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

Watch: PPV, Bleacher Report & FITE (Non-US)

Meet our reviewers

Sean Sedor: So this was a pretty busy Sunday for Sean. A big NASCAR race in Las Vegas in the afternoon, before going right into AEW’s first PPV of 2022 (which Sean is pretty excited to watch!). You can follow Sean on Twitter @SASedor2994. If you’re interested in some other stuff he does, you can check out Sean’s YouTube channel (just search his name) if you’d like to see him play the Formula 1 game, and you can also check out Sean’s Extreme Warfare Revenge thread on the Be The Booker forums (if you’re into those kinds of games).

Jeri Evagood: The magic writing girl of VOW is here to review a show she is hyperly hyping hyped about! She’s eating chicken steak fingers with potato wedges (Which are superior to french fries) as her dinner tonight with sides of white gravy for the fingers and garlic aioli for the potato wedges. She expects great wrestling, blood, a hot crowd, and one hell of a good evening that’ll go on longer than she no doubt wishes. Follow her Twitter at @TheJerriest_Jer. Trans Rights are Human Rights. 

Joey O’Doherty: Joey is the host of the soon to debut Wild Thing – Jon Moxley Career Review Podcast. Follow him @MoxPodcast and @awesomeojoe on Twitter. If a bad, uneducated take is what you seek, he is your man.

“Legit” Leyla Hirsch def. Kris Statlander

Sean: The first of three women’s matches on this card kicked things off. Hirsch went after Statlander’s arm early, trapping it in the stairs before hitting a dropkick. This then became the focus of the match as she worked over the injured arm. The crowd got being Statlander as she started to make a comeback. There was a big rana off of the arpon by Hirsch, and that was followed up moments later when Statlander just dropped Hirsch off the second rope. However, Statlander’s cutback was stopped right in its tracks when Hirsch used a spare turnbuckle piece that she got from under the ring when the ref wasn’t looking. One moonsault later, and Hirsch was the winner. I thought this was a pretty enjoyable match that told a nice story and had solid action throughout. Obviously the finish served to both put over Hirsch as a heel, and to continue the feud between these two. Nothing outstanding by any means, but for its spot on this card, this worked well. ***1/4 

Jeri: There were some big moves such as Leyla hitting a rana off the apron and Statlander pancaking Leyla from the second rope. For a good portion of the match Leyla worked on Statlander’s arm although it wouldn’t play into the finish it was at least somewhat consistent. Leyla would win hitting Statlander with a spare turnbuckle piece and followed with the moonsault for the win. A bit of stuff didn’t look smooth, but the crowd was into this pre-show opener. The action was reasonably solid and Leyla did a good job being in control the majority of the match with Statlander getting the crowd behind her with her comeback. If they wanted Leyla to come off as a heel it served that purpose. Not anything to go out of your way to see, but it got the crowd pumped and it was overall solid. An earned ***1/4

Joey: Both women appeared hesitant and a tad sloppy to begin despite good Regal Regal esque limb work.  But once that rana from the apron got introduced they clicked into gear and the crowd got invested. Some lovely suplexes by Hirsch combined with her size reminds me of Taz in his hayday. Both women worked hard and delivered a decent, watchable match. Hirsch also may have regretted her choice of attire with what surely must be an unintentional flag on the back. **¾ 

HOOK def. QT Marshall

Sean: Well, the NASCAR race from Las Vegas just finished up, and Alex Bowman won it in a very exciting finish. Anyway, it’s HOOK time now, and right away, he’s schooling QT Marshall with all of his usual offense. Marshall eventually got the match to go to the floor, but Hook just tossed him with a capture suplex. We did see Marshall take control for a bit once they got back in the ring, and actually started to hit some offense on HOOK. However, this didn’t last too long, as HOOK locked in Redrum and got the submission victory. In terms of HOOK’s progression, this was easily the most competitive match he’s had thus far. QT had his moments, but he was only delaying the inevitable. ***

Jeri: SEND HOOK *******************. Okay I have to do an actual review don’t I? Okay. QT Marshall got some offense for a period of time showing off that Hook can sell and take a beating. No joke, Hook is freaking over. This was his first fully competitive match and it worked. Hook’s progression continues and QT Marshall did a good job being a pinball for Hook’s offense. Hook hits some beautiful suplexes, and he’s legit growing even more into his role that he was already well suited for. I really enjoyed this. Hook hit all the notes he needed to hit on his first big show match. Consider Hook sent. ***

Joey: After a Kenny tease, we get what we all came for. God, how over is Hook. Dom Mysterio, eat your heart out. I think I came in my pants when Hook hit that belly2belly With a bridge, that’s how beautiful it was. Actually all his suplexes were performed to near perfection. For his first live match, as well as his first big show match, Hook ticked all the boxes. His strengths were highlighted, his negatives, if any, hidden. QT played his part wonderfully. Simple and very effective. This is how you present a new young star. SEND HOOK. ***¼

