Csonka: 10 Post WWE Matches For The Revival

#FTR…

FREE THE REVIVAL

On April 10th, a day Dash & Dawson had been wanting for a long time finally arrived and it was a good Friday indeed for these good brothers; they got their WWE releases. The duo weren’t happy, repeatedly refused bigger deals to re-sign, while insisting they wanted to leave, and they are finally free. The Revival’s NXT run was outstanding, they were constantly a highlight of NXT TV & Takeovers, and their work with American Alpha & DIY reminded me that there could still be great tag team wrestling under the WWE umbrella. But they are free now, and of course, the obvious speculation, is that they are AEW bound, which makes sense due to the teases with the Bucks over the years and the stacked tag team division. But who knows where and when they will land. Whoever gets them will instantly improve their tag division, but what if they went around the horn on a little tour of the scene before they landed in one set place. Here’s a list of teams I’d personally love to see them face. This is obviously a best case scenario, because who knows when we’ll get back to normal.

Mexiblood (Bandido & Flamita) in ROH: We go to ROH to begin, and first up is Mexiblood (Bandido & Flamita). Mexiblood was a semi-regular tag team outside of ROH, but once both men were under an ROH deal, the MexiSQUAD (with Horus) was born. They are a great trio, but the real unit is Bandido and Flamita. They are a great, highflying team that are poplar among fans, and as far as workers, they have a baseline in the ring of good with a high ceiling to deliver. They are a consistent team capable of spectacular things and are the first one on the tour for me.

Roppongi 3K in NJPW: As far as the NJPW tag ranks go I won’t rehash my issues with how it’s booked, but the most consistent, high quality tag team in the company for the last few years has easily been Roppongi 3K. Sho and Yoh are great, they consistently improve, and are a versatile team that can work with anyone. While pigeonholed as juniors, they aren’t a stereotypical highflying team, as both are good on the mat, especially Sho with his MMA styled work, they are the most consistent team in NJPW, always in good matches with that top tier potential when they have the right dance partners, because lord knows they’ve made the best out of the shit state of the NJPW tag ranks.

The Rock & Roll Express in NWA: The Revival are an old school tag team, with the obvious comparisons to Arn & Tully, and there’s nothing more old school than the Rock & Roll Express still working in 2020. And the thing is that while they are old and basically playing the hits (outside of mad man Ricky Morton busting out suicide dives & destroyers), they have also proved that they can still have good and fun matches. The Revival love old school tag team wrestling, and with the Rock & Roll Express still working, you’d have imagine that it’s a dream match for them.

The North in Impact: When LAX & the Lucha Bros left Impact, the tag division underwent an overhaul and to their credit, the company gave The North a chance and they have stepped up. I was a big fan of the team prior to Impact, and seeing them deliver in Impact and become the longest reigning tag team champions in the company’s history has been great to see. The North are delivering, they always have good matches and have the ceiling to deliver great banger styled matches, so they make the list and it’s a match I’d love to watch.

The Golden Aces (Tanahashi & Ibushi) in NJPW: Again, my issues with the NJPW tag divisions are well known, but one of the most fun things to happen in 2020 is the birth of the super team known as The Golden Aces. Tanahashi is a legend and all time great who can still go, while Ibushi is one of the best pure in ring performers going today. The Golden Aces have shown that they are a great team, I love both men and pairing them with such a purely great tag team such as the Revival would be a success to me.

Santana & Ortiz in AEW: During their NXT run, the Revival was one of the best big match tag teams in all of wrestling, and during that time, LAX was on the rise and delivering big in Impact. It’s an inter-promotional match I wanted to see at the time, and now it’s a possibility to actually happen. I want this match. Santana & Ortiz are still great, and they have an ability to work with anyone, are always good and like many on this list have that top tier match potential. The pairing is a recipe for success, and I’d be shocked if they didn’t deliver an absolute banger of a match.

The Briscoes in ROH: I have said it a hundred times, but the Briscoes are the greatest tag team in ROH history, but unfortunately underrated by many due to spending their careers in ROH. But the facts are that they have a track record of consistency, but also delivering great to excellent matches. They area great mix of old school meets new school, have proven that they can work with anyone. And if I am booking a Revival of great matches, the Briscoes absolutely make the list.

The Birds of Prey (Osprey & Eagles) in NJPW: While not a fulltime team for NJPW, the short run of the Birds of Prey was absolutely great. Eagles is a great performer, Ospreay was having an all time great 2019 and their friendship led to a great pairing. They delivered a series of great matches in their short run, have versatility, and can work any style while mixing in that highflying flare. Just let them loose, give them 15 and let the magic happen.

Kenny Omega & Hangman Page in AEW: It was never the plan from day one for Kenny Omega & Hangman Page to be a tag team, but against all odds, they have blossomed into a great tag team. In a short time they have put together a great collection of matches, have a great dynamic with their angle, and the chemistry that they have is really great. In a way, and not just because Hangman enjoys a beverage, they have that Beer Money feel to them as they have come together way better than anyone could have imagined. Book it Tony Khan.

The Young Bucks in AEW: And we finish out the list with the most obvious choice, for a few reasons. As mentioned, the Revival’s NXT run was some outstanding top tier work, while over the last decade, in the opinion of myself and others, the Bucks have been the most consistent and greatest tag team in wrestling. During the last three years, an inside joke on BTE has been the #FTR/fuck the Revival gag, constantly teasing the Revival vs. Bucks match. The Revival even played into it, and now that they are free, you know that it’s a match that they want. And you have to think that the Bucks wan it badly as well. As a fan of tag team wrestling, I want it badly as well.

The bottom line is that when things normalize, the Revival have a ton of fresh opponents out there. and even more that I didn’t mention because I just wanted to stick to 10.

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 106. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka &, Jerome Cusson, & Ian Hamilton break down the uncertain state of NXT UK, how the brand will continue through the current pandemic & then talk Dark Side of The Ring: Brawl For All. The show is approximately 121-minutes long.

* Intro
* Looking at the Uncertain State of NXT UK w/Ian Hamilton: 2:00
* >Dark Side of the Ring: Brawl For All Review w/Jerome Cusson: 1:12:03

* iTunes
* Spotify
* Stitcher
* Google Play

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.