AEW Revolution ends not with a bang, but a whimper

The main event of Revolution promised explosions, and not just the usual conflict between good and evil we expect from most pro wrestling stories.

There was also plenty of interpersonal heat when Kenny Omega set out to defend his AEW World title against Jon Moxley. But they were fighting in an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch, so there was going to be blood. And booms. Unfortunately, the final one is destined to become a joke among wrestling fans for years to come. But more on that later.

At first, both men tried to send their opponent into one of the three sides of the ring whose ropes were laced with barbed wire and set to explode on contact. They managed to avoid them in the early going, But after Omega blinded Mox by throwing powder in his eyes, the challenger was the first one to feel the burn.

Mox was also the first to don the crimson mask. It was with blood gushing down his face that the challenger was sent back-first into the barbed wire covered table propped up in one of the corners of the ring. That wasn’t close to enough to put Moxley down, though. And seconds later, he sent the champ into one of the exploding sides... twice!

Lots of barbed wire offense came before both men guys exploded again, right around when we heard one of the greatest sentences in the history of our sport, “the ring explodes in 15 minutes, that’s gotta be on their minds, guys.”

They teetered on the apron, right above one of the “Triple Hell” zones on the floor. Mox willing bumped right onto the barbed wire cover boards as they exploded, but he brought Kenny with him headfirst.

Then he picked up a fist full of barbed wire and punched the champ in his bloody face. Omega battled back to hit the One Wing Angel. Mox couldn’t kick out, of course - Kenny’s is the rare finisher that is truly protected in modern pro wrestling - but he could get his foot on one of the ropes to trigger an explosion.

Omega’s friends the Good Brothers decided that was when to get involved. Impact Tag champs Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson jumped Mox. He fought them off at first, but the numbers (and an exploding barbed wire bat) got the best of him. Another One Winged Angel onto a chair, and nothing could save Moxley.

The win came before the 30 minute timer when the ring was supposed to explode... so Kenny and the Brothers stomped Mox down, even handcuffing, to ensure he would take the brunt of the explosion. Eddie Kingston ran in to try and get his old friend out of the ring, but he couldn’t before the clock struck zero.

Unfortunately, the special effects for the final explosion were pretty unimpressive, and watching Kingston, Moxley and the announcers sell it as if we’d just seen something out of a war movie only made things more ridiculous.

But it was still a hell of a fight. Mox figures to head off to paternity leave (after an indie date or two), and Omega’s reign continues. Before he left, though, Moxley had the final say...

Catch up on everything that happened tonight at Revolution in our live blog.