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AEW R-EVOLUTION IV - 3/5/2023


Dolfan in NYC

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12 hours ago, Matt D said:

Double posting, but I want to write up my thoughts on the card. I'll warn you. It's pretty bleak overall. I think with almost every one of these matches, there's something I would have rather done or seen differently. 

Danielson vs MJF: Given how my life is set up, I almost never see these things live. With this match, it's almost a blessing. Who wants to watch an hour long match in 2023? The story here is the purity and love of pro wrestling vs selling out and cashing in. At some point, every MJF story is about his own shallowness and hypocrisy. The story behind the story is how they're going to fill the time, but we've seen Danielson fill time in AEW. We know that MJF can go. I hope that he leans into the 80s heel shtick he's been doing in ring as much as possible here, but the simple fact of the matter is that to fill an hour. he's going to have to lean into that and a whole lot more. I would have much rather seen this at 45 minutes or especially 30. You could still get the same idea across but it wouldn't be such a foreboding chore to imagine watching. 

Page vs Mox: Mox is pretty much the ideal Page opponent because he has to take it to him and brawl and not just hit his early match death valley driver or whatever other bullshit he does as part of his typical match structure. That said, we've seen it three times. Again, I get the story. Mox knocked him out and then in their rubber match, rolled him up. Now Page needs to prove he's a man by knocking Mox out so he can't answer the call. That's the only way to win. I just don't really care. The gimmick is going to slow things down when we've seen them go at one another for three matches already. Ultimately, I think I would have liked to see a different gimmick, maybe a bullrope, maybe retaking the idea of a cage, most especially an I Quit match. We've seen them try to knock each other out. Let's see something else?

Joe vs Wardlow: I don't want to see Joe lose the title. I don't want to see Wardlow win the title. I don't want to see this match.

Elite vs House of Black: I think this is one of the most interesting matches on the card, and that's coming from me who usually skips the Elite trios matches. House of Black can act as bases and add some real contrast to the Elite's act. There will be clearer face/heel lines than usual (hypothetically) and the Elite should be able to draw sympathy. That said, House of Black is capable of doing a lot of stuff despite their size and presence and I hope the match doesn't devolve to that immediately. They can build to it with real heat on the Elite and then pay off the fireworks in an amazing 5 minute finishing stretch. So this could be really good or it could be the usual bullshit. 

Gunns vs Acclaimed vs Triple J vs Best Friends*: Probably the match I'm looking forward to seeing the most, but it'll be a lot of bodies and a lot of masters to serve. Putting OC and Danhausen in there is clever and ties up a bunch of stories over the last few months. I'll be honest though. I would have much rather seen a Gunns vs Acclaimed: Titles vs Custody of Billy Gunn straight tag and OC defending the All-Atlantic Title against Jarrett in a singles. Tag matches this big are kind of a mess even when you have guys good at directing traffic in there. I'd be interested in seeing the Acclaimed interact with OC and Danhausen though. 

Hayter vs Saraya vs Ruby: What an absolute disaster.

Jericho vs Starks: No one wants to see this! At least it makes no sense for Andretti to interfere after the JAS took him out last night. Maybe Paul Wight does? Who knows? In an ideal world, Starks wins decisively in the middle of the ring and everyone moves on.

Christian vs Jungle Boy: Speaking of moving on, these guys need to move on! Christian is the most useful heel in the company and only has so much of a shelf life. They need to get usage out of him. I've always preferred him as a babyface though. His offense leans more into it and the best part of Christian is how he can work his stuff in creatively from week to week. Granted, the second best part of him in 2023 is that he's one of the only guys who can get heat, but the streetfight stip here makes me think that we're going to get a bunch of weapon shots and complicated set ups on bumps or whatever and that doesn't really play to Christian's strengths.

Ultimately, there are a few things I'm looking forward to seeing on the card, like more Jarrett/OC interaction, but no actual matches. 

That said, I'm very positive on both the ROH taping and the upcoming ROH PPV. Like I said before, given the talent and Tony's penchant to book good matches, if you don't like AEW, just wait a few weeks. But I'm not liking this PPV at all on paper.

