AEW Revolution PPV review

AEW has committed themselves to put out only four PPV events per year, and considering the $60 price tag, and the fact that fans have been conditioned for over half a decade to think of PPVs as worth no more than $9.99, it’s a smart move.

As an added bonus, the extra few months in between each show allows the company to craft slow-burn storylines that reach a fever pitch right as the next super show arrives. For years fans have been begging WWE to book their stories with an eye toward three months, four months, six months down the line. In fairness, WWE’s “creative” team is so inept and hamstrung by Vince’s random mood swings and mind-changes that it’s a miracle if there’s a storyline that has a logical beginning, middle, and ending within even a one month window.

AEW has been in business for a year but they’ve only been on television since October. In that time they’ve run a single PPV, Full Gear, which occurred only one month after their TNT debut. It’s been nearly four months since then, making this our first opportunity to witness how well the company can craft a slow-burn storyline.

If Revolution is the indicator, fans have nothing to worry about.

The show was phenomenal; easily it was their best since Double or Nothing, and might’ve even surpassed that great event. Here are three big takeaways from the event, all pointing to good things to come for the hot new wrestling enterprise…

HANGMAN PAGE

Hangman Adam Page went from being a guy getting a polite but lukewarm reception from fans in the first days of AEW, to being, arguably, the most over guy on the show one year later. When we first met Page he was earning his way into the AEW World Championship-crowning match with Chris Jericho. To say fans were conflicted would be an understatement. The consensus was…there was no consensus. Half the fanbase wanted to see the veteran Jericho win, thinking he’d be the perfect guy to bring instant-credibility to the title, while the other half of fans were worried about what it would look like putting the title on a semi-retired, past his prime guy best known for being from another promotion.

As it turned out, the latter fears were unfounded; Jericho was the perfect inaugural champion and will be looked back on as someone as pivotal to the company’s early success as Terry Funk was to ECW. The thing is, though, if you look back on the hand-wringing about the inaugural-title match, 90% of the talk centered around Jericho; Page was an afterthought. He was seen as a bit too vanilla, a bit too unremarkable to be the champ. Most wanted to see Kenny Omega vs Jericho be for the title; no one was really actively rooting for Adam Page and when the match came, his crowd reaction was tepid at best, with most of the heat being directed solely at Jericho.

What a difference a year makes.

Through simple storytelling, and—most of all—patience, Page won the hearts of the AEW fanbase. In what was, easily, the hottest match of the night, featuring Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, it was Adam Page who had fans hanging on his every move, reacting to his every taunt, cheering his every offense, and booing every time he took a pounding. He was the most over man in Chicago since CM Punk in 2011.

It’s a turnaround that wouldn’t have happened had his character not been allowed to evolve slowly over the course of these past several months.

LISTEN TO THE FANS

If not for Adam Page, the race for hottest performer of the night would be neck and neck between Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy. I don’t want to make this too much of a WWE bashing thing but it needs to be said, for comparison purposes, just how mistreated these two guys would be in WWE.

Allin would be a cartoon character, cutting stupid wannabe-goth promos written by old men who have no idea how to relate to his character. He’d also probably get some stupid single-name moniker like “Darby” and would lose basically every match. He’d be a jobber to the stars, no more, slightly lower on the totem pole than Ricochet is right now.

Orange Cassidy would be Santino Marella. He’d be Gillberg. If there was still a Sunday Night Heat, he’d be there. He’d never show flashes of greatness as he did against Pac. He’d be stuck as the “guy who doesn’t care” and come out to increasingly smaller reactions every week until “Cassidy” (as he’d be known) was a guy you never saw except when there was a battle royale. He’d be stuck in catering for the duration of his five-year contract.

In AEW, performers are given the freedom to be themselves. What works in front of 150 fans can work in front of 15,000 fans with the right commitment and trust from the boss. Both guys have made huge names for themselves in less than a year and, in the case of Darby, it’s because a concerted effort was made to get him over (whereas WWE would have decided he didn’t deserve to get over, no matter how popular he might be). In the case of Orange Cassidy, AEW just got out of the way and let him do his thing.

The fans love these performers and that’s why they’re being pushed and protected. How novel.

THAT “BIG EVENT” FEEL

Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.

YouTube privacy policy

If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.

Cody vs MJF felt like a WrestleMania blood-feud fight, in that it was a big, bombastic, gimmicky, spectacle of a match, heavy on storytelling and pathos and less about technical wrestling. It’s the kind of big match that his daddy made his name having, but centered around a core story/blood feud.

The whole show felt like AEW’s WrestleMania, in fact. That’s probably because so many of the matches had literal months of build-up. WWE only puts that level of work into a PPV in the extended time between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania (and even then they have one or two shows to keep their lazy writers busy in the interim).

If we get this every three months I’ll be ecstatic, and the fact is we very well might. If the storytelling stays at this level, with three months of buildup every time, we’re looking at having not just one PPV a year being a big, important show, but every PPV.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Revolution ran about 3.5 hours, or half what WrestleMania is expected to go this year. By the time Mania’s main-event finally arrives, you can be sure the fans in attendance will be exhausted. Many of them will have left, in fact; that’s partially due to tiredness and partially because the main-event is typically not what fans care about, but I digress. Seven hours is just too much Wrestling.

The Chicago crowd for Revolution was on fire all night long, losing no energy at any point, not even during the matches that followed the hottest fights of the night. The passion of the crowd carried over into commentary, into the performances in the ring, even to those watching at home: A hot crowd can make any good show feel like a great one. Many WrestleManias that might’ve been regarded as great are, in fact, thought of as subpar, mostly because they overstayed their welcome.

Revolution left me wanting more.

10/10 – AEW’s first slow-burn PPV was a smashing success, setting the stage for more greatness to come.

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

6 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Gavin the Binge-Watcher

1 year ago

What stood out to me is how much each wrestler was putting their heart into it, especially Adam and Cody. The WWE is ruining Ricochet and it does my head in.

Drewsi

I love how AEW are given much more freedom than WWE stars. They can establish their own persona. I’m loving Page. It’s true, I was cheering for Jericho a year ago.

KeeperofUnicorns

Oh wow, it sounds like I missed some entertaining matches. It’s amazing that some of AEW’s rising stars were once lost among WWE’s massive roster. I wonder if Vince has any regrets about that.

Snarky-Guru

There are rumours going around that Kenny Omega broke his hand and suffered a head injury during his match. I hope he’s okay and that the rumours are untrue. He’s really making a name for himself and needs to keep the momentum going. I can imagine the frustration he’d feel at being injured now.

Reply to Snarky-Guru

I didn’t hear that. It’s understandable though. It was a great match! Full of crazy excitement. I really hope that he didn’t injure himself, for real.

Silver

As much as I already liked AEW, I was still pleasantly surprised that this PPV was as entertaining as it was from start to finish. I’m becoming a huge fan of MJF. He’s incredibly talented and I dig his persona.

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

AEW Revolution 2020 PPV Review

HANGMAN PAGE

LISTEN TO THE FANS

THAT “BIG EVENT” FEEL

FINAL THOUGHTS

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you