The day is finally here: AEW returns to Chicago for “Revolution” this Saturday night, 8pm EST/7pm CST, LIVE on pay-per-view! This event is SOLD OUT at the Wintrust Arena, so the only way you can catch all the action is on PPV through your traditional providers, or courtesy of BRLive (Click Here) for just $49.99! For those attending live, doors will open at the venue at 5pm CST, and there will be some EXCLUSIVE merchandise available to those in the house Saturday night!
And for those in town, make sure to swing by C2E2 at McCormick Place, specifically Booth #107, for your chance to meet the wrestlers of AEW as well as pick up some convention exclusive merchandise! We've got all the details right here (Click Here) on the C2E2 festivities!
All Elite Wrestling is taking over Chicago all weekend long, but the main event is Saturday night with “Revolution” and its three World Title matches, the most anticipated grudge match in company history, and plenty more for your wrestling palate! Let's take a look at what got us here to the Wintrust Arena!
AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE MATCH
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Jon Moxley
Fans have been clamoring for Jon Moxley to have this opportunity since he debuted in All Elite Wrestling at “Double or Nothing”. They have rooted him on through Unsanctioned Lights Out fights with Joey Janela and Kenny Omega, had his back as he made clear his intentions to take the AEW World Title from Chris Jericho, and rallied alongside Mox as he went to war with The Inner Circle.
Even when Moxley debated on the decision to accept Le Champion's offer to join The Inner Circle, to accept the car, the money, the glitz and glam, not to mention the ownership cut of the Inner Circle IP, the fans were there to let Jon know how they felt. So it was with joyous exuberance that they erupted when Moxley cracked a bottle of the Bubbly across the skull of Jericho, and ignited a war that has left both individuals with their share of scars.
Jericho and his Inner Circle attempted to take the eye of Jon after he defeated Sammy Guevara in a mini-tournament to crown the #1 Contender, stabbing him in the face, forcing Moxley to function on a daily basis, not just compete, while wearing an eye patch. Still, that impediment did not stop Jon from defeating PAC on the Jericho Cruise to officially become the next challenger for the championship.
As the situation escalated, fans have seen Moxley defeat both Santana and Ortiz, the former after Moxley engaged in some “eye for an eye” justice, stabbing one-half of Proud-n-Powerful with the very key to the car Jericho offered Jon. Yet, after that victory over Santana, Moxley fell victim to a massive assault from The Inner Circle that was capped off by Jeff Cobb making his AEW debut, and laying out the #1 Contender with a Tour of The Islands. One week later, Moxley had to compete against Cobb in a one-on-one battle, pulling out victory against Jericho's hired gun, but only just.
It all came to violent head this Wednesday on “Dynamite” during the official weigh-in for the World Title Match. You can see the chaos unfold right here (Click Here), but the end result saw a bloody Chris Jericho (possibly with a broken nose from a headbutt) deliver a Judas Effect elbow (with some help from a Santana low blow) and then drop Jon Moxley on his head onto the weigh-in platform with a Paradigm Shift DDT.
The final visual before “Revolution” was of the AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, bloodied though he may have been, standing tall over the prone form of Jon Moxley. Will this be the same sight we experience this Saturday night on “Revolution”? Will Chris Jericho's 180+ days reign over AEW continue on, or will Jon Moxley bring a violent end to Le Champion at The Wintrust Arena?
Mox has been through hell the last several months courtesy of Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle, and Saturday night he finally gets his opportunity to make it all worthwhile by beating Jericho, claiming the AEW World Title as his own, and leading All Elite Wrestling forward in 2020. Conversely Jericho can dash the hopes and dreams of Moxley, and the fans of AEW, by delivering that Judas Effect one more time and putting Jon down like a rabid dog.
FINALLY...
Cody vs. MJF (w/ Wardlow)
This moment has been coming since “Full Gear” in November, since MJF threw in the towel during Cody's World Title bout against Chris Jericho to seemingly save his mentor from imminent injury while locked in a deep Walls of Jericho. Not only did that action stop any hope of Cody winning the World Title in Baltimore that night, but due to a stipulation added to the match by Cody himself, “The American Nightmare” could no longer challenge for that championship ever again. Those were just the first of two injuries endured that night by Cody.