I am absolutely not looking for a sympathy pop, but I had to rush over to Canada to deal with a family emergency and I haven't had time to watch, read about, or discuss much AEW or any pro wrestling for a week or so. I am back in Japan now but very busy as a result of having to rush off. I might have time to watch, and discuss, Rampage tomorrow morning (J-time), but I'll be working Monday AM (can't afford to cancel any more lessons) and will not be able to watch the Revolution as it is being televised. (That's a Gil Scott-Heron reference. I am sure a lot of you got that). I

I looked at the PPV card on the airplane coming home. The flight from Tokyo to Osaka had free WiFi. 

It bummed me out.

As we stand now, Eddie Kingston ain't got no match on the PPV. Takeshita ain't got no match on the PPV. Claudio ain't got no match on the PPV. Wheeler ain't got no match on the PPV. Garcia ain't got no match on the PPV. Ortiz ain't got no match on the PPV. Top Flight ain't got no match on the PPV. Darby ain't got no match on the PPV. Rush ain't got no match on the PPV. Fenix ain't got no match on the PPV. Bandido ain't got no match on the PPV. FTR ain't got no match on the PPV. HOOK ain't got no match on the PPV. Keith Lee ain't got no match on the PPV. Sonny Kiss ain't got no match on the PPV. Lance Archer ain't got no match on the PPV. Of course JD and Boulder and Toa and Nicky Boy and Pretty Peter and Fuego and Dustin and Hungie ain't got no match on the PPV. 

MJF is headlining the PPV.

Jeff Jarrett has a major role in a title match on the PPV.

Athena ain't got no match on the PPV. Toni Storm ain't got no match on the PPV. Willow ain't got no match on the PPV. Emi ain't got no match on the PPV. Shida ain't got no match on the PPV. Riho ain't got no match on the PPV. The Magical Girl ain't got no match on the PPV. Deeb ain't got no match on the PPV. Of course Kiera and Abadon  and Mercedes ain't got no match on the PPV.

Saraya has a major role in a title match on the PPV.

I GET IT! I did a whole fantasy booking thing to help me understand that it's not really feasible to book all my favourites on every PPV. 

And maybe they'll squeeze some of the people I really wanna see onto the buy-in or something.

And maybe some of those people are "more ROH than AEW now" or something. Possibly some of them are injured or busy or whatever. FTR are a whole other thing right now...

But Jarrett and Saraya getting clear priority over all of them just kind of confirms my worries about the direction that MY SECOND FAVOURITE PRO WRESTLING PROMOTION IN THE ENTIRE WORLD (After Osaka Pro) is heading in. 

And I don't wanna complain about a one-hour American Dragon match.

BUT 

There are SO MANY wrestlers on the roster I would MUCH rather see him fight for an hour. So many.

Still: Bryan has a match on the PPV. An hour-long match! Orange Cassidy has a match on the PPV. Potentially an Osaka/Chikara Pro type comedy match! Mox has a match on the PPV. Hanger has a match on the PPV. Joe has a match on the PPV. Wardlow has a match on the PPV. Hayter has a match on the PPV. Jungle Boy has a match on the PPV. And so on. So it's not like there's NO reason to watch. It's not like there won't be a ton of fun-to-great in-ring action tomorrow.

 

But I think I'm just gonna skip this one, and not just because of everything else going on in my life at the moment.

 

if Bryan actually WINS the title, I'll probably regret that decision. Otherwise I imagine I'll be fine with it.

 

Edited by Gordlow
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9 minutes ago, Gordlow said:

I am absolutely not looking for a sympathy pop, but I had to rush over to Canada to deal with a family emergency and I haven't had time to watch, read about, or discuss much AEW or any pro wrestling for a week or so. I am back in Japan now but very busy as a result of having to rush off. I might have time to watch, and discuss, Rampage tomorrow morning (J-time), but I'll be working Monday AM (can't afford to cancel any more lessons) and will not be able to watch the Revolution as it is being televised. (That's a Gil Scott-Heron reference. I am sure a lot of you got that). I

Hey, I'm sorry its been a tough time for you and yours.

If you haven't seen it yet, check out the ROH tapings (no spoilers, just matchups):

It'll probably lift your wrestling mood a bit.

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Now that the votes are in abd it seems to be unanimous: if there ANYBODY who is looking forward to Starks vs Jericho? And if not, can we largely blame this lack of interest on the sneaking suspicion that one way or another Jericho is winning (so help us god)?

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4 hours ago, zendragon said:

Petioin to have Matt D watch this Clockwork orange style?

