Kevin’s AEW Revolution Review

AEW Revolution

February 29th, 2020 | Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois

I wasn’t sure if I’d review this but I found the time to do so, even if I didn’t get to catch the show live.

The opening video package was pretty standard, just running down the card and feuds.

Dustin Rhodes (6-5) vs. Jake Hager (0-0)

This sounds like a match meant for WWE Main Event. Dustin wore a shirt saying “I’m here to fight Jericho’s bitch.” Ouch. That set things up to be pretty intense. They brawled instantly with the fight moving into the crowd for a bit. Hager controlled a major portion of this, which makes sense given how he has been presented as a legitimate tough guy. His wife was in the front row and they showed her often, so it paid off when Dustin planted a kiss on her. That kicked off his string of fiery offense. However, Hager proved to be too much for him. He used a low blow and then a head and arm chokehold to submit Rhodes after 14:44. I think both men played their roles well but it dragged on a bit longer than they needed and it wasn’t the hot opener a show needs. [**¾]

Darby Allin (6-7-1) vs. Sammy Guevara (6-8)

I first saw these guys on FIP and Style Battle shows when I had FloSlam in 2017. Darby immediately hit Sammy with a tope suicida before the bell rang. They spent the new few minutes fighting outside before this officially got started. That included Darby mostly missing a dive to the guardrail and Sammy busting out a sick looking 630 splash through a table on the outside. They kept that insane pace up once the match got started despite having already taken a beating. This was two guys who were willing to put their bodies on the line to steal the show and you have to appreciate that. Allin scored the win with a Coffin Drop that the fans popped hard for in 4:58. Anyone who follows my reviews knows that I adore frantic sprints. This was right up my alley. They packed a lot of action into a short time, it had the intensity it needed, and felt like they were out to make a statement. [****]

AEW Tag Team Championship: Hangman Page and Kenny Omega [c] (6-2) vs. The Young Bucks (7-5)

I may not be a big fan of anyone in the match but this has been built really well over the past few months. This got off to a traditional, somewhat respectable start. Then Page spit in Matt’s face and that turned things ugly. They began to slug it out and was right up the alley of the storyline coming in. I still appreciate the way that Matt Jackson has been selling the lower back since Wrestle Kingdom like four years ago. The Bucks ultimately turned the tables and started isolating Kenny Omega. This was set up well because the Bucks, as the tag experts, kept cutting off the hot tag. Matt spat at Page when cutting one off, playing off of the earlier spot. When Page got the tag, it was a big deal. The crowd was also firmly behind him, which added to the atmosphere. After Page’s hot run, he threw Nick to the corner and demanded Matt. It was personal. A few spots in this felt a bit to contrived (like Nick’s Destroyer from the aisle to the inside) but it was mostly smooth sailing. They made sure to include plenty of big spots and callbacks, like Page busting out the Marty Scurll chicken wing. I like Matt’s trio of northern lights suplexes but it doesn’t make much sense when your back hurts. I get adrenaline pumping enough for one but three seems like a bit much. After taking Page out with an Indytaker outside, the Bucks hit Kenny with the Golden Trigger. Rude. He kicked out at one and the fans erupted. Page returned to save his buddy and then Matt kicked out of the Buckshot/V-Trigger combo. Matt survived Page hitting his own One Winged Angel but then Page nailed each of them with a Buckshot Lariat to win in 30:08. Not in the conversation for GOAT tag match like I’ve seen some people say but still tremendous. The action was obviously great but what made this special were the storytelling details sprinkled in throughout. From Page having something to prove to the Bucks going more heel as this progressed, it ruled. Second to only Dustin/Cody as the best AEW match so far. [****½]

Post-match, the Bucks and Kenny made up but not Hangman. In fact, Hangman stood on the aisle and seemed poised to hit the Buckshot Lariat on his partner. However, he didn’t and left with a beer and his partner.

