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AEW R-EVOLUTION IV - 3/5/2023


Dolfan in NYC

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45 minutes ago, Dog said:

Is Styles an internet-accepted Workrate Master? Did being in Japan change his reputation? Because for the longest time the internet called him a flippy guy with no psychololgy. 

Japan changed that narrative. But to AJ's credit he continued to get better and better throughout the years. He's a great choice at #2 to me.. but certainly somewhere around my top 5

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51 minutes ago, Dog said:

Is Styles an internet-accepted Workrate Master? Did being in Japan change his reputation? Because for the longest time the internet called him a flippy guy with no psychololgy. 

Around 2017-ish he was. 

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1 hour ago, Niners Fan in CT said:

I haven't seen enough from around the world so I'll limit this to the U.S.  Bryan Danielson is the best U.S. based wrestler since 2000, I don't think there's much debate there but if we say he's #1,  who do you all have as #2 or do you have a different #1..  It's ridiculous that he's been putting on classics since I was a teenager and is still doing it and doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.  Hats off to Bryan, he's such a joy to watch, we are lucky to have him. 

Even if we opened it up globally he would probably be #1 (with Suwama at #2 of course 😉😉😉🙏🙏🙏).

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2 hours ago, Matt D said:

As much of a problem I have with Page's structuring of matches, I do think he's a unique character that can appeal to the modern fan in unique ways. He speaks to our times, lives and breathes our anxieties. He can be a man of the people for the 2020s. They should never, ever leave those possibilities on the table. As such, I think they absolutely blew this match. I was watching, watching all the barbed wire, the tables, the fork, the bricks, the chain, and the last thing I wanted to see was Page out-toxic masculinity Mox. He already beat him once, came close to outfighting him a second time. And that's exactly how he won, by being "more of a man." And I kind of hated it.

Hangman Page is the only guy in the world who could have found some other way to beat Moxley, that could have found some way to draw deep inside himself and kill him with kindness. It would have been so much better and so much truer to who Hangman Page is and could be and to the fanbase and all of you lovable jerks for them to beat each other all over the ring and Page to just let him go, to pull him side, to tell him that he forgave Moxley and that Moxley needs to forgive himself too, to give him a big hug, and for Moxley to just lay down, eyes shut, for ten seconds, finally at peace, a peace that only an anxious millennial cowboy could help him find.

Or you know, he can just hang him with a chain. Whatever.

@Octopus, back me up here.

I ain't Octopus, but I'll say this: 

It needed a little more Texas and a lot less death. 

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5 hours ago, The Idiot King said:

 

It's insane how good Jarrett has been in his role. Just pitch perfect. Glad FTR seem to be sticking around. The Acclaimed are fine without the belts and will only cool off once the half-life of how funny people find the phrase "Scissor Me Daddy Ass" has run its course. AEW has easily the best tag division on the planet. Makes me feel for The Best Friends and Silver/Reynolds who both deserve runs on top. 

 

I've had the thought that they have enough Tag teams that you could actually have a US tag title for teams like BF , DO, Matt and Ange (or ship somebody over to ROH)

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I forgot to comment last night. Thought the show was pretty good as usual for their ppvs. Moxley vs Page was my favorite match of the night. I loved that Page won so I hope this means big things for him again.

The iron man match was really good. I figured they would do sudden death. Overall very enjoyable. I have no idea who would feud with MJF going forward. I like that AEW isn't predictable like that.

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I was hoping Jungle Boy would open the casket first and Luchasaurus would be waiting inside to ambush him. Would have been a bit of a stretch for JB to still win after a dino sneak attack but as a visual it would have been awesome. Actually when Luchasaurus comes back can he please join the HoB and team with Brody?

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Well I invited a few friends over for the ppv…

 

This was a really good show that I had tried convincing myself not to buy.  But I did it.  Boy oh was this show the dogs balls.  Money well spent.

I was so jazzed after a 4 hour show that included a 60 Minute Iron Man match.  I stayed up even later to watch The Last of Us.  Fuck spoilers.  Wasn’t even tired.

I noted that when running down AmDrags accomplishments in having long matches.  There was a certain Saudi Arabia Rumble that didn’t get mentioned.  Good.

If I were a kid and an adult gave me alcohol… not mad about it.  Just saying.  
 

I knew that Oklahoma shit was bullshit.  I’ll bet JR doesn’t even have a twangy accent.  I’ll bet he is Australian. This is too late in the game for this to be news to me.

 


 

 

Edited by Brandon Bones
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2 hours ago, Belgian_Waffle said:

I was hoping Jungle Boy would open the casket first and Luchasaurus would be waiting inside to ambush him. Would have been a bit of a stretch for JB to still win after a dino sneak attack but as a visual it would have been awesome. Actually when Luchasaurus comes back can he please join the HoB and team with Brody?

I almost expected Luchasaurus to be in the casket. 

I don't know how I want Luchasaurus used when he returns, but the House of Black is not it. I think the HoB is fine as a four person unit. 