I predict that Danhausen eats the fall to the gunns so the acclaimed can chase through the summer

I will never fully trust Jarrett in a title scenario. Not saying that he's going to shoot, just that I can see him talking his way into being the team being chased in that scenario (hey Tony, if we double-cross the Gunns then you have us feuding with them, Acclaimed, and Best Friends, you're booked for the rest of 2023!).

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5 hours ago, Belgian_Waffle said:

Now that the votes are in abd it seems to be unanimous: if there ANYBODY who is looking forward to Starks vs Jericho? And if not, can we largely blame this lack of interest on the sneaking suspicion that one way or another Jericho is winning (so help us god)?

Jericho, as much of a fan of him as I am, is currently the worst part of AEW programming for me right now.

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Sorry you've had a tough time, @Gordlow. Virtual hugs, my friend. I also have to agree with you on the card itself. A number of my favourites aren't booked on it like #FTR, Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston. Of the matches announced, I'm only interested in:

MJF vs. Bryan Danielson. The GOAT, Bryan Danielson getting 60 minutes. Naturally pun intended, the match I look forward to the most even though he's not going to win and that saddens me.

Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Adam Page. Be glad for this to end even though the matches have delivered.

The Elite vs. House of Black. Prefer Omega to be back in singles action. Have little time for the Bucks. Mirror match in Omega/Buddy.

Christian Cage vs. Jungle Boy. Cage, that CLB.

---

Hope Joe retains but don't think he will after dominating Wardlow as he has.

Edited by The Natural
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5 hours ago, Belgian_Waffle said:

Now that the votes are in abd it seems to be unanimous: if there ANYBODY who is looking forward to Starks vs Jericho? And if not, can we largely blame this lack of interest on the sneaking suspicion that one way or another Jericho is winning (so help us god)?

My least anticipated match.

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So I have to say, House of Black v Elite and Mox/Page IV are my two most anticipated matches to watch.  I'm still on the fence on whether I'm purchasing it or not, but if I do, it will be because of them.

 

I want House of Black to win.  They need to be featured more on AEW programming and I want Omega to be back on the singles scene.  That's not a shot at the Bucks, i don't mind them at all, but give me Omega/MJF or Hobbs or Kingston or Starks or Jungle Boy or Takeshita or Big Bill or Orange Cassidy or even fn Danhausen!

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Jesus Christ. Saraya taking the title off of Hayter would be a travesty. Hayter is still the hottest thing going in the women's division. You fucking ride that wave until Stat returns or until Britt turns on Hayter.

HAYTERS. GONNA. HATE.

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21 minutes ago, Casey said:

I'm excited to see Saraya win the title. I anticipate their England debut to be headlined by Saraya vs Jamie Hayter.

I'm British but can't endorse that title change at all. Jamie Hayter needs a long run as AEW Women's World Champion. Give me Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II.

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I know there's been some malaise towards the booking lately but personally I think the card looks awesome. Almost every match should be good.

 

- MJF vs Danielson - I know MJF retaining is predictable and some people aren't into the Ironman concept, but I am here for it. There are key ingrediants to making this stipulation exciting and Danielson more than has them, and MJF is no slouch in the ring either. I fully expect we'll get some schtick with him trying to run down the clock, but he's also proven he'll put his working boots on when the time comes and I think he'll want to make a point of hanging with Danielson at this level.

- Joe vs Wardlow - in contrast to the main, the key to this match being a fun hoss match is brevity. If we can get in and out in under 10 minutes that should hopefully mean he get all bombs and no running out of gas tank or ideas. Surely Wardlow has to win otherwise he's DOA

- Moxley vs Page - I'm in the camp of low-voters on Hangman (although I did like his title run), but all the previous matches between these 2 have ruled and Moxley seems to bring out the best in Page stylistically, so I have high expectations here. Feels like a good way for Mox to finally take that vacation and give Page some momentum back up the card towards a potential title feud.

- Tag title four-way - this is your comic relief of the night amongst a card full of grudge matches. The Gunns haven't shown anything to warrant their place as champs yet but I expect this combination of teams to be FUN. Give me Double J vs OC

- Hayter vs Saraya vs Soho - Expect this to be a flop of the night. I have basically zero interest in the triple threat formula these days, the whole angle kinda stinks and Saraya is a solid 9/10 on the Ric Flair in-ring fragility spectrum. It's disappointing her return and this angle has somewhat hijacked Hayter's title run. Are we expecting some sort of angle here? Is Soho going to turn / not turn and help one of her opponents win the match?

