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AEW will present their 2023 Revolution PPV this Sunday from The Chase Center in San Francisco, CA. Here is our take on what should go down!
Iron Man Match: AEW Champion MJF vs. Bryan Danielson
Mike Johnson: The story here should be that Bryan Danielson runs MJF ragged but still can't get any falls on him as MJF uses every cheap trick to keep from getting pinned - running from the ring, going under the ring, going into the crowd, whatever, to run down the clock. Then, with just a minute or so left, Bryan goes for his well known finisher that never fails, the SMALL PACKAGE but MJF punches him in the groin (which the ref misses) and MJF hooks the tights to reverse and scores the one pinfall in the match, beating Danielson by being a complete piece of trash.
Cory: When this feud started, I would have said that MJF would win and Danielson would make him look great doing so. MJF is a star, and a heel champion people have to chase is always a good way to keep the tickets selling. AEW has also relied mostly on heel champions. Add to that MJF’s ability to cut promos that are a step above and it seemed he was set for a long title reign. Then the build started. They story fell back into the one they have used with MJF before “Face these people before you can face me,” which makes MJF start to feel like a one trick pony. Then, he started cutting promos. From the story of him crashing his car and making a date take the blame to his “I was ready to swallow a handful of pills”, he lost that aura. Daniels's promo on Dynamite pulled gold out of the crap MJF left in the air, and MJF’s decision not to say a word was the best thing they could do. MJF has shown he’s not ready to carry the company because he choked when it came to building the match with promos, and he needs more time and guidance as to what makes him a hated heel and what makes him embarrassing.
Richard: We know this will go an hour, unless there is a tie and it goes to 'overtime' or 'sudden death'. If it is tied, treat it as a draw and the champ retains so we can avoid that. Will the great wrestler show that he is the great wrestler or will the annoying jerk show that his jerkiness can offset Danielson's talent. I can see MJF get DQed a few times to inflict more damage on Danielson and then get a few falls to offset the loss. MJF will have a one fall lead going into the final minute of the match and Danielson will have MJF in a submission but MJF will hold on until JUST AFTER THE MATCH ends to retain.
Anthony: Big thank you to Bryan Danielson, for pulling an absolute disaster of a World Title build out of the muck and saving it. Danielson deserves the win here for that alone but I just don't see it happening. MJF, despite how bad his particular part of this story has been, simply can't be a one-and-done champion. He's a headliner who needs the title at this moment. Danielson is a made man and can easily get the belt on him at a later time if needed. I see Richard's scenario playing out exactly the same. MJF retains by the skin of his teeth.
AEW Tag Team Champions The Gunns (Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn) vs. The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) vs. Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett vs. Orange Cassidy and Danhausen
Mike: I feel like this match is set up to have the titles moved without beating The Acclaimed again. My gut is Jarrett and Lethal score the wins and get the belts after pinning Danhausen, freeing The Acclaimd to finish their feud with the Gunns. Jarrett and Lethal's work has been inspired since they were put together and have been a damn entertaining team, so I can see this being a lot of fun as the Gunns are good and Acclaimed are the best act in the entire company right now. My real question is when does FTR show up? Before, during or after this show?
Cory: This match is one where there are good stories available no matter who wins. Plus, it could end up beign much better than people think because you’ve got Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett involved. I know a lot of fans crap on Jarrett, but the man knows hwo to do his job and helps other people do theirs better. He and Lethal have helped all three teams have great matches not matter if they are goofy, shenanigans matches, serious contests, or flat out brawls because they have experience. The other teams are all still relatively young and finding their way in the ring. In the end, while they have made it so they have a ready made feud no matter who wins, I am going to choose Danhausen and Orange Cassidy for a couple of reasons. Cassidy and Danhausen sell a LOT of merchandise, which to my mind, means they are over wit the fans. Second, the way they positioned them as taking the place of the Best Friends, you have a feud they have been teasing for months. That being said, I won’t be surprised no matter who wins.
Richard: Why are the Acclaimed in this match? You have a rematch and you waste it by adding yourselves to a Triple Threat Match? I hope they are the ones who are pinned in this match. Will Billy be proud of his genetic children or his scissor kids? I thought Lethal and Jarrett should have won the titles from The Acclaimed but they were screwed out of the victory by 'creative' refereeing. The other team is a team in the match. Will the scissor spot with Billy and The Acclaimed or the Orange and Danhausen stuff get the bigger pop in the match?
Anthony: Remember when FTR vs. The Bucks or The Bucks vs. Omega and Page were your PPV tag team title matches? In this one we have champions who are at least a year away from being ready, a put-together comedy team, former champions who have had the rug pulled out and a solid, hard working, EXCELLENT heel tag team. Guess where I'm going with this one. Jarrett and Lethal just mesh together so well and are so good at being heels that even I want to reach over the rail and punch them in the face. To save face for the Gunns, Lethan and Jarrett score the fall on Danhausen. In the ensuing weeks, the Gunns and the Acclaimed finish their rivalry once and for all. Then, the Acclaimed can get a proper Title match at Double or Nothing. Lethal and Jarrett win the belts here.
