AEW Revolution Hit List: Jon Moxley vs. Adam Copeland for the AEW World Championship, Toni Storm vs. Mariah May for the AEW Women’s Title, Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher in a cage match

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

AEW Revolution Hits

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kenny Omega for the AEW International Championship: A hell of a match. It seemed pretty obvious that Omega would win once he spoke in a promo about how he had to win or accept that he’s no longer the same wrestler he once was. Even so, they produced an excellent match that helped establish Omega as being the in-ring force that he was prior to his health issues.

Toni Storm vs. Mariah May in a Hollywood Ending falls count anywhere match for the AEW Women’s Championship: The gory conclusion of the feud… or at least until the time is right for a Hollywood Reboot. Even if that happens, it’s still worth taking a moment to appreciate what has been one of the best feuds in AEW history. There were some holes in the storylines, but it was obvious that they took a lot of pride in this creatively and certainly in the ring. I am anxious to see what comes next for both wrestlers.

Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet to become No. 1 contender to the AEW World Championship: A dramatic match with arguably too many near falls for the third match of the main card, but a really good match nonetheless. Swerve going over to get a shot at the AEW World Championship was logical, and Ricochet has become a strong enough heel that this loss shouldn’t set him back for long. This appeared to be Leslie Jones’s favorite match of the night. The comedian was intense in her support of Swerve. I don’t know if she was playing along or caught up in the moment, but it never felt like she was taking a tongue in cheek approach to the way she cheered like other celebrities do (I love your work, but hello Ken Jeong).

Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher in a steel cage match: The Spanish Fly off the top of the cage was insane. Adam Copeland broke his leg by jump off the top of AEW’s high cage and yet this spot was either approved or the wrestlers are just left to their own devices. It’s not a good look for the company either way. I also hate that these two did so much and saved nothing for the main event, although they were hardly alone in taking that approach. Putting that aside as much as I can, these are two amazing wrestlers. Ospreay’s high spot style isn’t for everyone, but there’s no denying that he’s a special talent. Meanwhile, Fletcher has taken a huge step forward over the last year and feels like he is on pace to become a future world champion. Mark Davis opening the cage door was awful, and he once again showed no sign that he’s being forced to do things against his will despite the storyline that Fletcher control power of attorney. This may be the end of Ospreay vs. Fletcher for now, but these two will surely be feuding for years to come.

Hangman Page vs. MJF: A good opening match. By the end of the long night, it felt like this match had taken place a week earlier. Page continued to build momentum with a clean win over a fellow former AEW World Champion. I’m anxious to see what comes next for both wrestlers. By the way, it was a bad night for some of AEW’s top heel singles wrestlers. The company really needs an Empire Strikes Back type of show after having MJF, Takeshita, Ricochet, and Fletcher all take clean losses.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Brody King for the AEW Continental Championship: A soft Hit. No one expected a title change regardless of King being from the area. King seemed motivated, Okada did not. Will Okada flip the switch before his big match with Kenny Omega at All In Texas? The match may sell itself to fans who saw their legendary matches in New Japan Pro Wrestling, but AEW really needs Okada to step up and show the rest of the world why he is so revered.

AEW Revolution Misses

Jon Moxley vs. Adam Copeland for the AEW World Championship: It was easy to see that this main event was in trouble just by looking at the lineup. AEW comes off like a free for all where there is little regard for structuring the pay-per-view cards to save things for or to build to the main event. Rather, it seems like the wrestlers who are capable of stealing the show are all trying to do so regardless of their spot on the card. There was no reason to think that Moxley and Copeland would be able to rise above a show that had multiple bloodbaths and some excellent matches. The crowd was spent after the semi main event and the only reason the company took a brief break before the main event was to clean up after the cage match. But it wasn’t just the rest of the show. The Moxley vs. Copeland feud was underwhelming from the start. The Death Riders saga is a bust. And while there’s certainly a place for Copeland at this stage of his career, it’s just not in pay-per-view main events. Perhaps Copeland could have brought the fans in had he not waited until the night of the show to really play up the idea that this could be his last shot at winning a world championship. The Christian Cage cash-in attempt was fun. I loved the spot where Moxley had Christian in the bulldog choke and yet Christian had his hand on Copeland, which led to a near fall. The post match angle with Swerve Strickland diving onto Moxley to kick off the build to the presumed AEW Dynasty main event was solid.

Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin vs. “The Outrunners” Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum for the AEW Tag Team Titles: A weak match. On the bright side, it didn’t overstay its welcome, and it gave the live crowd a chance to catch their breath rather than going with another banger.

Mercedes Mone vs. Momo Watanabe for the TBS Title: A minor Miss. The ring work was strong, but the company failed to make fans care about Watanabe going into the match, let alone sell them on the possiblility of her winning the title. In fact, she had a match on AEW Collision in which her opponent Serena Deeb inexplicably stood out more than she did. Watanabe’s kicks were vicious and hopefully Mone’s jaw is still intact. Billie Starkz taking notes during the match was interesting. My hope is that Mone gets the best of Starkz, which somehow leads to Athena challenging Mone at the All In Texas event.

Pre-Show: Three matches and an angle. Why? This was the latest example of an AEW pre-show making the night feel like a marathon. The matches were fine yet trivial. Is there any sign that these overstuffed pre-shows are leading to actual pay-per-view buys or is this just a case of Tony Khan being overindulgent?