R-Evolution III - 3/6/2022

[Matt D]

The best thing about AEW PPVs is that you get to see long matches that aren't structured around commercial breaks. No matter how well the wrestlers interact with the crowd or work heat segments during them and even if you are watching the int'l feed you can see everything, they're still disruptive elements that force creative choices that aren't about what's best for the match but instead what's best for the presentation of it. I'm not going to say it automatically lessens every AEW TV match, because that's going a bit too far (I'd even say that it probably makes some matches better, but those matches are generally ones that had some underlying pacing issue to begin with), but anytime you're forced to make a creative choice for some reason other than the best possible narrative, it has an impact on overall quality and potential.

[Infinit]

They honestly have more "meat on the bone" to do a 2 show weekend with Sunday's lineup than WWE has for Mania. Crazy.

[DreamBroken]

House of Black vs. Death Triangle has been added actually for the Buy In, so that makes their first 3 match buy-in then a 9 match PPV. Super stacked! 

[chriskbrown50]

12 hours ago, Infinit said:

They honestly have more "meat on the bone" to do a 2 show weekend with Sunday's lineup than WWE has for Mania. Crazy.

I look at this card and the Cargill/Conti match is the only one I look at on paper and feels like it should be on Dynamite.  They could cut 2 or 3 matches easily from the card and is still a great card.  

Seeing some folks equating Hangman to a version of Bret Hart for AEW. I like Hangman as champ as he is different and homegrown. He brings it had in every match, and the title means more around him. I expect it comes off soon but not Sunday. 

Edited March 5, 2022 by chriskbrown50

[EVA]

If it was me, I would do Hangman/Mox at DON, Hangman/Jericho at Fyter Fest, then Hangman/MJF to drop the belt at All Out. Really put him over all the names before moving the belt on to another young guy. Although it will probably be really tempting do a Punk title challenge at All Out, now that I think about it.

Edited March 5, 2022 by EVA

[Jiji]

Do Danielson and Punk ever get world title runs? If not soon for Punk, when? 

[chriskbrown50]

7 minutes ago, EVA said:

If it was me, I would do Hangman/Mox at DON, Hangman/Jericho at Fyter Fest, then Hangman/MJF to drop the belt at All Out. Really put him over all the names before moving the belt on to another young guy. Although it will probably be really tempting do a Punk title challenge at All Out, now that I think about it.

Mox, Jericho and Omega helped make the belt. Hangman beating Omega helped make Hangman. MJF getting the title with a Wardlow turn in the mx sounds very good. I wonder how far out TK is booking some of this? The Wardlow storyline is really taking some time (not in a bad way) .

[John from Cincinnati]

Punk's at the very least mentioned the title before. So it's not like he's being presented as a special attraction where the idea of him getting a shot isn't in the cards.

I don't know what timeline that'd need to be on though. I'm also taking the optimistic route and hoping he sticks around longer than some people expect.

[Beech27]

4 hours ago, Jiji said:

Do Danielson and Punk ever get world title runs? If not soon for Punk, when? 

Additionally, I wonder if the ROH title being available changes what the answer would have been. (If you want to rebuild the brand, an epic Danielson run seems a good way.)

Edited March 5, 2022 by Beech27

[zendragon]

4 hours ago, Jiji said:

Do Danielson and Punk ever get world title runs? If not soon for Punk, when? 

Punk I would say he probably gets a shot but not a run. Danielson its tempting to put the belt on him and run with a hot hand

[Jiji]

Any interest in a prowrestlingscorecards.com faction for this and other aew events? I'm doing it with a couple friends potentially, but I can create a faction with an invitation code for DVDVR too if there are more than a few of us. 

1 hour ago, zendragon said:

Punk I would say he probably gets a shot but not a run. Danielson its tempting to put the belt on him and run with a hot hand

I think this is likeliest but I really think Punk, even as a transitional champion, could help really elevate the belt more. He's their biggest star and tbh is above the belt and doesn't really it... but his winning it and putting somebody over for it clean would help not only the belt but also whoever dethrones him. I'd personally think if you have two of the biggest names and best wrestlers of a generation, they should probably win your world championship.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Jiji

[southofheavy]

For me, I'd like to see the belt go to MJF next, then Eddie, then either Punk or Bryan. Getting the belt back to a homegrown talent after that would be best, and I'd say either Darby or Hangman is the first two time AEW champ.

That said, even trying to fantasy book this is so mindbending in the best way possible. We're absolutely spoiled for choices here. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by southofheavy

[Octopus]

9 hours ago, Jiji said:

Do Danielson and Punk ever get world title runs? If not soon for Punk, when? 

I’m a big Danielson mark, but I could see him never or at least not in the next year win the title. If they don’t jump on the Punk train for being the next champ, then same answer. If MJF is the person to beat Hangman, I don’t see AEW running another feud against Punk. Both those talent could totally raise the profile of the belt but at the same time I could see them both with a long list of compelling storylines not involving the belt. 

Speaking of MJF, do you run the Wardlow feud before or after the potential title win? If it is before, would he have to beat Wardlow and what would that do to Wardlow? If after, would you have Wardlow be the following champion and would he be ready? 
Thoughts on Kingston as a future champion? Hangman’s rise was beautiful and was very much both trying to beat Omega and believe in himself. I find inspiring parallels to Kingston’s failures. Could he be AEW’s Kawada?

[A_K]

Danielson & Punk don’t need the title. They haven’t had a “super team” tag champs combo yet however, and Danielson could fit well with that as a tag champ. Punk has a few more narrative-based storylines that could easily take him through the next 12-18 months in the upper card without needing gold (esp. if his appearances become intermittent).