AEW Women's Champion Jamie Hayter vs. Saraya vs. Ruby Soho
Mike: I know people will groan when they here this, but Saraya will walk out with the belt. She's clearly the most hated woman in front of the fans, so why not go all the way with that and have the fans paying to see her get her ass kicked and lose the title. My feeling, as I've said to Elite subscribers, is that they are building to the annual Blood and Guts match and putting the belt on her can help give the babyfaces/AEW loyalists something to avenge.
Cory: They building a feud between the AEW originals vs the “Invaders” with Ruby Soho in the middle. While Ruby’s run in AEW hasn’t been all I think it should be, they have put her in the middle here as someone both sides feel should be on their side. I don’t like multi-person matches, and I full expect this to have a ton of interference. I think the best thing to do STORYWISE is for Ruby to win the belt clean and to cement her as a top star. The WORST thing they could do it have Saraya win, as she is still rusty in the ring and time has shown that when the insurgent wrestler wins, the story tends to fall apart.
Richard: I think the end game of this storyline is going to be Saraya vs Mone at Forbidden Door, but will it be champion vs champion? I think they should keep the title on Hayter because I think she is the best thing in ring for the women over the last few months. Ruby is in this match to take the pin so they can keep Saraya strong. Do we see anything develop in the US vs THEM women's feud or do they save that for Wednesday night?
Anthony: I hope I'm wrong here (and I've been going back and forth), but I see this as a night where Hayter has her "lighting in a bottle" run stopped in it's tracks. Both Soho and Saraya came in to AEW and pushed as "Game Changers". The handling of Saraya was so bad that they had to turn her ans Storm heel just to ward off the complete and total indifference the fans had for them. Soho deserves so much better than the what they've given her. AEW needs to justify the money Saraya must be getting. It's going to be Saraya here to see if maybe AEW can salvage something out of this.
AEW TNT Champion Samoa Joe vs. Wardlow
Mike: This NEEDS to be a war given the fact that Joe has sacriligeously cut Wardlow's hair and already hurt him. This needs to be Wardlow kicking the hell out of Joe and then Joe coming back to be a major heel, beating him all over the building. Then, Wardlow makes the big comeback and pins Joe clean. No BS. Just Wardlow avenging the memory of his father.
Cory: I am looking forward to this match, but not because of the build. It should have been a simple case of Wardlow being mad because Joe screwed him, and Joe lJust Wardlooking for new ways to screw Wardlow so he can be champion. Instead we get Wardlow’s dad’s cancer being invoked, when there was already enough heat. I also think Wardlow has cooled off so much since his feud with MJF that they have to do something with him to make fans think of him as an unstoppable monster again. While there is a case to be made for Joe having two belts, if Wardlow loses, he becomes another guy like Big Bill and Lance Archer, and isn’t worth investing in. Wardlow should win.
Richard: This should be a good match but wasn't this feud over (I will not include this sentence in the other matches that I thought had feuds that were over [Starks/Jericho, Moxley/Page, and more]). Joe won this title back from Darby and now he goes back into the three headed feud with Wardlow and Hobbs. I hope Hobbs sits at ringside holding the seat cushion like he did while Wardlow and Joe were having their issues on the stage. Wardlow should win this, but why do you put the title back on Joe after losing for a few weeks to have him lose it again?
Anthony: At least Milk companies can take Wardlow's picture off their cartons now. I have this weird memory of about 9 months ago when Wardlow was THE hottest thing going in AEW. What a difference 9 months makes. Sure there was a TNT title reign thrown in there. That momentum we saw? Gone. In the interim, we've seen Joe beaten by a guy 1/2 Wardlow's size. But hey, Seattle got to be happy for a night. Right now, the momentum is ticking towards Joe and I don't see any reason to bet against him here. Joe retains. Somehow Powerhouse Hobbs gets involved. HOBBS is the guy that needs to unseat Joe.
AEW Trios Champions The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson) vs. The House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews)
Mike: If The House of Black don't win here, what is the point of them being here? They really need to be showcased as brutal, evil heels, shocking The Bucks and Omega with a evil victory. To me, that needs to be the goal here - kicking off a big storyline with a shocking moment even more than having a great match that wrestling pundits (myself included) fawn over. Malakai and Brody look like monsters, let them ravage the Champs here. Buddy Murphy can go with everyone, so he can be the one that brings the finesse, but House of Black needs a big exclamation point for their run and it needs to happen here in my opinion.
Cory: This is going to be a big spotfest, of course, and like a lot fo AEW lately, this feels thrown together at the last minute. The promos from House of Black have been good and we have not had time for The Elite to respond in any way. With SOMEONE floating the trial balloon that Kenny may be leaving to everyone who will listen, I am wondering if they will take the titles off of The Elite so they don’t have to do it later if contract negotiations change Kenny’s status. Plus, House of Black has a huge upside and have not done much since their return, so putting the title on them could be a great way to make them a huge force. I’m seeing House of Black winning here.
