The Revolution PPV needed to be a strong show and AEW delivered for the most part. When you only have four big events a year, it has to deliver. The payoff better be worth it. For the most part, the AEW collective got that done with a four-month build. MJF’s win substantiated him as another major heel next to Chris Jericho. The reclamation project known as Hangman Page has emerged as one of AEW’s best storylines. Chris Jericho established much-needed prestige as the first AEW champion, but it was time to pass the torch. Jon Moxley has become the anti-hero babyface that needed to be a tent pole for AEW. They have also rebuild Nyla Rose as the dominant face of the AEW Women’s division.
After some growing pains and a shaky start, AEW is starting to head in the right direction. It’s all in maximizing the talent that you have, showcasing different styles, and telling compelling stories that fans can invest in week-to-week. There are still things that they can work on, but as an initial skeptic – I can acknowledge that the show has grown tighter and more entertaining. AEW improved when it became more interested in telling stories that didn’t make the show seem as disjointed. You can showcase all the variations of talent that you have without it feeling like the viewer is watching four different shows.
The Exalted One…Not Quite Yet: Earlier in the day on Matt Hardy‘s YouTube channel, The Young Bucks showed up to the Hardy Compound. This was teased at the end of Being The Elite as well. Hardy’s contract with WWE is now over and it has been a consensus that he’s going to be the ‘The Exalted One’ (both parties definitely played into that). Think about this for a second. There are about four months before Double Or Nothing 2. I don’t think you want to do the big reveal just yet. It would be different if they had another pay-per-view around the corner.
While I was kind of disappointed at first at the conclusion of the eight-man tag, but I get it. This was more of a Colt Cabana showcase. AEW has been building The Dark Order as a big threat. Imagine if, in their desperation from losing a couple of matches, they revealed who ‘The Exalted One’ was. It could very well be Matt Hardy or still Christopher Daniels if you want to go ‘The Fallen Angel’ route. With this storyline, I’ll exhibit some patience in hopes that the pay off will be worth it.
Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, the dark side, and ‘his client’: With the way that Cody lost to MJF at Revolution, I was under the school of thought that this feud would continue. Honestly, it still could. The underlying story is that Cody has lost another big match at a pay-per-view. First, it was Jericho and now MJF through nefarious means. In the way that Cody is booked, he’s a classic babyface taking on all sorts of absurd challenges in building to the eventual time that he comes through.
Here comes Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts to everybody’s surprise. AEW has been using legends as a way to push storylines forward – not necessarily overtake them. He cuts a great promo that stopped Cody in his tracks. If you remember feuds that he’s had with the likes of The Undertaker or Macho Man Randy Savage, you’re aware of how great Jake’s heel work can be. Who is ‘the client’ that Jake is referring to? Cody has already lost access to the AEW title. He also lost a friend in MJF while losing to him with all the stipulations. Jake wants ‘his share’ and it’s no secret that Cody is an Executive Vice President. Who is coming to take one of the last things away from Cody that he has left? The banter between Jake Roberts and Arn Anderson should be a treat as well.
Enter The Death Triangle: I’m not too keen on this name yet. AEW has a lot of trios going. The Best Friends. SCU. Also, the collective of PAC and The Lucha Brothers as The Death Triangle. The Lucha Brothers needed something to be a threat again. The tag team division in AEW is pretty deep and I feel that The Lucha Brothers lost a little shine that they had coming into the AEW’s inception. PAC’s match with Orange Cassidy was one of the standouts of Revolution – by far. That rematch is coming before PAC moves on to challenge for the AEW title. I’ll assume that this feud will have a collection of singles matches followed by a six-match tag. How do you keep that intriguing? What’s the wrinkle to establish this new group as a force in a corporation that is also establishing the likes of The Dark Order? Those are the questions that need to be answered in the coming weeks.
Squash City: It’s safe to say that both Leva Bates and QT Marshall didn’t fare out too well in their respective matches. Matter of fact, you can watch the entire YouTube clip below and get the whole Big Swole vs. Leva Bates match. Swole is probably going to be next in line to challenge Nyla Rose for the women’s title. You have to keep establishing Jake Hager as a big threat coming off his win against Dustin Rhodes. I’m ok with how the show established both here.
Hangman and Matt Still Aren’t Getting Along: Kenny Omega and Nick Jackson were not on the show this week. The main ingredients of this feud, Hangman Page and Matt Jackson were and there is no love lost between these two men. I see a singles match in the future for them. I don’t necessarily think you have to do a Page/Omega vs. The Young Bucks rematch just yet. There’s The Dark Order looming ever so slightly around the corner. It is coming, however, and there are so many ways you can go.
Page teased attacking Omega at the end of their match. There’s also his burning desire to keep the tag titles away from The Young Bucks and prove that he belongs on his own. How AEW navigates this in the coming weeks will be interesting as one of their best storylines going continues.
The Inner Circle Gains Grown: Darby Allin is the best case of AEW needing to introduce a mid-card title of some sort. If you’re bringing in guys like Brodie Lee and Lance Archer, they have to have something to fight for. Allin is the one that can benefit the most in introducing that element.
While the Inner Circle beatdown of Moxley at the beginning of the match ran a little too long, the tag match itself did what it was supposed to do. It reminded you how good Darby Allin can be as a babyface-in-peril while establishing The Inner Circle as a threat again. The Shield-like powerbomb spot at the end of the show was both funny and ironic.
As we get closer to the ‘Blood and Guts’ double cage match, you can assume that The Inner Circle is going to be one of the teams. In who could be facing them, I’m thinking that it could be a collection of Moxley, Allin, and The Jurassic Express. There’s also Cody, Omega, and Matt Jackson. The list of people that The Inner Circle has wronged is very long, so the combinations will be plentiful.