 

 

 

Edited by Nice Guy Eddie
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9 hours ago, Craig H said:

Poor Christian in that casket. Can't imagine what his stomach felt like when the casket dropped down that fast. Elevators are bad enough and that thing just dropped like a rock.

To paraphrase my brother, he rocketed downwards as if Satan couldn't wait to get him into Hell.

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The thing that impressed me the most about this show was the booking. All the right people went over, and they went over strong.

Starks over Jericho clean with his finisher, no BS.

JB pulled the trigger on the con-chair-to and laid his ex-mentor to rest.

HOB with a clean finisher train on one of the Bucks, no mist necessary. This match was also as smooth and technically masterful as advertised.

Hayter didn't win strong, but it was clean, and made sense to push Ruby over the edge. Looking forward to her heel run and hopefully the first women's Blood and Guts.

Hangman lived up to his name and Mox actually tapped instead of going out for a 10 count. The match was suitably violent and making Mox tap feels almost like a bigger put-over than beating Omega for the belt.

Wardlow choked Joe out with out his own move. They had the worst spot on the card, but that finish still got my attention. Wardlow's not dead yet.

The tag match was perfect light filler on such a heavy show. The Gunns ripping off FTR with their team finish was a good setup for FTR to come in and kick their asses.

The criticisms of the IM being too predictable are still valid, but damn if those two didn't do the absolute best they could with what they had. MJF always delivers in big matches, and Bryan still has it in 2023. I know there was an oxygen tank shot in there, but Danielson letting MJF tap him with his own move was a massive rub. I can't recall any time someone has actually been beat with their own move (when they don't share a finisher), let alone a submission, and let alone in such a high profile match*. Danielson really is looking out for the next generation in his AEW run.

 

*Edit: As a planned finish, I realize that Survivor Series 97 is an answer.

Edited by Go2Sleep
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2 hours ago, Cobra Commander said:

the options for Luchasaurus if his mask is in legal limbo are either..

1) get a new mask

or

2) do the Luchasaurus equivalent to Joseph Park/Ezekiel and have Luchasaurus' "brother" feuding with Jungle Boy

 

I'd settle for putting him in a bodysuit and using him as like a Masked Thundertenderfoot on Dark,

Luchasaurus does nothing for me, especially without the gimmick.

 

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Memory match thoughts!!! Going off the noodle here so hopefully I am accurate and upon eventual rewatch don’t have egg on my face. It was a fantastic show that flowed so well through the night (AEW usually have amazing big shows but can cause exhaustion) which is a big improvement. Having the Iron Man match lead to improvement elsewhere, which is neat. 

 

Few notes on said Iron Man Match:

I found it very smart to overly show Danielson’s call backs to the “I Have Until 5” bits. At first it was like, we get it you need a moment inserted that you just did to fill time. But then with the ending of a visibly exhausted Maxwell grabbing the ropes and fake tap out leading to the only hold where Danielson let’s go right away. Maybe another second and MJF would fall apart. It gives the obvious moment of a false hope celebration for MJF to get away, but we have a reasonable reason that sets up a full on release of being in the moment. Well thought out, gentlemen.

Also, how they were surviving the match was fun to watch. Dragon going off of his former long match persona by doing the jumping jacks to show he’s always ready to move and fight. MJF needs to constantly hydrate. He’s very much out of his element (as a character) and it showed. What is interesting is he survived to the end, which was his goal. They end the match portion with MJF needing oxygen(I don’t think Danielson did but I’m fussy on that), which of course sets up the finish but also shows how much Friedman took to make it to the end. Then as the match continues and they strike until they both collapse against each us. MJF’s terrified and exhausted face heavily breaths on Dragon’s shoulder. Danielson, the sadist, smiles like a sick fuck. Bryan is just as tired and beat up but he’s here for the long battle of pain. It makes MJF’s victory (even after the cheating) that much more impressive.

Bryce was phenomenal. All his spots added so much to the drama and never felt like too much. 

Danielson evening the score with a Regal Stretch was a nice touch. He avenged his mentor but ultimately still came up short. They did make me believe. In the end I was standing up and so excited. I knew MJF was winning. Just like I knew Roman was winning. Comparatively, I do prefer this ending though. The overtime negates the crowds BS chant. We still didn’t get what we wanted but the loss was beautiful. The last hope of Danielson raising his arm triumphantly defiant of all that is possible, only to succumb to the truth of the situation. Maxwell Jacob Friedman is our champion. He didn’t pass out, he gave up.

48 stars!

21 hours ago, Matt D said:

As much of a problem I have with Page's structuring of matches, I do think he's a unique character that can appeal to the modern fan in unique ways. He speaks to our times, lives and breathes our anxieties. He can be a man of the people for the 2020s. They should never, ever leave those possibilities on the table. As such, I think they absolutely blew this match. I was watching, watching all the barbed wire, the tables, the fork, the bricks, the chain, and the last thing I wanted to see was Page out-toxic masculinity Mox. He already beat him once, came close to outfighting him a second time. And that's exactly how he won, by being "more of a man." And I kind of hated it.

