Tonight All Elite Wrestling comes our way from Jacksonville, Florida. At AEW Revolution, Maki Itoh made her American AEW debut, The Young Bucks got revenge for Papa Buck, The Natural Nightmares broke up while Death Triangle reigned supreme, Hikaru Shida successfully defended her championship and then received a massive beatdown courtesy of Dr. Britt Baker, Nyla Rose & Itoh, MIRO GOT MAD, Hangman Page learned that the biggest payout was the friends we made along the way, Scorpio Sky became the next Sonic the Hedgehog, Sting proved the “he still got it!” and Kenny Omega turned out to be a better wrestler than explosions engineer.
This Week’s Headliner:
Exploding. Barbed Wire. Death...dud? Oh yeah, baby! The main event of Revolution went out with a whimper and not a bang. Kenny Omega and the gang tied Jon Moxley to the exploding ring and left him for dead. But then the unthinkable happened! Eddie Kingston came out to rescue his former friend and current nemesis in the only dramatic finish of the main event. Unfortunately, he could not free Moxley from the shackles that tied him to the ring in time, so he covered Moxley’s body with his own in the ultimate self-sacrifice. It was a beautiful moment and an incredibly well thought out nuanced story. Until the explosion went off.
The explosion was like that one time your drunk uncle kept talking about the badass fireworks he bought illegally in Indiana. You know, the really good, expensive shit. But then he lit it, and it fizzled like a dollar store sparkler with a teeny tiny little “pop!”
Endless Kudos to Eddie & Jon for selling it like champs. They are uniquely good at their jobs.
Tonight will delightfully be a lot of excuse-making on behalf of The AEW World Champion. Look, he’s a wrestler, not an explosions expert. How was he supposed to build an effective exploding ring? He did draw the plans in crayon, after all. Our champion is an idiot! It’s DEFINITELY the story we wanted to tell. STOP ASKING QUESTIONS, MARKS!
The Title Scene:
AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida successfully defended her title against Ryo Mizunami in a brutally fantastic match. Of course, it ain’t easy being champ, and her celebration was cut short when the unlikely (yet fantastic) team of Dr. Britt Baker (and Rebel), Maki Itoh & Nyla Rose attacked both competitors. Thunder Rosa came out to help, but the baddies had already made their statement.
Tonight the champion teams with Thunder Rosa & Ryo Mizunami against Dr. Britt Baker, Maki Itoh & Nyla Rose. It will be interesting to see how Britt and Nyla team together, considering they both want the championship, but a badass stable in the women’s division with a side of Vickie Guerrero? Entirely here for it. I just hope they have an equally badass name.
This is the first exciting thing to happen in the women’s division in ages!! Maki Itoh has saved us!
TNT Championship Darby Allin survived his brutal street fight against Team Taz alongside his father partner Sting. Unfortunately for him, he’ll have no time to recover because tonight he has to defend his title against Scorpio Sky, the Face of the Revolution” Ladder Match winner.
Darby Allin has been through a lot in recent weeks but hasn’t had to face a challenger independently without the shadow of Sting. Not to mention the fact that Scorpio Sky literally beat five other dudes to earn this opportunity. Scorpio Sky ain’t messing around, and Darby Allin is in for a hell of a fight.
But will Allin be able to remain focused? It’s not like Team Taz has ever taken a single loss to heart, and I wouldn’t put it past them to interfere in this match. A distraction, or even the threat of a distraction, might be enough for Allin to lose focus and for Scorpio Sky to capitalize and win the belt.
The AEW Tag Team Champions soundly defeated The Inner Circle’s MJF & Chris Jericho but will hardly have a chance to celebrate with a recovering Papa Buck because The Death Triangle is ready and waiting to take the tag team gold. By winning the Casino Tag Team Royale, Rey Fenix & PAC earned themselves a title match. Tonight, Matt Jackson and Rey Fenix give the AEW audience a little preview of what’s to come.
The Young Bucks have proven time and time again that they are one of the best, if not the best, tag team in the world, but they have yet to face off with someone as intense and pissed off as PAC. He lost ALL his chill during quarantine, and he is ready to take what he deems is his. Not to mention the fact that Fenix (despite losing his ladder match qualifier) has been on a high-flying hot streak lately.
The Bucks better keep Papa at home and put on their game tassels because it’s ON.
Other Things to Keep an Eye On:
-Tony Khan’s favorite wrestler, Christian Cage, makes his first AEW promo! How many “subtle” WWE dunks will he fit in?
-The Inner Circle has had a tumultuous set of weeks. They’ve lost members and matches. Tonight they hold a “war council” to decide what their next move is.
-Revolution was a night of debuts, including indie darling and former Impact Wrestling Star Ethan Page. Tonight, he makes his demands for singles competition known.
-Hangman Page rolling around in a pile of money? One can only hope.
Tune into AEW on TNT at 8 p.m. EST to see how this all plays out!