The third, and truly most painful, came when Max entered into the ring seemingly to apologize for his actions, but in truth it was merely for MJF to deliver a devastating low blow to his “mentor”, and rub salt into the open wound. From that moment forward, Cody made it his mission to get Maxwell Jacob Friedman to agree to a one-on-one contest. He went so far as to promise the world, to quite literally offer the clothes off his back, in order to get Max inside the ring. It was a heated moment, rather rash in hindsight, but that was the kind of fire Cody had in his soul to make Max pay for his betrayal.
In truth it wasn't a betrayal, at least not to everyone on the outside looking in, because fans and wrestlers alike pretty much expected this behavior out of MJF from jump street. In fact, it was a shock to many that it didn't come sooner, it even had many believe the friendship between MJF and Cody was genuine. Maybe Cody's belief that Max was “a bad guy, but my bad guy” was indeed fact, and that despite his behavior towards everyone else, he actually had allegiance to Cody. “Full Gear” served as that cold hard reality that MJF is only loyal to one person, and that's the man he admires in the mirror many times a day.
So perhaps it was one day, while eye-balling his own reflection, that Max came up with his three stipulations in order for Cody to get his desired fight with “Revolution” set as the location. One stipulation mandated that Cody receive 10 lashes on live TV, an attempt to not only humiliate the man, but also break his spirit, make him quit just a few weeks away from the fight. After enduring 8 lashes from MJF, it took one whip from Wardlow to render Cody nearly unable to continue. But the presence of his friends, his family, and ultimately his wife Brandy enabled him to rally, to taste that final lash, and check that one off the list of Max's demands.
Next up on the list: fight Wardlow inside a Steel Cage match in Atlanta, in front of Cody's hometown audience. The goal here was clear, and it had very little to do with “Mr. Mayhem” actually winning his AEW debut match. Rather it was about delivering pain, making Cody hurt, making him bleed maybe, simply doing whatever damage possible to leave him weak just 10 days out of “Revolution”. The stipulations said nothing about Cody winning, about Wardlow winning, just simply that he had to compete inside the cage. It is to his credit that Cody, bloodied and battered, ascended to the top of the cage and drilled Wardlow with a moonsault to secure the victory. Check the next requirement off the list...
The hardest stipulation Cody had to adhere to sounded the simplest on paper, but in reality may have been the most grueling. He was not allowed to lay a hand on MJF until the pay-per-view Saturday night, or else lose the opportunity to fight Max. Saying it's difficult to NOT punch MJF in the face just because he exists is a gross understatement; his face almost demands being slapped and his general attitude does nothing but encourage that response. Yet Cody persevered, restrained his anger, and can check that one off the list as well.
The three demands have been met, and now Maxwell Jacob Friendman has no choice but to meet the man he stabbed in the back inside the squared circle live on pay-per-view in front of the whole world. There is no more running, there are no more obstacles to put in Cody's path, it is time for MJF's proverbial “come to Jesus” meeting, only the likelihood it results in a positive change for the holder of the Dynamite Diamond Ring is highly unlikely.
There is no redemption to be had for MJF, no forgiveness, just a receipt for the last three months of hell Cody has had to endure to get to this point.
“The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies.” - Anonymous
AEW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
Kenny Omega & Hangman Adam Page (c) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
This match is all about two things: the World Tag Team Titles and The Elite. The latter is a bond, a connection, something that has been forged through many miles on the road, many matches inside the ring, and a great deal of time spent in one locker room after another. And even though Adam Page has distanced himself from that unit, even though he expressed his own feelings of never fitting in on this week's “Being The Elite” episode (Watch Here), his membership in that brotherhood isn't something the other members are letting just dissipate. Sadly though, in listening to the words Page utters in that video before he departs Kenny, he seems rather fatalistic. “We've had a good run” comes across like Adam thinks this championship reign is over before this match has even begun. Then, this past Wednesday on “Dynamite”, a sit-down interview (Watch Here) between the two teams hosted by Jim Ross turned sour as tensions between Page, Matt, and Nick escalated, then turned to some rather derisive remarks thrown both ways.