Hangman Page is the only guy in the world who could have found some other way to beat Moxley, that could have found some way to draw deep inside himself and kill him with kindness. It would have been so much better and so much truer to who Hangman Page is and could be and to the fanbase and all of you lovable jerks for them to beat each other all over the ring and Page to just let him go, to pull him side, to tell him that he forgave Moxley and that Moxley needs to forgive himself too, to give him a big hug, and for Moxley to just lay down, eyes shut, for ten seconds, finally at peace, a peace that only an anxious millennial cowboy could help him find.

Or you know, he can just hang him with a chain. Whatever.

@Octopus, back me up here.

Hangman vs Bloodman.

 

I agree with @Matt D on the concepts of the character that is Adam Page. At his best and highest potential, he could be able to connect with an audience in an unique way that could be a modern spin on sympathy for an emotionally vulnerable and/or self-destructive protagonist. At his mid, an athletic go-go-go type with a handsome good frame that does stuff. So much is up in the air for him and with the right booking and opponents he could be AEW’s hometown Sting. He maybe already is, but I like looking at grand picture and adjusting my thoughts accordingly to the context of both the world of wrestling and the kayfabe universe. I will do that here:

 

I loved this match. It was such a jolt to my system like the first time a child takes a big gulp of Mountain Dew. It was a wild ECW-like showing. My legs were wigglin and I was enjoying myself. 

What was the story being told up until this point? For better or worse, the current stream of events flowed in a way that Mox took him out of action and then was a dick about it. The injury is obviously the difference, but we can parallel this with the American Dragon feud (ironically another BCC member) where the tweener was a prick and pulled the anger out of Page. Dragon did it by mauling his friends until a doubtful Hangman stood up. I like that Page has grown enough to step up to the challenge sooner. Cowboy Shit is about being willing to be vulnerable and honest with how you feel and when you need help with your mental health, but it’s also about having that Fighting Spirit and power to achieve an honest days work and fuck up some bullies. Is Hangman an American modern Kobashi? Too many literal differences but sure, why not?

If Hangman and Moxley was a rehash of Sabu vs Cactus Jack’s Of Mice and Men tribute match, it might have been a let down. Hangman could have been less than eager to fight and after ten minutes of being brutalized finally pull out the chainsaw. But with the story that was told on tv, a roll up or non-violent finish wouldn’t work. The roll up win was looked at as a desperation fluke in their previous encounter. If the build up was different, then very much yes, they could have pulled something off. But with the story that was told, I think they did good. Especially building off the previous encounters. Hangman attacking Mox during his entrance very much was a call back to the previous match where Mox did the same. It was good hardcore fun until Mox was Abdullah the Butchering Page’s face with a fork. Then the Death part of the match spiked up. Bricks are icky but it did pump me up. The win by chain is an interesting choice that I think was pulled off well. Moxley can reasonably tap out to a ridiculous set of circumstances, put over his opponent clean, and not be TKO’ed.

Page is now top dawg, had a clean win, and won in a reactionary way of taking control of the situation.

 

The story going from their knockout encounter to the final match was very much an arc that I did enjoy, but again, could have been different and it’d still likely have been pulled off well. The way I will view this all will be adding this context of events and developments into the stories presented going forward. Specifically with Page. You can go a number of ways that will work or you can book a fart. Here are some options going forward:

Elite drama. If we go from that violence to a Bloodline style melodrama, it will likely turn me off. It can be presented well and always work. Maybe a psychological battle against Don Callis? It all is doable, but could also be an unnecessary step in the wrong direction. I oddly do trust that group of people when they are working specifically within their own group to tell a tale.

Maybe the Mox violence and goading was a way to mentally prepare for the evils of Satan himself, MJF. It would make sense that Moxley is a steppingstone to the champion. In kayfabe logic, who else deserves the shot. You can have Max manipulate and play off the insecurities of Hangman, but with Page’s new combustible rage is dangerous to both himself and Maxwell. By Hangman even losing that feud, you can now have a Hangman that turned dark and has to live with himself as once again a failure. 

You could have a stupid placeholder feud with like Mark Sterling and we all lose.

 

In terms of the match itself, I praise the fun. How they played everything out, I think it all fit but I’m fearful for everything Matt said being screwed up going forward. Ask me how I feel in four months and then again in a year. Kofimania was great. I didn’t even mind the Brock loss, it’s just that nothing happened afterwards to build off the excitement and then disappointment. Heartbreak can be a great narrative, but you have to do something with it. Punk comes back from injury and then gets squashed. Then they build off of it to something wonderful (sadly bad decisions and drama killed it). That’s why I don’t feel the plane ticket rumors derailed Wardlow. He still had a satisfying victory over his nemesis and was crazy over. Then he did nothing with a dumb Mark Sterling feud immediately after. Toni Storm’s interim title run shouldn’t have derailed her. Book something captivating instead of her saying she thinks it’s almost like a real belt and she deserves respect. Treat her like a big deal and her reign would have been. I’m not asking “What’s Next” the same way we see with people using that as a way to nullify a potential result. I am excitedly wondering how the creative powers at be can maintain momentum of a character. AEW sometimes falls short.

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