The House Of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews, & Malakai Black) def. Death Triangle (PAC & Penta Oscura) & Erick Redbeard (w/ Alex Abrahantes)

Sean: This one got started quickly as Black and PAC went right after each other. We then got a fun exchange with Buddy and Penta going at it before Brody King and The Vintner himself, Erick Redbeard, started to go back and forth. Eventually, things settled down a bit once The House Of Black isolated PAC. Penta finally got the hot tag and ran wild with a flurry of offense. Redbeard then got back into the match, and he ran wild on the heels. Things really brown down in the second half of the bout, with bodies flying all over the place. Penta nailed Black with a package piledriver on the apron, but couldn’t take advantage as Black wasn’t the legal man. It came down to Redbeard against Black and Buddy, and Black used the black mist to gain the upper hand on the giant. A Gonzo Bomb later, and House Of Black won. This was an incredibly entertaining six-man tag that just makes me want those damn AEW Six-Man Tag Team Titles even more. Action packed throughout, particularly in the closing stretch. Erick Redbeard didn’t look out of place at all, and played his role here very well. Him taking the fall in the end wasn’t a total surprise, but as a whole, this was super fun from start to finish. ****

Jeri: Alex sure has a look doesn’t he? Not a good one, but a look. Redbeard is over, say what you want, but the man is over and the crowd loves him. This was freaking fun. Everyone played their parts well, and gelled. I felt like it was all offense at all times in the best way possible, no down period and very little slow spots. Redbeard and Brody had some face offs and they were gloriously beefy. Crowd was rightfully into it big time. As the match approached it’s end Penta and Malaki Black fought on the arpon and Penta hit a vicious looking fear factor. Unfortunately Black wasn’t the legal man and he couldn’t get the victory. Redbeard ends up being triple teamed and rightfully taking the fall (and getting mist). Awesome affair, a great match that I think showed it should’ve been on the main show. ****1/4

Joey: The absolute state of Alex. He looks so out of place in this gimmick. This was a lot of fun. Trios Matches are a perfect use of Redbeard, while I got a nice reminder of what Buddy Matthews is capable of. I could watch Pac, Matthews, Black and Penta all day, while King and Redbeard chimed in when needed. It was nicely paced, with spots given the chance to breathe and it heated up when Penta got the hot tag. All six men delivered here and not only did AEW produce a hot pre-show, but they satisfied me more here in 1 hour than WWE have done in their last 3 PLEs combined. This match was a load of fun. ****

Eddie Kingston def. Chris Jericho

Sean: The match order was one of the most interesting aspects of this PPV. With so many big bouts on the card, I was really curious to see how they’d order things, and ultimately, we’re kicking things off with Chris Jericho and Eddie Kingston, who both got big reactions when they came out. Kingston dropped Jericho on his head right out of the gate. Jericho would gain control a minute or two later on the floor by going after Eddie’s orbital bone, which was injured a month or so back. A big chop exchange ends with Kingston nailing a DDT, but Jericho returns the favor with hard shots of his own. Jericho nails a top rope rana, followed a few moments later by a suplex OFF THE APRON TO THE FLOOR.

Jericho is firmly in control at this stage. Multiple German suplex, dropping Kingston right on his shoulders and head. A dangerous Lionsault is followed up by the Walls Of Jericho. Kingston struggles to the ropes, and follows up with some back drop drivers. A spinning backfist only nets a nearfall. Jericho would continue to do damage, but Eddie kept fighting. Eventually, Eddie nailed a series of backfists before forcing Jericho to tap out to the Stretch Plum. I freaking loved this match. It was an all out war from start to finish. Dropping each other on their heads, hard chops, brutal offense. Both men biting and scratching (both figuratively and literally) to put their opponent away so that they can prove their point. In the end, Kingston FINALLY got the big win on PPV he was looking for, while Jericho went back on his word and didn’t shake Kingston’s hand. The crowd was so into this from start to finish, and so was I. THIS IS PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING, PEOPLE!! THIS IS WHY WE WATCH!! *****

Jeri: This is a great way to start the PPV. Eddie drops Jericho on his head right off and we are off to the races as this becomes a fuckin fight. Crowd is amped to watch them throw them over and over again, chopping the hell out of each other’s chest, throwing strikes and generally just taking it too each other. Jericho targets Eddie’s orbital bone which was injured some time ago. Neither are afraid to lay it in and take it from each other. Jericho is working his butt off in this match in a way I feel we haven’t seen him in awhile. 