Now take this rather personal situation, add in the factor of the World Tag Titles, and the situation only becomes more comples. It was only a few weeks ago on the Jericho Cruise, shortly after Page & Omega won the belts, that Hangman poked fun at Matt and Nick for having not won the championship belts yet. To be fair, as they talked about in the “Road to Kansas City” (Watch Here), The Young Bucks are just as hard on themselves about not being the faces of the division they aimed to cultivate in All Elite Wrestling. They failed in the World Tag Team Title Tournament to crown the first champions, they failed to defeat SCU to become the 2nd champions, and now are faced with defeating their Elite brothers (estranged though Page may be) in an attempt to become the 3rd champions. The Bucks have been champions many times over during the course of their career, but being the figureheads of the tag team division in the company they helped will into existence? Now that is the feat Matt and Nick crave accomplishing right now, but then what becomes of the brothers who sit at the foundation of the tag division if they once again fail in their bid? Will they forever be known as just the foundation, but never the kings of the mountain?
And finally, what becomes of Hangman Page if he and Kenny do lose the tag team championship? It certainly appears that the only thing keeping Adam from spiraling completely out of control is this partnership with Omega. If that ends, and Hangman Page loses what little direction he currently has, what will become of this man who was once in contention to become the very first World Champion?
AEW WOMEN'S WORLD TITLE MATCH
“The Native Beast” Nyla Rose (c) vs. (#2) Kris Statlander
Nyla Rose is only recently crowned the AEW Women's World Champion but it did not take long for contender's to step to the plate to challenge her for that championship. Statlander, Swole, Shanna, Baker, name a woman on the AEW roster and they all want a chance to dethrone “The Native Beast” sooner rather than later. But it is Statlander, with her number two standing in the rankings, who will get the first opportunity to slay the Beast. Coming off strong victories over Shanna in Atlanta and Diamante in Corpus Christi, Statlander boasts one of the most impressive records on the roster, and certainly can lay additional claim to deserving another title shot with the tainted fashion in which her challenge against Riho went down.
Rose, with a raging fire inside her ever since coming back from a late 2019 suspension, finally destroyed the monkey on her back when she defeated Riho in Corpus Christi on February 12th. And the anger she demonstrated in that interview with Tony Schiavone above, well that is the kind of motivation that lends itself towards either maintaining the championship or turns to a blinding rage that blurs focus and costs titles.
Saturday night we shall find out if this is the beginning of the Era Of The Beast, or if Statlander will roll her momentum into a championship victory and bring an abrupt end to Rose's hopes of dominating the division going forward.
Dustin Rhodes vs. Jake Hager
This one has been boiling on the back burner since before the “Full Gear” PPV event back in November. Just prior to that, while AEW World Champion Chris Jericho and Cody were engaged in the contract signing for their Baltimore battle, Dustin was attacked by members of The Inner Circle, and his arm was broken when Jake Hagaer slammed Rhodes' arm in a car door. It was intended as message to Cody, but what it truly served to do was light a fuse inside the legendary veteran that is ready to explode come “Revolution”.
Fans have seen Dustin go to war numerous times over the years, and right here in AEW, his bloody battle with Cody from “Double or Nothing” was names 2019 PWI Match of the Year. Dustin has proven since the inception of All Elite Wrestling that with him it's not a case of “you still got it”, but rather “you never lost it”. And cast or no cast, Dustin had no problem diving into the fray be it on his own, at his brother's side, alongside Sonny Kiss in tag team action, against The Inner Circle, to step to MJF and Wardlow, it doesn't matter the opponent, Dustin just keep stepping.
