AEW Revolution marked the first time the company put on a PPV in California. Because of the 60 minute Iron Man match, the Face of the Revolution ladder match actually took place on Dynamite on Wednesday. In the main event, MJF defended the AEW World Heavyweight Championship against Bryan Danielson.
The champ wore his joker mask to the ring in an effort to intimidate his challenger. The two men stared each other down for half a minute to start. The champ then just rolled out of the ring. Danielson stretched the champ out in multiple holds almost toying with the champ. The two then traded holds and take down, but no pin attempts were made. MJF offered a hand shake, but Bryan just kicked it aside. MJF stormed out of the ring and retreated into the crowd. MJF rolled into the ring to break the count. Danielson finally gave chase, only to have MJF strut in the ring. Danielson dropped out of a full nelson and nearly scored a fall, but the champ kicked out at two. In the corner, MJF used the ref as a shield. The champ took a moment to grab a drink and hydrate, after dropping Danielson on the ropes. MJF covered after throwing Bryan into the corner, but only scored a two count.
The fight went to the floor, where Danielson was slammed into the barrier. MJF took a moment to play to the crowd. Danielson connected with a drop kick, but MJF countered a suicide dive. This caused Bryan to slam into the barrier. MJF hit a DDT in the ring, but still couldn’t score that elusive first fall. The champ resorted to choking Danielson on the mat. Bryan was set atop the turnbuckle. Danielson fought the champ off with head butts and delivered a sunset flip powerbomb. Bryan couldn’t make a cover though. A toe hold dropped MJF into the middle turnbuckle. Danielson unloaded with kicks and hit the running kicks. He followed with a head scissors off the top, but only scored a two count. Bryan wanted the knee strike, but ran into a back elbow. MJF hit Bryan with a powerbomb onto his knee, but still couldn’t score a pinfall. MJF fought off the Lebell lock and sent Bryan to the floor. MJF flew over the top rope, but jammed his knee on the landing. Danielson hit a suicide dive. Bryan got caught coming off the turnbuckle and MJF tried to lock in Salt of the Earth. MJF transitioned into a pump handled slam into an inside cradle. Some how Danielson kicked out. Danielson ducked several clotheslines to deliver a lariat of his own. Both men were down. The two kept trading near falls. Danielson went up and over, but MJF caught him with a clothesline. Bryan hit the Psycho Knee and covered to finally get a three count. Bryan went up 1-0.
Bryan was ready for another knee strike, but MJF could not stay on his feet. The champ hit Bryan with a low blow and the ref calls the fall for Bryan. The damage was done, though, as MJF was able to get two quick covers in a row to tie the match at 2.
The champ then took another water break. Danielson connected with a shot gun drop kick that sent MJF to the floor. Danielson slammed Max into a chair, but then ran right into a lariat. Bryan blocked a lariat from the champ and then peppered him with kick before delivering a drop kick. Danielson started to work on the legs of MJF, whipping them against the ring post. In the ring, Bryan applied the figure four. MJF was able to turn the hold over, but Bryan turned it back. Maxwell finally broke the hold by getting to the ropes.
On the apron, both men teased piledrivers. Bryan set the champ up on the turnbuckle. MJF fought him off and Bryan crashed to the floor. The champ slammed his competitor into the ring post and then set up a table. MJF climbed the turnbuckle and delivered a flying elbow drop through the table. MJF was able to drag himself back to the ring. The ref started the count, as Danielson was getting checked on by officials. Danielson somehow willed himself back into the ring to beat the ten count.
The champ pulled Bryan back to the floor to piledrive him through the remains of the table. The champ couldn’t get up though to do a knee injury. Bryan was busted open. MJF squeezed the blood out of the laceration. The champ pulled Bryan to the apron and hit him with an avalanche DDT. He covered to score a pin and go up three falls to two.
After another water break, the champ returned to the ring, pounding away the cut on Bryan’s head. With 18 minutes left, the champ started yelling at Bryan. Bryan took the taunts and rose to his feet. The champ dared him to hit him. Maxwell answered with a head butt sending the challenger to the mat. On the floor, Bryan reversed a whip and sent the champ head long into the ring post. Bryan followed with a running knee off the apron. He wasn’t finished. Bryan connected with a diving knee off the top.
Back in the ring, MJF caught Danielson on the turnbuckle. Bryan dropped down and the champ got crotched. Danielson hit a spider superplex and then rose to his feet. Danielson connected with a diving headbutt, but couldn’t cover right away. MJF was able to kick out at two, but that headbutt busted him wide open. Bryan hit another Psycho knee and applied the Lebell Lock. MJF tapped out, knotting the match at 3 falls each.