He lands a vicious suplex off the apron to the floor and it ruled. Crowd is molten for all of this. Eddie hits a backfist but it doesn’t work, Jericho hits the codebreaker it doesn’t work, the crowd continued to get hotter and hotter. Jericho goes for the Judas effect but misses and hits an exposed turnbuckle (of his own doing earlier) and two backfirsts and a Stretch Plum later and Jericho taps out. HELL YES! This ruled, right result, right opener, this kicked all the right amount of asses, especially theirs. We are off to a great start of the night. You want all of this. This is Jericho’s best match in awhile and Eddie once again shows he’s just absolutely awesome. Jericho didn’t shake his hand in the end even though Kingston offered it.  ****3/4

Joey: Get one molten hot crowd, add one super over face and a veteran who has a point to prove and you get this match. I don’t know what was more shocking, the countless times these men tried to break each others necks or how effortless Jericho performed that top rope rana.

The match benefited from the first head dump as Jericho appeared to get ultra snug, possibly seeking a receipt. Both men told a nice story, as they both worked hard to keep the crowd hot. Kingston deserved his first big win, in a nice reverse to Jericho’ previous feud with The Rock. 

This felt like a fight and both men clearly wanted to prove they belong in AEW. An epic battle, and while Eddie won this, we the fans were the true winners. And to think Vince McMahon wanted to push Fandango at Jericho’s expense years ago. I told you all, DON’T COUNT JERICHO OUT. ****¾

AEW World Tag Team Titles
Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (c) def. reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) & The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)

Sean: So only two men in the ring at a time for this one, meaning that there will always be one team on the outs, so to speak. The early portion of the match was The Jungle Boy Show, as he had some fun exchanges with Kyle O’Reilly and The Young Bucks. Jurassic Express remained in control early, as Luchasaurus got in some offense before Jungle Boy nailed a big dive to the floor. The Young Bucks finally managed to stop Jungle Boy in his tracks, and while it seemed like it might turn into a four-on-two situation pretty quickly, the dissension between The Young Bucks and reDRagon would soon start to show.

The two heel teams work over Jungle Boy for a bit before Luchasaurus gets the hot tag and runs wild. Things are really getting fast and furious at this point, and now reDRagon and The Young Bucks are going at it. Jungle Boy connects with an INSANE Shooting Star Press to break up a submission, and then either Matt or Nick followed that up with a 450 Splash. A belt shot by O’Reilly leads to a big nearfall. So many nearfalls in this one that it’s impossible to keep track, but I’m loving it. Jungle Boy nails his super rana/german suplex combo before Luchasaurus nailed a dive to the floor. The two followed up with their tag team finisher (cannot remember the name of it) on I think Matt Jackson for the win. Look, I’m a simple man who loves to see some action in my wrestling, and boy, was this match all action from start to finish. reDRagon and The Young Bucks never fail to have excellent bouts with each other, and when you throw Jurassic Express in there, you open things up to so many exciting possibilities, and we saw those many possibilities come to fruition here. Jurassic Express retain in a big title defense, while the dissension between The Young Bucks and reDRagon continues. ****1/2 

Jeri: Shockingly  ReDRagon and Young Bucks co-existed through the first portion of the match. That’s sarcasm. We also got good looks at Jungle’s quickness and agility in the early portion of the matches before he deals with a long beat down between both the Bucks and the Dragons cooperating. Luchasauraus would eventually get in and will get a nice run of offense against both of the other teams, including a moonsault off the apron onto the Dragons. He’d get another great second burst of offense after suffering a Canadian Destroyer only to kip up and hit the Bucks with a double suplex. 

Of course inevitably Bucks and Dragons get into and finally throw down, with Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus sprinkling themselves in throughout their confrontation and then all three are going at it full tilt and going for victories. All three teams are working on high octane. Lots of freaking near falls but the action is done in a way you can follow it all and not get lost. Three way matches can be a mess when done poorly, but this was easily followed despite the action. In the end in a hell of a finish Jurrasic Express gets the win pinning Matt Jackson for the win. I think it was Matt Jackson, It was a Jackson for sure. I’m a professional. This was high octane, all action, no filler, and it was excellent. They kept things going and everything landed and looked great, and the match never broke down into a mess. Highly approved. ****1/2

Joey: What’s louder, the crowd humming along to Tarzan Boy or Brandon’s outfit? Joe Exotic must have had a clear out. 

But this match was a cracker. Never slowed down once and everything flowed pretty much seamlessly. All 6 men kept up with the electric pace from start to finish. Highly entertaining, with my own personal fav spot either being the doomsday device by JE or the picture perfect shooting star press performed by Jungle Boy. The Bucks in another amazing PPV, they never disappoint. This is a hell of a show so far. ****½

Face Of The Revolution Ladder Match
Wardlow def. Christian Cage, Keith Lee, Orange Cassidy, Powerhouse Hobbs, & Ricky Starks

Sean: Last year’s Face Of The Revolution Ladder Match was easily the weakest Ladder Match that AEW has ever done, but this match has a better lineup on paper, so I came into this hopeful that it would deliver. There was no mystery person who joined this, which I guess was a mild surprise. There was a fun spot early where Orange Cassidy tried to climb the three large men in this match to get the brass ring, but that got broken up. The first big ladder spot saw Christian nail Hobbs with a reverse DDT off a ladder, and that was followed up by Keith Lee running wild for a bit. This was followed by Orange Cassidy doing a reverse pullup onto a ladder bridge being held by Keith Lee and Wardlow, which was an amazing spot. A big superplex by Hobbs followed, but then he was speared into a ladder by Christian.