AEW Women’s Championship: Nyla Rose [c] (7-4) vs. Kris Statlander (6-3)

Nyla finally had her first breakout match when she won the title from Riho. Can she make it two in a row? Nyla was out with a Deathstroke mask. Cool points there. These poor women got the death slot having to follow up a tag that exhausted the crowd. My one gripe with this show so far has been the pacing. The match order is wrong. As much as I enjoy Statlander, I don’t think either woman is ready to be the leader of a match that goes 10+ minutes. That’s not to say they aren’t good but it just doesn’t feel like they’re at that point quite yet. Nyla countered a rana into a superbomb to retain in 12:49. This was kind of clumsy and a misfire on a big stage for them. There were flashes but nothing more. [**]

Cody (10-3-1) vs. MJF (6-1)

The build for this has been lengthy. Cody and his bad new tattoo got played to the ring by Downstait. Cody has kind of mastered the art of wrestling old school style matches. MJF did all of the little heel things he needed to, from using underhanded tactics to acting like a coward. Cody brought the fire and got the revenge he needed to at times. It was overbooked and I expected that. MJF needs a little smoke and mirrors (GET IT?), so it made sense. Some of this felt like it went on a bit too long at points but I think they did well to keep the intensity, violence, and hatred going throughout. Cody beat the hell out of him late but made the crucial babyface mistake. He kind of gave into the hatred. MJF begged off, realizing he was in trouble. He spat in Cody’s face and took the Cross Rhodes. Cody could’ve won it but wanted to do another. That’s when MJF used his Diamond Dozen ring gimmick for a cheap shot and stole it after 24:39. I think you could’ve shaved this down just a bit, to right around 20, and it would’ve been tighter. They told the story they needed to and it came off well but it wasn’t the breakthrough outing MJF needed. [***¼]

Orange Cassidy (1-2) vs. PAC (5-4-1)

It’s the first singles match for Orange. This match was so much fun. They played this to perfection for who Orange Cassidy is as a character. He started with his usual attitude of not caring. However, he’d throw in a flash of something and it would frustrate PAC. He’s supposed to be a top wrestler, yet he couldn’t figure out a guy who doesn’t take anything seriously. The fans ate up everything he did.  When it came time for Orange to get pumped up, it was awesome and again, the crowd was totally invested. It showed that Orange is a lot more than just a cool character. He can go when he has to. Dude might be the smartest guy in the business because he’s insanely over despite doing the minimum most of the time. The run-in by the Lucha Bros was a bit odd, even if it sets them up against Best Friends. PAC snuffed out a spirited effort from Orange with the Brutalizer in 13:02. I had so much fun with this. [***¾]

AEW World Championship: Chris Jericho [c] (10-1-1) vs. Jon Moxley (11-1-1)

Chris Jericho had a chorus sing “Judas” for his entrance. It was dope. Jon Moxley came straight out from the streets. Perfectly played up their characters. Of note, both of their only losses have come in tag matches. While I didn’t enjoy their WWE feud and don’t think this rivalry has lit the world on fire, it does feel like a big fight. That’s important in a PPV main event. A lot of this felt like those old Attitude Era main events. It was a brawl and that’s what I wanted from them. Things like Jericho ringing the bell to declare himself the winner, fighting out of the ring, and Jericho filming himself beating up Moxley. It’s out of the AE main event handbook and that’s not a bad thing. The Inner Circle got involved but it never reached the point of overbooking too much. They were included about the right amount. Referee Aubrey kicked everyone out and it set up a great finish. Jericho poked Moxley in his good eye, rendering him blind. BUT WAIT! Moxley dodged the Judas Effect and hit a DDT. He removed the eye patch to reveal that his eye was fine all along. Paradigm Shift connects and we’ve got a new champion after 22:21. That was a really good main event that played well into the rivalry. [***½]

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

One hell of a pay-per-view. To get the obvious out of the way, I didn’t care for Nyla/Kris and Hager/Dustin was average. However, I was really into everything else. Sammy/Darby was wild, the Tag Title match was stellar, PAC/Orange was a blast, and the main event delivered. An easy thumbs up for AEW’s first PPV outing of 2020. They’re on quite the roll right now.