Bryan tried to lock it in again, but the champ was able to counter into Salt of the Earth. Bryan rolled through and got the Lebell Lock applied. MJF was able to break free and locked in Salt of the Earth. The champ pulled Bryan to the middle of the ring. Danielson was able to get is one free foot to the ropes to break the hold.
Both men were on their knees, just throwing haymakers. Bryan headbutted the champ, staggering him. The two traded blows in the middle of the ring with six minutes left of the clock. The champ hit another avalanche DDT, but couldn’t get the three count. He set Bryan on the top turnbuckle. Bryan countered with hammer and anvil elbows. MJF countered with a tombstone piledriver off the top. With under two minutes to go both men were down on the mat. The champ finally covered but Danielson kicked out and locked in a single leg crab with one minute to go. MJF was able to hold on and tapped after the clock expired. The match was officially ruled a draw at three to three.
Immediately after the match, both men were treated by medical staff. Tony Schiavone headed to the ring with a message from Tony Khan. The match was headed to overtime. The first fall would win. MJF pushed the ref. The ref pushed back and Bryan nearly got the pin. The champ hit a low blow behind the ref back, but even that couldn’t get him the pin. MJF grabbed his title belt, but is was feint to get the diamond ring. Bryan avoided the punch and nailed the champ with a reverse hurricanrana. Bryan connected with the Psycho knee, but NJF kicked out. Bryan locked in the half crab and then ripped off the diamond ring. The champ was able to make it to the ropes, but Bryan thought MJF tapped. The champ rolled to the floor and grabbed and oxygen tank. He nailed Bryan with it from the floor. MJF cinched in the Lebell Lock. Bryan tried to hold on, but eventually had to tap out. MJF scored the win in overtime to win four falls to three.
The next AEW pay per view is Double or Nothing on May 28th.
Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Starks – JAS banned from ringside
Starks has his ribs taped up selling the beating from earlier in the week. Ricky knocks Jericho to the mat and perhaps celebrates a bit too early. It doesn’t matter as Jericho rolls to the floor and Starks wipes him out with a suicide dive. Jericho misses on the Lionsault, but is able to hang Ricky up on the ropes. Jericho chokes Starks in the corner with a boot. He follows with a back breaker over the knee. Starks fires back with strikes. Jericho with a drop kick and Ricky drops to the apron. Jericho locks in an abdominal stretch and pounds on the injured ribs. Starks punches his way out of the hold, hitting a DDT. Jericho catches Starks with a lifting knee and follows with a Death Valley Driver. Ricky counters the Code Breaker with a powerbomb and nearly scores a pinfall. Jericho counters a spear with a Code Breaker, but he can’t get the pin. Starks connects with the spear, but only covers for two. A thrust kick stops Jericho in his tracks. Starks stumbles and gets locked in the Walls. Ricky counters into a single leg crab. Sammy Guevara runs down the ramp only to get cut down by Action Andretta. With the ref distracted, Jericho grabs his bat. He strikes Starks in the ribs, but Ricky blocks the Judas Effect. Starks hammers away at Jericho and sets up the Rochambeau. He drives Jericho into the mat and covers to get the three count.
Winner via pinfall: Ricky Starks
Match rating: 3/5
Christian Cage vs. “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry – The Final Burial
To win the match, you have to place your opponent in the casket and close the lid. The fight immediately goes to the floor and Cage tries to escape through the crowd. Jungle Boy catches him in the crowd and the two fight in the stands. Perry brings Cage back to the ring. Christian tries to retreat up the ramp. Perry catches him again, rolling him into the ring. Cage torments Perry in the ring, choking him on the ropes. Jungle Boy dodges a strike and wipes Cage out with a suicide dive. Perry slams Cage into the ring steps head first. Christian prevents JB from stomping on his elbow and sweeps him onto the steel steps. Cage goes to work on Perry with a leather belt, whipping him around the ring and up the ramp. Cage tries to choke him out on the stage and then opens the casket. Inside the casket, Cage finds several chairs. JB nearly slams Cage into the casket. Christian with a back body drop. Cage sets up a chair and looks for a Kill Switch. Perry shoves him off the stage and follows with a cannonball. Cage pleads with Jungle Boy, but then hits him with a low blow. Christian bounces Perry’s head off the casket repeatedly, before opening it and laying JB inside. Perry prevents the lid from being closed and fights his way out. Cage hits the Kill Switch and sets Perry up for the con-chair-to. JB avoids it and smack Cage with a shovel. He then chokes Cage, who has to gauge the eyes to break free. Perry locks in the Snare Trap with the shovel. Cage is out as Jack sets up the con-chair-to. He strikes the prone Cage with a chair. He pulls Christian over to the casket, rolls him inside, but takes a moment before closing the lid. He slams the lid of the casket shut to win the match.