Ricky Starks nails an incredible spear through a ladder on Christian. All six men then climb a pair of ladders, and everyone falls down. The three big men brawl up the stage, and this culminated with Wardlow shoving both Hobbs and Lee off the stage! We get a quick run-in from Danhausen, but this served to be a brief comedic distraction before a brutal finish, as Wardlow powerbombs both Christian Cage and Ricky Starks (the ladder took a devastating powerbomb on a ladder bridge) before securing the brass ring. This was a very physical ladder match that managed to have some very unique spots throughout. The multi-person ladder matches can get tiresome at points, but in this case, they managed to have some very unique spots throughout, some of which we’ve never seen before. Everyone had moments to shine. In the end, however, it was Wardlow who emerged victorious. I’m sure that’ll have storyline implications with MJF down the line. ****1/4 

Jeri: This match had a great line up for it so I hoped all the moving pieces could move into enough place to deliver. There was a plethora (a favorite word) of big spots and moves through the match, my personal favorite being Ricky Starks nailing an excellent spear through a ladder onto Christian. A lot was going on with bodies going everywhere throughout the match. At one point Cassidy flipped himself up onto a ladder helded up by Wardlow and Hobbs and almost got the brass ring (which looks like a power ring from Sonic The Hedgehog) but crotched himself. Keith Lee at one point launches Orange Cassidy over the top rope onto others and it absolutely ruled. 

Hobbs and Lee and Wardlow made their way to the announce era where Wardlow pushes Hobbs and Lee off the stage and takes them out of the match. This match is chaotic but the wonderful kind. We get a Danhausen appearance and he prevents Starks from winning the match. No disrespect meant, but I didn’t need Danhausen in this match, but I ended up getting him. Ricky Starks takes a scary ass powerbomb from Wardlow unto a ladder stuck in the upright ladder and the brass ring belongs to Wardlow. That powerbomb was scary as fuck. The Danhausen distraction thankfully didn’t take anything away although it wasn’t needed. All and all this was much better than last year, a vast improvement. They went with the right winner and everyone is going to be feeling this one in the days to come. These matches can always chance ending up a mess but this, while chaotic, turned into a hell of a fun affair. ****

Joey:  For me this match suffered from not only having to follow three excellent matches, but also from an over saturation of multi man ladder matches in the past decade or so. It wasn’t boring, and it did have some innovative spots, but I was numb to this. If I don’t see another multi man ladder match for a year, it will be too soon. 

It felt too contrived for my liking at times, and no amount of JR quoting the musician Sting made me feel like getting too invested in this despite all 6 men working hard. It was fine, nothing more. Wardlow, who has impressive throughout, won and from a storyline POV it’s a good call. ***

TBS Title
Jade Cargill (w/ Mark Sterling) (c) def. Tay Conti (w/ Anna Jay)

Sean: Jade Cargill came out dressed as Jade from Mortal Kombat, which is fitting. We got a nice opening exchange to start, as Tay managed to avoid Jaded. Tay nailed Jade with some running kicks in the corner before we got an awkward pin spot that was really the first “meh” moment on the entire show. Tay nailed a dive to the floor on Mark Sterling, and Jade would respond with a kick to Anna Jay. A chair shot from Anna Jay in a moment of revenge led to a nearfall, and Tay connected with the DDTay, but it only got two. Jade would respond with Eye Of The Storm (aka Tour Of The Islands) for two. We’re getting some really ambitious offense from these two, as Jade nails a Frog Splash while Tay connected with a piledriver. Tay then tried for something off the top, but Jade blocked it, and hit Jaded to retain her title. This was the weakest match on the show thus far for sure, but I still thought both women put forth a strong effort in this one. It wasn’t always pretty, but they were definitely ambitious with some of the stuff they did, which I will absolutely give them credit for. A fine bout for its spot on the card. ***

Jeri: Jade Cargill gets a live music intro and is dressed like Jade from Mortal Kombat (TOASTY!). That rules. Jade at times would amuse me by making fun of Tay with exaggerated Karate poses, including the Karate Kid crane kick pose. Tay would take out Sterling and Jade would take out Anna which would cause Anna to come back and chair her into a pin attempt for Tay. This was all kinds of fun and I was digging it.