Richard: Now that they have vanquished Death Triangle and Top Fox Flight, it is time for the next challengers for the titles. I expect the Elite to retain, but I am hoping that Julia Hart destroys Cutler and anyone else at ringside with the champs. House of Black attacked the champs on Wednesday so the inverse transitive go home theory suggests that they fall short in their quest for the titles.
Anthony: If Brawl Out never happened and the Elite had been champions since September, I'd say now is the time to give House of Black some real credibility. Not gonna happen, though. Right now, the Elite have their own little corner of the show they're allowed to play in and that is not changing. This match will be Young Buckery at it's finest. I am 100% behind Richard's idea that Julia Hart have a big showing taking out Cutler/Nakazawa
Texas Death Match: Jon Moxley vs. "Hangman" Adam Page
Mike: We know this will have blood and weapons and violence but the finish should be Page KNOCKS JON MOXLEY THE HELL OUT with the Buckshot lariat. Moxley tries to get to his feet but can't even get off the mat, he's so out of it, so Page gets his big revenge moment and victory.
Cory: Here’s a match I didn’t care about until Dynamite when Adam Page laid out all fo the reasons he needs to beat Mox. Mox has also won most of the matches between the two and it hasn’t hurt either one when they lose. I also think that Mox is a “made man” in AEW, and Page is getting there, meaning the fans won’t think less of them if they lose a match. This will also be a Texas Death Match, so we will get blood, blood, and more blood. I see Mox winning this one, but in such a way that Page earns his respect.
Richard: There will be blood within the first 90 seconds of the match, and I think it will be Moxley who shows the crimson mask first. Does Moxley finally get to take his vacation or will he beat Page again? There will be violence in this match and since it is a Texas Death Match, they don't have to worry about pinfalls. Page gets the win and then he gets back into contention for the World Title.
Anthony: SPOILER: Jon Moxley is bleeding right now. I'll take the under on Richard's 90 second prediction. This will be a spectacle, to be sure. As they're on PPV, it should be pretty damn violent and bloody and, since they're on PPV, I say GO FOR IT. Two things are apparent to me: Adam Page needs a big win to get himself back on main event track and Jon Moxley needs time off. Page gets the duke here in something so bloody we will be talking about it for a long time to come
Christian Cage vs. "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry - No Holds Barred.
Mike: I hope this is the final match on the card with the exception of perhaps ONE bout on the Kickoff Show. Jack Perry needs to get his big win here. Losing after beating Luchasaurus would be a step backwards in my mind.
Cory: Cage is a great heel, and Perry is someone that AEW is planning as a big star. The story has been start and stop, has been confusing at time (where the hell is Luchasaurus?) but it’s time for Perry to finally beat Cage and move on to someone else.
Richard: Perry is someone who should have been a regular fixture on Dynamite but with Christian and Luchasaurus out of action, he appears to have fallen into the 'We have nothing for you' vortex. Now that the Turtleneck King is back, Jack is ready to do something. Jack should win this match and he should try to take a pound of flesh.
Anthony: For the first time in his singles career, I'm actually seeing Cage as a star. His promo on the last Dynamite was the best part of this entire feud. I'd like to now see where they can go with Cage but Perry is the future. He got a signature win at Full Gear and has since been pretty much sidelined. Perry needs this one badly and he'll get it here.
Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Starks
Mike: Starks has to win. Anything else is completely backwards. He beat Jericho once to spark the story and it needs to close with the same.
Cory: This story started as a great way to elevate Starks. Have the new guy beat the veteran, and the veteran does everything he can to show it’s a fluke, but the new guy proves it wasn’t. They’ve screwed it up by having the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society gets wins over Starks, showing that instead, maybe Jericho isn’t as good as the rest of the team. However, that’s not the story they are telling. Add to that the promo that gave us this match made Jericho out to be an utter moron by falling into a trap that wasn’t a trap. Starks has to win this match to keep on his upward trajectory, and again, this is a feud that needs to come to an end so both men can move on to something fresh.
Richard: Starks thinks he has gotten one over on Jericho by having the JAS banned from ringside for this match, but is this the night that Action Andretti turns on Starks to fall into the black hole of Jericho? I wish Starks was in a different feud and if he could beat Jericho, it would do a lot for his position in the company. I will miss Mr. Hat at ringside for Jericho.
Anthony: Starks needs this one BADLY, as this feud and build up has done, in my opinion, absolutely nothing for him. Jericho can afford to lose every match for the rest of his career and it won't tarnish him a bit. Starks is a potential world champion with a lot of years in front of him. I have to with Starks here. If not, Tony might as well release him and let him start over somewhere because a loss here REALLY hurts him.
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