ringside area and put him into the ring. Page went for a Buckshot Lariat, but MJF hit a low blow kick. MJF brought the AEW World Title into the ring. MJF smacked Page with the title in the head. When the referee’s count neared the ten count, the fans were on fire and Page jumped back up at 9. Page hit a low blow kick and belt shot to the head. Page went to the apron and MJF hit him with a forearm to the face. MJF choked Page with the chain and Tony Schiavone thinks that MJF hit him with the Dynamite Diamond Ring. MJF did have the ring on his pinky. Page looked like he was passing out and he collapsed to the floor as if he was passed out. The referee, Bryce Remsburg, counted to 10, and Page was out, so MJF got the win. It went about 48 minutes.

Winner: Maxwell Jacob Friedman

That loss by “Hangman” Adam Page means that he can no longer compete for the AEW World Title ever again.

Analysis: **** I enjoyed the match (4 stars out of 5), but it was hard for me to get into all of it because I was exhausted after writing about this show for 4.5 hours, and having this match go nearly one hour felt like too much. Of course, it was an entertaining match between two of the best wrestlers in AEW in the prime of their careers, and I enjoyed a lot of it. I don’t think they needed the syringe or the skewers and some of the other silliness, but I understand they were trying to be over the top and get shocked reactions from the fans. While I anticipated MJF getting the win since he’s only had the title for about three months, I wasn’t sure how he was going to do it, so I did like how the finish was done with the Dynamite Diamond Ring usage leading to the chain choking finish.

After the match, the AEW Medical Team checked on Page and put him on a stretcher while Page was selling like he was knocked out. MJF got the dog collar taken off him and MJF posed on top of an injured Hangman. MJF posed on top of Hangman on the stretcher.

AEW Revolution had a runtime of 4 hours, and 39 minutes. It’s 12:39 A.M. ET when it ended. Long night.

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Five Stars of the Show

  1. FTR and Young Bucks
  2. MJF
  3. Andrade El Idolo
  4. Mistico and Jetspeed – Kevin Knight & “Speedball” Mike Bailey
  5. Jon Moxley

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Final Thoughts On AEW Full Gear

It gets a 9 out of 10 from me.

Excellent show. If you’ve read this 8,000+ word review, you probably already know I praised much of it. It’s tough to sum up after nearly five hours of writing. I think the show would be better if they kept it under four hours, because it dragged on a bit too long. I don’t want to be up until 12:40 A.M. on a Sunday night writing about wrestling, and I think the show ending that late is going to be tough on a lot of fans in the Eastern time zone, for example. Start an hour or two earlier if you are going that long.

In terms of match quality, the FTR/Young Bucks match stood out the most, and I also loved Moxley/Takeshita, MJF/Page, Andrade/Bandido, and the Trios Title Match. There were so many outstanding matches, and I believe any AEW fan would enjoy a show like this. I don’t care for things like syringes to the mouth and skewers to the head, but I understand that AEW is trying to be different and extreme. That FTR/Bucks match really set the tone for the night and other matches certainly delivered some memorable matches too. In terms of match quality, I was really pleased with the show, and I also liked that some booking decisions surprised me. Being unpredictable is good.

There were several newsworthy moments on this show, including Adam Copeland and Christian Cage returning. Ronda Rousey is in AEW, at least to support Marina Shafir. Will Ospreay also made his return, and I’m glad he’s back. Kenny Omega also returned, but his absence wasn’t that long. Having returns at a pay-per-view like this makes them feel pretty special, so I commend AEW for executing them well.

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