This match actually got a bit more time than I was expecting, but to be fair I originally wasn’t expecting much time. Jade’s offense starts to look better and she hits a damn good frog splash at one point. Tay Conti puts forth an effort but in the end she falls to Jade Cargill who hits Jaded and that is that. Jade continues to progress and this was a well put together match and Tay Conti turned into an opponent that worked well with her. Jade has been hit or miss, but when she hits it’s good times, and this was good times. Not up there with the other matches of the show, but both women worked hard and it was a good affair. There was some messy moments, but all together I thought it came off well. ***

Joey:  Jade has her flaws, but being a bonafide star isn’t one of them. She looks every part the superstar she is being presented as, with the big entrance and Mortal Kombat entrance attire.

Jade’s matches with Thunder Rosa and Ruby Soho suffered from the matches not being laid out to hide Jade’s shortcomings as a wrestler, but since then her bouts have been better structured to suit her skills. Both Tay and Jade are improving, and with spots such as the nice frog splash and the decent pile driver, this bout wasn’t bad. It was awkward and clunky at times, but overall it was an above average, passable match and presented Jade as a force to be reckoned with. **¾

Dog Collar Match
CM Punk def. MJF

Sean: It’s the big one folks. The Dog Collar Match. In a moment that was absolutely amazing, CM Punk came out to Miseria Cantare: The Beginning by AFI, while wearing his old school basketball shorts. Really the only thing that was missing was Punk dying his hair blonde. Punk was also announced as “The Second City Saint”. Punk immediately starts choking MJF, and he’s in control early. The first big moment for MJF sees him whip Punk to the ground after Punk nailed his running knee. Punk is soon busted open from the chain, but tells MJF to “eat shit” before pulling him off the turnbuckle. Punk would connect with a bulldog, but MJF would get Punk in a choke that Punk managed to survive.

Punk is a bloody mess as MJF locks in the Salt Of The Earth. After using the chain to work on MJF’s hand, Punk used a chain assisted knee strike to bust MJF open. Punk missed a running knee into the stairs, but had enough strength to counter a MJF tombstone on the apron so he could nail one of his own. MJF managed to avoid a chain-assisted elbow drop, and he decided to bring out thumbtacks. They battle over the pile of tacks on the mat, and this leads to a big superplex that just catches the edge of the tacks. MJF calls Wardlow out, but the man can’t seem to find the Dynamite Diamond Ring (intentionally, of course). Punk hits a GTS that sends MJF into the tack, and Wardlow leaves the ring on the mat after he finally finds it. Punk nails MJF with the ring, and gets the pin. There was a lull in the middle of this that prevented me from going the full five, but as an entire package, this was fantastic. Both men played their roles to perfection, and they ended up delivering an incredible blowoff to what will likely be the 2022 Feud Of The Year. It was bloody, it was brutal, it was violent….AND on top of all that, we got some major storyline advancement on the MJF/Wardlow front. By the way, Wardlow was just so awesome in the time he was out there. Played his role perfectly, and the fans absolutely loved his involvement here. The crowd seemed to be losing a little steam at this point, but we’ll see if this impacts the rest of the card. ****3/4 

Jeri: MJF trolls the crowd wonderfully by Punk’s music playing first before his music comes on and introduces him. Crowd hated that. HOLY SHIT PUNK COMES OUT TO MISERIA CANTARE AND I AM LOSING IT! HOLY FUCK!  HE’S IN OLD GEAR! THIS IS GREAT! A match I was already hyped for I am now about to lose my damn mind for before the bell even rings. I’m actually crying a bit. This was incredible. I stepped away from my computer to focus on the match as a whole and not be so focused on play by play and analysis. I just wanted to to soak it all in like the ring was being soaked in blood from both competitors. This was a brutal, physical, emotional, bloody affair and one of the reasons I absolutely love pro-fucking-wrestling. This was an amazing blow off to cap off a fantastic blood feud.

At the end of the match Wardlow finally turned, refusing to give MJF the ring but giving it to Punk after he hits MJF with the GTS. MJF would spit in his face in defiance only for Punk to finally punch the shit out of him and vanquish MJF. Drama, emotional, and a roller coaster ride. It was slow at times, but that slowness allowed for things to grow and build into the next chapter of the story they told. They tore into each other, bruised each other, and beat each other. Perhaps as perfect a finish they could’ve had with the Wardlow turn. Everything I wanted, needed, desire, all wrapped into a beautiful bloody package of violence. Fuck yes, this is the great shit, this is pro-wrestling, this was everything. *****

Joey:  Could Punk and Maxwell complete an epic feud with a story topping gimmick match to end their feud? Yes. God yes. After a long build, packed with killer promos which increased in quality as the weeks progressed and epic, layered storytelling the likes have been absent in mainstream wrestling for a long time, this match completely delivered. 