The MJF sequence to the title feels a bit off with the Wardlow dilemma looming in the background. No clean way to manage that via an MJF title win first. They’re in a bit of a corner on that .. MJF is hot enough for the title now but only if they pass on the Wardlow feud.

Edited March 6, 2022 by A_K

[Octopus]

The next champ should clearly be super heel swerve Cody. 

[A_K]

They could of course run Wardlow / Spears first then down the line do MJF / Wardlow with the title in play. That would be a bit of a refreshing way of tackling that narrative. It is quite cliche for Wardlow to physically turn on his storyline-employer off the bat (it’s been done many times before) .. simply have him walk away from MJF without physical confrontation in questioning the morality of it all, then have him as a looming menace building a win streak up in the background, the only talent on the roster that gives MJF shivers as he knows all-too-well his power and ability first hand. Merge the Batista/Evolution & Goldberg/Hogan runs in the storytelling.

[L_W_P]

I think you could get an amazing story out of MJF costing Wardlow matches and ruining his record before he gets to the #1 ranking.

Then when Wardlow finally gets his hands on MJF it'd be huge.

[Krone]

There's about 10 guys on the roster right now that I'd like to see get a swing at holding the big one.

But with how sporadic title changes are, I see maybe one or two getting it. I dont think Kingston ever gets a run even though I wish to hell he would. He would be the perfect guy for a "Mankind beating the Rock on Raw is War to win the WWF Title" moment. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by Krone Meltzer

[paintedbynumbers]

On 2/18/2022 at 8:39 PM, The Natural said:

AEW Revolution, 6th March 2022 is on my birthday! Well it goes out on the 7th March 2022 UK time. Dr Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa and CM Punk vs. MJF are big matches. Does Thunder Rosa win here or Dr. Britt Baker retains via cheating to extend it to Double or Nothing where Baker won the AEW Women's World Championship a year earlier? It's Rosa's time. Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston look likely additions. I wish it wasn't Adam Cole in the main event vs. Adam Page as Cole does nothing for me.

Happy Birthday Natural!!!!

[paintedbynumbers]

On 3/2/2022 at 11:49 AM, NoFistsJustFlips said:

I think this is the first Sunday PPV not followed up by a holiday, correct? They normally only do the Sunday PPVs if the majority of people have off the following Monday, like for Labor Day & Memorial Day. I wonder why they went with a Sunday this time. Pure guess but there's probably something scheduling-wise making them need to do a Sunday. Like the building they wanted wasn't free Saturday? Or something necessary for Tony's duties with The Jags taking up his Saturday or something?

In reality I think the true reason they do Sunday ppvs when they do them has nothing to do with holidays. I feel like TK would do Sunday PPVs every time if they don't conflict with the NFL. While the holiday reasoning makes sense, it's funny that the Sundays they do run PPVs just happen to be the Sundays during football's off season.

UFC had a huge PPV last night.  AEW wasn't going to compete with that. 

[NoFistsJustFlips]

12 hours ago, Octopus said:

If after, would you have Wardlow be the following champion and would he be ready?

I know they've mostly only had Wardlow do squashes on tv. But he can hang with anyone they got. He's way more ready than they let on. He's less 2004 Batista teaming with Flair to learn and more 2003 Lesnar who could hang with Kurt Angle right out of the gate. The depth of the roster and the deliberate pace of their story telling is why he isn't working long competitive matches, not his lack of readiness. When they give him the green light I think a lot of people are going to be shocked just how complete of a performer he is.

[EVA]

I think you do MJF/Wardlow before MJF gets the belt. From a character progression standpoint, MJF needs to lose it all before his title run. Like, if he’s champ and he’s still working the same act he’s been working for the past 3 years with the ring gimmick and seconds interfering all the time…I just don’t think that’s going to be good for him or the show. Have him lose it all, hit bottom, and have to figure out how to win on his own. That’s an interesting spot to put him in. Can still be a sleazy heel, just different.

Edited March 6, 2022 by EVA

[Krone]

1 hour ago, NoFistsJustFlips said:

I know they've mostly only had Wardlow do squashes on tv. But he can hang with anyone they got. He's way more ready than they let on. He's less 2004 Batista teaming with Flair to learn and more 2003 Lesnar who could hang with Kurt Angle right out of the gate. The depth of the roster and the deliberate pace of their story telling is why he isn't working long competitive matches, not his lack of readiness. When they give him the green light I think a lot of people are going to be shocked just how complete of a performer he is.

I know it was a long time ago, but I'd argue he was ready two years ago when he had that cage match with Cody. They have done a masterful job taking their time with him, and he should be a Batista like main event player for them in the future. As a "homegrown" guy from AEW, I think that should help solidify that position even more. It's nice having the Keith Lee's, Miro, ect. but to have a guy you can look at and call one of "your guys". Plus we can't have Vince getting his paws on him. Surely if there was one guy on the roster he would be oogling over it would be Wardog.

[EVA]

Let’s get a prop bet going on how much juice we get tonight.

The dog collar match assuredly will have one or both guys bleeding.

Bleeding has been a big talking point in Dragon/Mox.

Hangman has bled in every title defense thus far.

Blood is a big part of the history between Britt and Rosa, so it wouldn’t totally surprise me to see one of them get some color going, either.

[Jiji]

The freaks come out at night. Can't wait for the bloodbath in the dog collar in particular. Really should main event because there's no way unless it underdelivers that I'll be able to get as emotionally invested in any other match.