- Elite vs HOB - I'll just say I get why some will like it but I'm not the intended audience here. The Elite, 6-man titles, the House Of Black, the whole 6-star hyper spotfest formula - it ain't for me.

- Jericho vs Starks - this feud has quickly become a dud but I am holding out hope they have sense to put Starks over. I don't expect the match to be anything above average but hopefully they lean on their personalities and charisma to make it fun.

- Cage vs Jungle Boy - unfortunate this has lost its sizzle, but they're both quality workers so looking forward to what they do. Jungle Boy had an awesome match with Luchasaurus and Cage is WAY better than the lizard. I think the key will be having a match that is very different to the Texas Death Match, because they aren't likely to beat that and having a similar but less memorable match would feel like a waste.

Edited by Steventon
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I think the show itself is going to be good but this will be the first PPV I can recall having to skip.  My reason is because the Bucks/Wizards game originally for Monday got moved to Sunday night.  Considering this was my birthday gift to see Giannis in person I can't possibly pass this up.  But thinking back it's good as I'd rather see the ironman match one time with full attention and not twice as I'd be too busy to pay full attention live.  So this kind of works out for me in the end.

8 hours ago, Belgian_Waffle said:

Now that the votes are in abd it seems to be unanimous: if there ANYBODY who is looking forward to Starks vs Jericho? And if not, can we largely blame this lack of interest on the sneaking suspicion that one way or another Jericho is winning (so help us god)?

Hey, I'm that one guy!  My hope is that Starks has a star-making performance and beats Jericho.  That way he can be done with JAS and be next in line for the title.  And yes even if Danielson wins (which I hope for) that would still be a mighty fine title match between them.  And you know what?  Even if MJF wins a rematch where Starks either wins or comes much closer would be just fine with me as well.

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While it's time to move on, it sucks that they're jumping straight to no holds barred for JB and Christian. There were potentially great standard singles matches to be had there, but due to injuries and possibly even some slow booking we've most likely missed out on something special. The Moxley-Page stip has potential to be a drag on the proceedings. Wish they were no holds barred and JB vs Christian was standard singles.

Speaking of time to move on, Christian vs Starks would be good. Please.

Surprised Top Flight missed out on the PPV considering their push, but the tag title match could be fun. Think it's between the Gunns retaining or them hot-shotting back to the Acclaimed. JLowe is likely unfounded in his fears regarding Jarrett, but that'd be pretty funny if he was right and I'd probably really enjoy it. Likewise, putting the belt on Saraya would give me a good laugh. 

I'm sure the main event will be good, but I'm not looking forward to an hour long match that I know will be an hour going in when I'm cold on the whole program. And it's not like I'm going to get terribly excited about the mere prospect of Danielson doing his thing at a high level, we get plenty of that for free every week because it's all Danielson wants to do. I've recently enjoyed Danielson against Bandido, Rush, and Top Flight -- there's little urgency to pay a premium price to see him lose a world title match. Thank goodness it's MJF in there putting in more work than usual to keep me curious. 

Edited by John from Cincinnati
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Ironman matches are my favorite stipulation. I love them because they are a great puzzle. There is built in drama as the clock winds down. They have the end in mind, but how do you get to that end along the way? A certified wrestling genius like Dragon is going to have a lot of fun putting it together. As tedious as he is on the mic, I love MJF in the ring. He is a great sleazeball for a match like this who can add in all sorts of fun shortcuts for falls. 

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25 minutes ago, Greggulator said:

Ironman matches are my favorite stipulation. 

They are my favorite to announce too. In addition to Danielson-Doug Williams, I announced an Iron Man match for IWC with Christopher Daniels vs. CM Punk. When I found out that the audio got messed up and I had to call the whole match again, I was happy. 

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According to WrestleTix the setup only allows for around 10k, so 2k short isn’t THAT disappointing.

Probably shouldn’t have done an entire week of shows in the area, though.

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1 minute ago, Casey said:

According to WrestleTix the setup only allows for around 10k, so 2k short isn’t THAT disappointing.

Probably shouldn’t have done an entire week of shows in the area, though.

I know it's WrestleMania and they can get away with it, but I am surprised that WWE does the Smackdown/HOF at Crypto.com Arena, the two shows in Inglewood, and then Raw at Crypto.com Arena. That's four shows in four STRAIGHT days. Then, I believe Stand and Deliver at also at Crypto.com Arena. So that's FIVE shows in the same market in four days.

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