With nods to Punk’s past with the incredible AFI entrance to the now expected homage to Bret Hart sprinkled in, this match was a near perfect end to a wonderfully told story. It was a vicious bloodbath with clever psychology that never didn’t disappoint from start to finish. I loved every second of this and it’s worthy of 5 stars for me. It’s gonna be hard to beat this match for me all year, but with Mox and Danielson coming soon, you just can’t bet against AEW delivering. My current match of the year and feud of the decade. *****

 

AEW Women’s World Title
Dr. Britt Baker DMD (w/ Jamie Hayter & Rebel) (c) def. Thunder Rosa

Sean: These women are in quite possibly the toughest spot imaginable. They had to follow that Dog Collar Match. Britt comes out with a new women’s title belt. The two had a back-and-forth wrestling exchange to start before Rosa nails Britt with a backbreaker. Britt would quickly gain the advantage after Jamie Hayter got involved. Rosa eventually started fighting back after a series of running dropkicks in the ropes. Britt fought back with a series of suplexes, but Rosa responded with yet another dropkick. We got some more back-and-forth offense between the two, which led to a big Air Raid Crash from Britt off the second rope. The crowd (which has been in and out on this one) comes back to life a bit after a nearfall that saw Britt use the title belt.

Rebel tries to get involved again, but Rosa nails a wild spear through the ropes. She takes out Jamie Hayter, but then gets hit with a double stomp as soon as she slid back into the ring for the pin. As I mentioned off the top, they were in a tough spot having to follow the Dog Collar Match, and it was certainly a struggle. The wrestling throughout was solid, but the crowd was definitely in and out in terms of reactions. We also had a disappointing finish with Britt retaining the title, though I have a feeling we might be getting a rematch really soon. Maybe a Steel Cage Match to keep out Rebel and Jamie Hayter? I guess time will tell. ***

Jeri: What a tough spot to be in. They had a legendary match last year, my second favorite match of the year when it came to voting time. I came into this hoping lightning would strike twice. This match unfortunately felt colder going in than it should have considering their history. The match did nothing really to heat things up I’m afraid to say.  The crowd being exhausted, or coming off that way, did not help things in their case which is unfortunate.  Both women did work well with each other, which should come to no surprise, but at times it felt pedestrian, a little too by the numbers. That said Baker hit a nice looking air raid crash from the second rope onto Thunder Rosa for a two count. That seemed to wake the crowd up a bit with some chants. 

Britt curbstomps Rosa on the belt but it’s not enough to get the job done. Rebel keeps getting involved to make sure Thunder Rosa doesn’t win and Thunder takes her and Hayter out. …. But it matters not as one more curbstomp gives Britt the win in a disappointing affair. Make no mistake I was rooting for them both to deliver, but unfortunately they did not succeed. The wrestling was solid but rarely interesting, and I was really hoping this would be Rosa’s big moment but Baker’s stranglehold on the AEW Women’s title must continue. I’m assuming we’ll get another match though, hopefully with a stipulation. **3/4

Joey: I had my doubts about these women delivering tonight and now with the impossible act of following Punk and Max, Baker and Rosa are in a tough predicament. While this match has had a build, it is nowhere near the level it should be. The women’s division has been somewhat of an afterthought in AEW and Baker’s reign has been a massive holding pattern since she claimed the gold. 

The crowd weren’t as burnt out as they might have been, but the match still suffered following the previous epic. That said, Baker and Rosa also felt underwhelming compared to their previous unsanctioned bout a year ago without the crutch of a plunder gimmick. This match was fine, but far from anything special despite the best effort of the women involved. 

The finish involved Rebel and Hayter, as has probably every Baker match in the last year, and I’m sick of these inference ridden matches. That said, as a story point, if it leads to a match with Rosa and Thunder Rosa without her goons assisting Britt, I’m ok with it. Overall, a bang average match a nice buffer between the higher profile matches. **½

Jon Moxley def. Bryan Danielson

Sean: They did not waste any time getting to this one, and we immediately got a “We Want Violence” chant from the crowd. The two spill out to the floor briefly before getting back to business in the ring. They exchange strikes in the ring, and follow up by exchanging kicks! It’s been a hard-hitting affair thus far. Moxley avoids a diving headbutt, but Danielson is quick to return fire with a series of kicks in the corner. The two continue to go at it until they end up on the floor. After their exchange on the floor, Moxley is bleeding like a stuffed pig, while Danielson has a much smaller laceration. 

Moxley nails a BIG lariat that knocks Danielson inside out. Danielson would respond shortly thereafter with a Super Belly-To-Back Suplex. Moxley survives a Dragon Sleeper, and nails a series of elbows before trying for some submissions of his own. The two men then proceed to start kicking each other’s heads in, which was super cool. Bulldog Choke, Regal Plex, Running Knee….it’s a violent affair here in Orlando. Danielson then has Moxley in a Triangle Choke, but Moxley counters it into a pin, and that’s it! Moxley wins. It’s fair to say this was a very violent affair. It was an absolute war from start to finish, and they absolutely delivered what they had advertised. This wasn’t over though, as the two kept fighting. WILLIAM REGAL came out, and after slapping some sense into them, they shook hands. That whole bit afterward brought the crowd back to life after the Dog Collar Match. This was all great. ****1/2 

Jeri: Crowd chants “We Want Violence” and I got to agree with them. I wants it something bad. Well this match definitely had it, although it is obvious the crowd is losing steam, and is finding itself tired. Moxley bled something hard from some headbutts on the outside. They beat the hell out of each other. Their strikes were hard and both men were willing to lean into the shots. It was some excellent stuff between both of them. Both men would trade submission holds late in the match, then just proceed to kick the heck out of each other. 