Winner: “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry
Match rating 2.5/5
The Elite (champions) vs. The House of Black (challengers) – AEW World Trios Championship
Buddy Matthews and Kenny Omega start out fighting to a stalemate, until Malakai Black tags himself in. Omega blocks a leg kick and takes control with a wrist lock. An arm drag takes Omega to the mat. Omega dodge a roundhouse kick. Omega goes to his knee and Malakai sits down in front of him. Matt tags in and he wants Brody King. Black is happy to oblige. Nick wants no part of him. Matt ducks a clothesline and the Jackson drop King with a double drop kick. All six men face off in the ring and the brawl in on. Matt takes out Black and Matthews with a flying cross body to the floor. Omega takes out the House with plancha over the top rope. Nick hits Brody with a 450 splash and he kicks ou at one. King shuts down a rope walk from Matt and clears out the ring. He slams Kenny into the barricade as Black connects with a pump kick on Matt. Omega hits King with a flying cross body and takes him down with a low drop kick. Omega looks for a moonsault but King is able to get the knees up. Omega wants to the snap dragon, but King puts a stop to that with a short arm lariat. Nick saves Kenny from a triple team, but Black hits Omega with a leaping knee strike. Matt breaks up the knee bar with an elbow drop. And now its a super kick party.
Black unloads on Kenny with quick strikes. Julia Hart grabs Nick on the apron, allowing Brody King to lock in a sleeper. Matt makes the save with a super kick. Omega finishes him off with a V Trigger. He hits Black with a snap dragon suplex twice. Julia jumps back to the apron. Kenny inadvertently catches her with a V Trigger. Black hits the spinning heel kick and cover. Nick Jackson breaks up the pin. King takes out the Bucks on the floor with a suicide dive and tosses Matt into the crowd. The House has Omega surrounded in the ring. The Bucks pull King and Matthews out of the ring. Black takes superkicks and the BTE Trigger. Buddy saves the match and then cuts off the Meltzer driver. Matt is hit with Dante’s Inferno and is covered by Brody. King gets the three count.
Winners…and new AEW Trios Champions…via pinfall: The House of Black
Match rating: 4/5
Saraya (challenger) w/Toni Storm vs. Ruby Soho (challenger) vs. Jamie Hayter (champion) w/Britt Baker – AEW Women’s World Championship Match
Hayter goes right after Saraya and Ruby is happy to stand back and watch. Hayter is driver into the ring steps on the floor. Ruby with a drop kick out of nowhere to Saraya. Soho dives off the barricade to take out Saraya and the champ in the crowd. Soho gets dropped onto the barricade. Back in the ring, Saraya stomps Hayter into the corner. The two fight on the apron and Hayter slams her. Saraya falls to the floor. Ruby takes control with a head lock on the champ. Hayter stacks up her opponents into the corner and hits a double lariat. Hayter with a back breaker to Soho. Saraya ping pongs between strikes from Hayter and Soho. They kick her to the apron. Ruby geta caught up top as Saraya re-enters the ring. Hayter with a superplex but gets power bombed by Saraya. Hayter kicks Storm off the apron. Baker suckers Saraya and hits her with an elbow strike. Soho hits Destination Unknown and covers. Hayter breaks the pin. Hayter connects with the Rip Cord on Saraya. She is able to roll up Soo and covers to get the win.
Winner…and still AEW Women’s World Champion…via pinfall: Jamie Hayter
Match Rating: 3.5/5
After the match, Storm attacks Hayter and Britt leaps to her aid. Ruby helps clear the ring and poses with the champ. She hits Hayter with Destination Unknown and takes out Baker. Ruby takes the spray paint from Saraya and paints Hayter and Baker with the L.
Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Adam Page – Texas Death Match
The only way to win this match is by knockout or submission. Hangman attacks Mox before he can even get to the ring. The two brawl in the crowd. Mox is slammed into the barrier. Page runs right into a forearm shot and Mox grabs a some barbed wire. Page rakes it over Mox’s forehead. Hangman stomps Mox into the corner. He wraps the wire around his boot. Mox turns the tables and hits Page with a straight right with the wire. Moxley pulls out a fork. Page tries to disarm Mox, but gets trapped in the triangle. Mox repeatedly stabs Hangman in the head. He follows up with a running knee strike. Moxley tosses a barbed wire chair into the ring and sets it up in the corner. Page is sent head first into the chair. Mox locks in a single leg crab on the barbed wire chair. He then smashes the chair over Hangman’s back. Moxley sets up two chairs into an instrument of torture. Mox bites Page but the gets powerbombed onto the chairs he set up. Page wraps his torso in the barbed wire and delivers a moonsault to the floor. Mox catches Page with a cutter in the ring and pulls a chain and brick from under the ring. Mox stomps Page’s hand between two bricks. Hangman takes a piledriver onto a steel chain. Mox hogties Page with the chain and locks in a submission. Page bites his way out. He follows with a drop suplex and clothesline to Mox. Page with a rolling forearm with the wire and then sends Mox into the barbed wire chair with a fallaway slam. Hangman delivers the Dead Eye on the barbed wire chair. Hangman with a plancha to Mox, sending him into the barbed wire board. Mox rakes Hangman’s back and Page returns the favor. Mox grabs loose wire and scrapes it over the back of Hangman. Mox knocks Page off the top through a barbed wire board on the outside. Page beats the ten count and gets to his feet. A King Kong lariat is waiting for Page as he gets back into the ring. Page with a lariat and wants the Buckshot. Mox counters with a Death Rider and stomps him on the bricks. Moxley locks in the rear naked choke. Page is out. The ref starts the count. Page gets to his feet and delivers a lariat. Mox with a low blow to break a choke hold. Hangman straight up smacks Mox with a brick. Page hits the Bucksot lariat and sends Mox over the ropes with the chain. Mox is choked out over the rope with the chain and taps out.