On the other side of the ring Saturday night, finally making his AEW in-ring debut, will be Jake Hager who has lived by the motto “just keep backpedaling” since he arrived at the side of Chris Jericho. Serving as the red right hand of Le Champion, Hager has had no problem taking cheap shots when possible, joining in on mass beatdowns of The Inner Circle's enemies, and well, just standing there really. He does carve an intimidating presence but at some point, much like Wardlow inside the Steel Cage, Hager was going to have to step up instead of back down and prove his mettle. He may come to AEW with a championship pedigree in the wrestling world at large, as well as an MMA record to boot, but Hager has not been in a position to demonstrate what he is capable of in this world.
The final shots were fired this week when Dustin Rhodes lent a hand while The Inner Circle assaulted Jon Moxley in the aftermath of the attempted weigh-in. Dustin and Hager would brawl out of the ring, and out onto the concourse area while the situation inside the ring escalated even further.
So now is that time, the time for Hager to show that he is more than a strong arm for the champ, or the time for Dustin Rhodes to put Jake in his past and move on to the next big thing in his legendary career. Both men have been in the intense heat of the spotlight on many occasions, but which one shall rise this time?
“The Spanish God” Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin
It may be safe to say that Sammy Guevara has very little notion of what he has gotten himself into with this one. Already braggadocious by nature, Sammy's allegiance to The Inner Circle has further boosted that ego, and being christened “The Spanish God” by World Champion Chris Jericho certainly didn't help to quell that inflated sense of self-importance.
Perhaps that is why Sammy felt he could assault Darby (with the Inner Circle around him mind you), and spike Allin's own skateboard into his throat, presumably in hopes of crippling the man and leaving him unable to compete inside the squared circle. Unfortunately for Guevara, that was not the case as last week Allin made his return to AEW and fearlessly came at The Inner Circle as they assaulted Jon Moxley. As seen in the video above, Darby would then deliver a message to Sammy about this match going down come “Revolution”.
Quickly it was made official, and now this Saturday night Sammy Guevara will have to pay for the sins he has committed against Darby Allin. Will there be any members of The Inner Circle in his corner? As of the time of this writing, Santana and Ortiz are not engaged in another match so perhaps they could accompany their ally to the ring, but whether the presence of reinforcements is of no consequence to Darby Allin. Much like Jon Moxley, Sammy would not hesitate to take on the whole of The Inner Circle on his own in order to accomplish his goal. And that goal come Chicago: make Sammy Guevara suffer, a message Darby delivered very loudly this week on “Dynamite” with a sign that said “The Coffin Will Drop”, as well as getting involved in the show ending chaos that erupted from the World Heavyweight Title weigh-in. Unfortunately for Allin, that involvement ended badly for him when Sammy drilled him across the skull with a knee and then broke Darby's skateboard across his head.
The time for a resolution between Darby and Sammy is right around the corner; the Inner Circle can't protect him, and Darby could care less if any of them even try. It's time to pay the piper Mr. Guevara...
PAC vs. “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy
Coming straight out of the above events on Wednesday night's edition of “Dynamite”, this first time ever one-on-one meeting of PAC and Orange Cassidy will go down in Chicago at “Revolution”! PAC is clearly enraged by the results of his Iron Man match against Kenny Omega, and will look to unleash all of that fury and disappointment on Orange. And for Cassidy, entering into his first singles match since arriving in AEW, he could not have ended up with stiffer competition. So this is the platform for Cassidy, as Chuck Taylor said “actually try”, and show that he has all the skills to hang with the world class PAC, to defeat “The Bastard” even.
But the thought of a PAC who loses this match, just after losing the Omega match, well that's one of the scariest possibilities imaginable as “The Bastard” has proven to be barely hinged, an angry evil monster when at his worst. Just something to keep in mind when rooting Cassidy to victory Saturday night...
“Revolution” comes your way live on pay-per-view this Saturday night from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL! We are sold out at the arena, but you can catch all the action on your PPV providers and on BRLive (Buy Here) at 8pm EST/7pm CST! With three titles on the line, plus the long brewing Cody/MJF battle, who knows what the face of AEW will look like when the sun rises on Sunday morning!?!?