It was a back and forth physical affair this match. Danielson tried to kick Moxley’s head in while he was on the ground and put him in the triangle, the very triangle he’s been winning many matches with, plus elbow shots. Danielson would refuse to let it go and Moxley would be able to get him into a pin predicament for the win. At the end of the match both men would start beating the shit out of each other again and get pulled off. WILLIAM REGAL SHOWS UP! He slaps the shit out of Moxley to calm him down. He then slaps sense into Danielson. They would shake hands and I wonder if they will now team together? Either way this was a violent affair that delivered. The crowd came back to life thanks to Regal, this was an excellent piece of business. ****1/4

Joey:  What a match. Mostly 2 lads kicking the shit out of each other. Its that simple. Back and forth, beating the living snot out of each other for almost 20 mins. Hard hitting, unforgiving violence by two of the best at being violent bastards. 

Then, Regal rears his head. The man who trained Bryan and the man who nurtured the psychopathic side of Moxley. I cover the Ambrose v Regal FCW feud on the debut episode of my Mox Podcast (see @MoxPodcast on Twitter) which drops this week, so I’m only delighted to see slick Willie Regal rear his head. A brilliant war with some sweet story progression and a hell of an unexpected callback. Just excellent. ****½

Six-Man Tornado Tag Team Match
Darby Allin, TNT Champion Sammy Guevara, & Sting def. AHFO (Andrade El Idolo, Matt Hardy, & Isiah Kassidy)

Sean: We get another wild Darby video before this one starts, and Darby SPRINTS to the ring and sends Andrade to the floor to get this one started. It immediately devolves into a wild brawl on the floor. Darby hits a big dive to the floor onto Jose (who had a trash can on his head), but he gets blasted with a chair by Andrade seconds later. Speaking of Andrade, he nearly kills Sammy with a front suplex onto the barricade. We get more brawling and more wildness until Marq Quen gets involved so he and Isiah Kassiday can do the Silly String to Sammy using the barricade. More AHFO members get involved as Butcher & Blade get involved and attack Darby and Sting. Meanwhile, Sammy Guevara tries to murder Isiah Kassidy with a freaking Spanish Fly off the entrance way through some tables. Absolutely mind-blowing. If THAT wasn’t crazy enough, Sting jumped off a freaking balcony to put Andrade through FOUR tables!! Sting is SIXTY TWO YEARS OLD!! He doesn’t need to do this. Anyway, they get back into the ring, and it’s down to Matt Hardy vs. Darby Allin. Scorpion Death Drop through a chair and a Coffin Drop wins the match for the babyface side. This was Cocaine: The Wrestling Match. That’s all that needs to be said. These assholes are out of their damn minds. What an amazing spectacle this was. Loved every second of this one. ****1/2 

Jeri: Whew, at this point your Magic Writing Girl is feeling it. Hopefully this will be quick. I appreciate Darby sprinting and sending Andrade to the floor for a quick ass start. Didn’t take long before this broke down into a six man brawl with plunder. With the speed it was going I had a feeling this not going too long would be achieved. Sting no sold double teaming from Matt and Kassidy and hit them with a trash can in an amusing spot. Things would continue to break down and keep up a good speed which made me happy as everyone would be getting shots in. 

With so many moving pieces it was easy to lose some track of things at times, but nothing too terrible. I enjoyed the chaos of it all frankly, it was what this match needed to succeed. Butcher and Blade beat down Darby and Sting in an interference spot and I started feeling myself wanting this match to get to the end but still enjoying it for what it was. Sammy and Kassidy ended up on the stage decorations and Sammy Spanish flies off of them through some tables in a HOLY SHIT spot. STING THEN SPLASHES ANDRADE THROUGH A TOWER OF TABLES! JESUS! I’m back into this match and moments later Darby is coffin dropping Hardy for the victory. Bonkers, with some amazing stuff. Sting and Sammy are mad men and I love them. Better than I expected it to be, I had a lot of fun by the end of it. This deserves it’s share of stars. ****

Joey:  Obviously knowing they have a tough act to follow, Darby sprinting in to take out Andrade sets the tone for this non stop, high-octane rollercoaster. It’s chaos from start to finish but its all leading up to an unreal Spanish-fly from the top of the stage set. Sammy doesn’t need to do this spot after his ladder match moment, yet he and Kassidy nearly kill themselves in a mighty dangerous spot. Not to be outdone, Sting goes HAM from the balcony to a prone Andrade below, much to the crowd’s approval. Amazing stuff. 

