AEW Surprises and Excites Again at ‘Revolution’ As ‘Hangman’ Emerges Victorious

Sunday’s pay-per-view wasn’t a perfect show, but it’ll be tough to top at ‘Double or Nothing’ in May.

Sunday night’s Revolution pay-per-view followed the AEW blueprint.

AEW owner Tony Khan is using the WCW financial structure to acquire the best talent possible while also appealing to hardcore fans in an ECW-like fashion to provide an extremely compelling product. Yet there is another element that makes AEW stand out, and that was front and center during a superb main event that saw “Hangman” Adam Page defeat Adam Cole.

On a night when CM Punk, Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson all played starring roles, the man with his hand raised at the end of the night was “Hangman.” He is steadily becoming the signature star of Khan’s brand, and two key signings—Cole and Danielson—have already been used to help elevate Page. Now Punk, who won a gory dog collar match earlier in the night against MJF, should be next on that list—capitalizing on his star power to help cement Page as the face of AEW.

There were also surprises. The influx of talent from the Triple H–led era of NXT continued, as both William Regal and Shane “Swerve” Strickland made their AEW debuts. Strickland enters a roster that is already overcrowded, but he is talented enough to star in any company. And the moment with Regal was brilliant, as he brought Danielson and Moxley together for what should lead to appointment viewing—whether that be matches or segments—every week on television.

For all the highlights at Revolution, the pay-per-view was not perfect. The women’s title match featured an abundance of interference, which led to Dr. Britt Baker’s victory against Thunder Rosa. It was announced later in the show that Rosa will have another chance to wrestle Baker if she defeats Leyla Hirsch on Wednesday’s Dynamite, but that outcome seems awfully predictable, especially with the potential for a cage match looming on the St. Patrick’s Day–themed edition of Dynamite in two weeks. With no titles changing hands at Revolution, Rosa dethroning Baker could have added a lot to the show. And despite an outrageously fun six-man tornado tag match (perhaps a prelude to the creation of trios titles?), the moment with Sting jumping off the balcony was just plain reckless. When did he become Terry Funk in ECW? It led to a great reaction from the crowd, but I just don’t see how the risk is worth the reward for the 62-year-old.

Here are the results:

• Eddie Kingston defeated Chris Jericho by submission
• The Jurassic Express defeated The Young Bucks and reDRagon in a triple threat match to retain the tag titles
• Wardlow won the Face of the Revolution ladder match
• TBS champion Jade Cargill defeated Tay Conti
• CM Punk defeated MJF in a dog collar match
• AEW women’s champion Dr. Britt Baker defeated Thunder Rosa
• Jon Moxley defeated Bryan Danielson
• Sting, Darby Allin, and Sammy Guevara defeated Andrade, Matt Hardy, and Isiah Kassidy in a tornado tag team match
• “Hangman” Adam Page defeated Adam Cole to retain the AEW world title

Courtesy of AEW

And here are my takeaways from an exciting night of pro wrestling:

• CM Punk and MJF told a masterpiece in their dog collar match. It was bloody, gory and another reminder why it is so significant to have Punk back in pro wrestling, especially at such a high level. Punk helped launch MJF to new heights in this program, ones he did not reach against any other opponent, including Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho.
  
  Front to back, this was amazing. There were small details, like a callback to Punk’s old ROH theme and gear, and bigger story-line implications, with Wardlow breaking free from MJF, all playing a role.
  
  With MJF and Wardlow tied up for the foreseeable future, Punk’s next story should be a shot at “Hangman” Page for the world title.

• Dr. Britt Baker defeated Thunder Rosa, retaining the women’s title.
  
  The match ran too long, but it did tell a solid story until it was derailed by outside interference. Baker is evolving into a heel that appears she can be beaten at any moment yet always finds a way to win. After the repeated interference from Rebel and Jamie Hayter, this feud is destined to continue in a cage, which appears to be the plan in two weeks on Dynamite.
  
  I would have liked to watch the aftermath/celebration in the ring after Baker won, but the pay-per-view immediately rushed to a video package on Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley.

• Moxley-Danielson was another physical, grisly affair. There was blood and excellent wrestling, and the finish was creative as Moxley outwrestled Danielson. But the real excitement came after the finish, as Danielson vented his frustrations to the referee before continuing to brawl with Moxley.
  
  Security arrived, almost too quickly, to break up the fight, but then William Regal—the longtime wrestling staple and former NXT figurehead—slapped sense into both Danielson and Moxley, first literally and then figuratively. With Regal giving them no other choice, Mox and Danielson shook hands, and a new tag team was born.
  
  There is endless potential for the combination of Danielson, Moxley and Regal. WWE’s loss, in all three of these cases, is AEW’s gain.

• The show opened with a fantastic match with Eddie Kingston and Chris Jericho. It was hard-hitting and physical, and Kingston finally did what he had been unable to do: win a major pay-per-view bout.
  
  At 51, Jericho still looks outstanding. He was instrumental in helping Kingston, doing so in a major way by tapping out. And that was key—Jericho didn’t pass out or lose because of interference or due to a fluke move. He was beaten definitively. These two were phenomenal together, and though their story is not yet finished, hopefully it eventually leads to Kingston reemerging as a challenger for the world title.
  
  As for their postmatch handshake, which Jericho promised to do if he lost, I thought there might be a callback to WrestleMania XIX when Jericho shook hands with Shawn Michaels and then delivered a low blow. But that didn’t happen here, as Jericho refused to shake Kingston’s hand.

• There is an abundance of great tag teams in AEW, and three of them were on display in the tag title match with Jurassic Express, The Young Bucks and reDRagon. Somehow, this exceeded the intensity of Jericho-Kingston, and there were near-falls galore.
  
  Every time I watch Kyle O’Reilly, it’s hard not to think he should be wrapping up his first run in NXT as the champ of the black-and-gold brand. But that is no longer a possibility, and instead he is back teaming with Fish. The issues between the Bucks and reDRagon heightened, and clearly there is more story to tell between those two teams. Fortunately, the focus was on Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus, who shined in a match that reinforced their spot as champions of the most talented tag division in the industry.

• The Face of the Revolution ladder match loses some luster because it does not involve a shot at the AEW title. The winner gets a match for the TNT title, so it is impossible to compare the stakes with something such as WWE’s Money in the Bank ladder match, though the risks are the same.
  
  The match ran too long, but there were some entertaining moments with Keith Lee, Orange Cassidy, Powerhouse Hobbs and even Danhausen. Yet the right man won, as Wardlow powerbombed Ricky Starks off the ladder—and onto another ladder—before climbing to claim the golden ring.
  
  This simply could not compete with the first two matches of the show, but there is plenty of potential for Wardlow to be a singles star in AEW moving forward.

• The NXT invasion of AEW continues, as Shane “Swerve” Strickland was introduced during Revolution as the newest member of the AEW roster.
  
  Strickland is a former NXT North American champion, and even amidst the crowded roster, he is a potential star for AEW.

• Jade Cargill improves, seemingly, by the week. Her frog splash on Tay Conti was picturesque, and she looked great in a successful title defense of the TBS championship.
  
  The broadcast team championed Cargill’s record (29–0), so there will be a large build before she loses. Conti will wear AEW gold at some point, but the present belongs to Cargill.

• Overall, this was an outstanding night of pro wrestling. A few of the matches could have been trimmed, and the show did run long, but the in-ring product was superb.
  
  The next pay-per-view is Double or Nothing at the end of May, but it will be a tall task to deliver a better show than the one we witnessed last night at Revolution.

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.