Winner via submission: Hangman Adam Page
Match rating: 4/5
Wardlow (challenger) vs. Samoa Joe (champion) – TNT Championship Match
Joe hits a flying elbow through the ropes and then slam Wardlow int the ring post. In the ring, Wardlow with a moonsault out of the corner. He follows with a snap suplex and drops an elbow. Joe with leg sweep that sends Wardlow to the mat. Joe spikes a charging Wardlow with an uranage. Wardlow hits a spinebuster and hits the F-10. Wardlow hits the diving moonsault. Joe quickly locks in the coquina clutch. Wardlow gets a foot on the ropes to break the hold. Joe looks for the muscle buster, but Wardlow is able to counter with a power bomb. Joe answer with a lariat. Joe wants the power bomb symphony. Wardlow floats over, hits a head butt and locks in a sleeper. Joe goes to sleep. Wardlow chokes him out for the win.
Winner…and new TNT Champion…via pinfall: Wardlow
Match rating: 3/5
The Gunns (champions) vs. Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett (challengers) w/Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh vs. The Acclaimed (challengers) w/Billy Gunn vs. Orange Cassidy and Danhausen (challengers) – AEW World Tag Team Championship Match
Jeff Jarrett wants nothing to do with Orange Cassidy’s nonsense. He isn’t above strutting though. Cassidy ducks a clothesline, mocks the strut and puts his hands in his pockets. He delivers back drops to the Gunns and Jarrett. Danhausen hits Jeff with several clothesline in the corner before Orange can even hit one. Danhausen with a suplex to Lethal and bridges into a pin. Jarrett makes the save. Orange hits Austin with a DDT and sends Colten into the barrier with a suicide dive. Jay Lethal eats a Stundog Millionaire. Max Caster tags in. Sonjay Dutt saves Jarrett, but takes a Scissor Me Timbers for his trouble. The Gunns and Jay Lethal scissor over Anthony Bowens. Caster gets the tags and hits lariats all around. Caster blocks the stroke, but takes a superkick from Lethal. The Gunns clear the ring, but Satnam Singh takes them out. Danhausen curses Dutt. Satnam looks to chokeslam Danhausen. Cassidy saves him with the Orange punch. Danhausen hits him with a low blow and Bill delivers a famouser. The Gunns hit their father with a low blow. Caster hits the Mic Drop, but Austin saves his brother. Bowens hits Austin with an elbow strike but then gets thrown into the crowd. Jarrett has his guitar. Max ducks it and turns it on Jarrett. The ref grabs the guitar, allowing Lethal to blast Max with the Golden Globe. Jarrett hits the Stroke, but Caster kicks out. Jarrett pushes Aubrey Edwards. Danhausen nearly rolls about Colten and then hits him with the German suplex. The Gunns hit Danhausen with the 3:10 to Yuma and Austin covers to get the win.
Winners…and still AEW World Tag Team Champions…via pinfall: The Gunns
Match rating: 3/5
After the match, the Gunns tell Renee Paquette that they demand respect as they are the best tag team in the world. Enter FTR. They hit the ring taking the fight to the Gunns. Wheeler and Harwood quickly dispatch the champs.
Bryan Danielson (challenger) vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman (champion) – AEW World Heavyweight Championship Iron Man Match
Winner 4 falls to 3 and still AEW World Heavyweight Champion: MJF
Match rating: 4/5
AEW Revolution 3/5/2023
Chase Center, San Francisco, California
AEW Revolution was a very, very good pay per view outing. If you like blood, then it was even better. Unsurprisingly the 60 minute Iron Man match took longer than 60 minutes to decide a winner. And, unsurprisingly MJF had to cheat to the get the job done. Hangman Adam Page got the job done in a bloody Texas Death match. Even a returning FTR got bloody after taking out the Gunns, who retained their titles.