As a match, it’s an entertaining mess yet a tad short. Wouldn’t mind these guys extending the time of this match but it’s fine for its purpose on the card. An enjoyable, chaotic filler match. ***¾

AEW World Title
“Hangman” Adam Page (c) def. Adam Cole

Sean: So I know that Adam Cole is a huge gamer, which is totally cool….but man, if you’re going to come out dressed as Master Chief from Halo, can you make your getup not look so cheap? Anyway, it’s a battle of the Adam’s to close out Revolution. “Let’s Go Adam! Adam Sucks!” chants as the two go through the opening exchanges. Page is really in control early, as he takes the fight to Cole both in the ring and on the floor. It’s all Hangman at this stage, but after Page threw his arm into the post after trying to hit a lariat, Cole quickly capitalized. Cole dished out some wild offense, just dropping Page back first off his shoulders at one point, and then following up with a crazy backstabber moments later. Page managed to fight back, as he hit a big powerbomb on the apron before hitting his signature moonsault to the floor.

Page tried for a moonsault in the ring, but Cole superkicks him out of midair for a really good nearfall. A “This Is Adam” chant breaks out as the two go back-and-forth. A Dead Eye and a Tombstone from Page both get two, and Cole somehow manages to keep going. A massive moonsault fallaway slam only gets two, and it’s at this point that reDRagon came out. Cole hits Panama Sunrise on the floor. Cole’s helped out by reDRagon interference, but only gets two once again. There’s a furious exchange that ends with Page just dropping down to the mat to avoid Cole’s running knee. reDRagon sets up a table on the floor, but that leads to Page hitting a Dead Eye through that table. Dark Order gets into a brawl with reDRagon. Page punished Cole some more in the ring, nails a running knee of his own, and hits another Buckshot Lariat to put Cole away. This is pretty much exactly what you would expect from these. An action-packed match with plenty of awesome exchanges and close nearfalls. Page continues his run as AEW World Champion with another strong title defense, while Cole once again delivers in a big spot, as he always does. There were shenanigans near the end, but in the end, Page did put Cole away clean as a sheet. A strong main event to close out what was another awesome PPV outing from AEW. ****1/2 

Jeri: Adam Cole came out in Masterchief gear. So that’s a thing that happened. They don’t waste time getting the match going thankfully as they go to the opening exchange right away and the match goes on from there. I’m really tired at this point so I’m hoping they can wake me up a bit. Crowd has woken up a bit as this match moves at a nice pace. There are some nice spots in this match, in particular Page hitting a powerbomb on the apron followed by his moonsault. Later Cole would counter with a superkick counter on another moonsault attempt in the ring. This match is well wrestled and I find myself enjoying it. There are good strikes, nice wrestling, and two wrestlers just clicking and bringing out the best of themselves.

The crowd chants “This is Adam” at one point and I absolutely hate it. Call me Mrs. No Fun if you must. At that point things pick up a bit and I find myself getting sunk into the action. Both men continued to go back and forth deep into the match as the crowd amused themselves with more Adam chants. We get a monster fallaway moonsault by Adam Page to Cole from the top rope. It was fantastic and I loved it. A panama sunrise to the floor doesn’t end things somehow. He lays the Boom down after a low blow and still doesn’t get the end. This match is great. Fish and O’Reilly interject with a table but of course Cole goes through it instead. Dark Order chases them off as a buckshot gets a two as Cole’s fingers are on the tip of the ropes Awesome. Some more action follows and then Page hits a BOOM and a buckshot lariat for the win in a great match. I really enjoyed this and while it wasn’t the best match, it was a worthy main event. They both worked well together and put on a great match. Excellent back and forth, story, and drama. At times I thought Cole might end up winning and I wouldn’t have been mad. Page’s streak of great AEW World title matches continues. ****1/2 

Joey:  Adam Cole looked ridiculous in His Halo inspired attire. Not a popular look Mr. Cole. While Hangman Page decided to shave Rod Hull’s Emu to gussy up his attire. Interesting choices. The Fans thankfully are still alive and are having fun with some playful Adam chants. What an awesome crowd we had all night. 

In my article last week I speculated if these two could deliver on such a cold build while following potential match of the year contenders, and I’m happy to say I was wrong to doubt these men. It wasn’t the best nor the hottest act on the show, but these men put together an excellent main event. Some very tidy spots, such as the apron bomb, the moonsault into the super kick and a nice deadlift German by the champ. Both men worked very well together and their undeniable chemistry was on full display.

That said the lack of a strong build, coupled with the zero chance Cole had Of winning did suck some of the drama out of the match, as Page winning never truly seemed in doubt. Still a thoroughly enjoyable match but both have had better matches. Page continues to be booked very strong even with his feuds lacking more substance. ****¼