Post by sethisthegoat on Feb 21, 2023 10:16:21 GMT -5
AEW Revolution
Feb. 19, 2023
Live from Baton Rouge, La.
An intro video hypes up the show, talking about AEW as a revolution in pro wrestling and previewing the night’s slate of matches. (See Rampage for a full rundown of the background of the PPV matches).
Coach and Pat McAfee welcome viewers to Revolution and hype up the massive nine-match card, including intensely personal clashes between Bill Goldberg and Cody Rhodes, Paige VanZant and Ronda Rousey, and Taz and Raven. Aside from the matches, UWA/AEW Women’s Champion Jade Cargill will have a “chat” with Sasha Banks.
Match descriptions meant as highlights/important spots and not an exhaustive recap
Match 1 - Face of the Revolution Ladder Match - winner gets a shot at All-Atlantic Championship - MVP (3-1) vs. Brian Cage (10-3) vs. Big E (5-1) vs. RVD (1-0) vs. Jungle Boy (5-1) vs. Shawn Spears (11-5) vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. (0-0)
The wildcard opponent is revealed as Rey Mysterio Jr., making his AEW debut! A brass ring hangs from the rafters, as 4 ladders are set up around the ring.
- Cage and Big E pair off outside the ring and exchange blows, while Spears goes straight for RVD (who he says abandoned their team on Rampage). MVP goes straight for the ladder to start, but gets cut off by Jungle Boy.
- Mysterio hits the first big aerial move when he launches himself over the top rope and crashes into RVD and Spears on the outside;
Cage hits a Drill Claw on Big E on the outside, which puts E out for a while; - Cage nearly grabs the brass ring after clearing the ring of everyone; until Jungle Boy springboards and dropkicks the ladder, sending it and Cage crashing to the mat. Cage lands with his legs straddling the top rope and spills to the outside;
- RVD hits a modified Van Terminator — a coast to coast dropkick on Spears, with a ladder in place of a chair; MVP follows this up with the Playmaker on RVD, and he’s the only one in the ring now;
- Sammy Guevara makes a (not so) surprise appearance as MVP climbs the ladder. He pulls the Prime Time Playa down and tosses him from the ring. They brawl through the crowd, and MVP never returns to ringside;
- Big E hits the Big Ending on Jungle Boy on the outside, then goes for the brass ring himself, only to be cut off by Spears, who hits a vicious facebuster on a ladder that busts Big E Open;
- Mysterio follows that up with a 619 on Spears. Amidst the carnage, now Mysterio, Cage and RVD are standing in the ring;
- Two ladders are set up within grabbing distance of the brass ring, and the three men are on them. They’re at the top when Cage grabs both RVD and Mysterio by their throats, choking their life out. He shoves RVD off the ladder, and he crashes to the mat. Mysterio grabs hold of Cage’s arm and drops off the ladder, throwing Cage off-balance and crashing to the mat.
- Mysterio climbs back up the ladder and gets close to the top when Jungle Boy vaults out of nowhere and is on the other side of the ladder. The crowd goes wild as the two popular stars exchange punches until Mysterio finally wins out and knocks Jungle Boy off the ladder. Mysterio grabs the brass ring to earn the All-Atlantic Championship match opportunity against the winner of Samoa Joe and Gable Steveson. Match time: 18:39.
Match 2 - Tag Team Championship: Natural Selection (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) © (6-0) vs. Steiner Bros. (10-2) vs. New Day (7-4)
- The Steiners and New Day work together for the early part of the match, isolating Alexander from his corner, while Benjamin and Cesar Duran complain to the ref.
- The first turning point comes after Woods rolls Alexander up for a pin and Scott Steiner breaks it up. They get into a shoving match, which Scott ends with a belly-to-belly suplex.
- Hot tag to Benjamin, who springboard-dropkicks Scott down and hits a T-bone suplex for 2 on Kingston.
- The match turns into more of a free-for-all from here, with each team getting a chance to shine. Kingston hits the Trouble in Paradise on Alexander; Rick Steiner hits a bulldog on Woods, and Benjamin breaks up a pinning attempt.
- Toward the end of the match, Scott lifts Kingston up and Rick hits a bulldog off the top rope. Woods intervenes and spills to the outside with Rick, while Scott goes for a pin. Benjamin kicks Scott in the head, then he and Alexander team up for a Vertical suplex on Steiner, who lands on Kingston. Benjamin rolls him off and gets the pinfall victory at 13:48.
- Natural Selection celebrates the win, while the Steiners and New Day argue with each other.
Match 3 - Hardcore Match: Taz (0-1) vs. Raven (5-4)
- Raven brings a kendo stick to the ring, while Taz says he doesn’t need any weapons to rip Raven apart. Raven swings the stick at Taz, who ducks and goes behind him and hits a quick German suplex;
- Taz maintains control with a variety of suplexes and locks in a bow and arrow. Raven breaks the hold by raking Taz’s face;
- Raven picks up the kendo stick and smacks Taz over the head and on the back with it. He gets Taz down and uses the stick to choke out Taz;
- Taz grabs Raven’s hair and yanks on it, but Raven keeps the pressure on the choke;
- Taz breaks out by pushing up on his arms and rolling Raven onto his back. Raven lets go, and Taz rolls to the outside.
- They brawl around the outside; Raven smashes Taz’s head into the steel stairs; Taz hits a Belly to belly suplex and sends Raven into the barrier; Raven grabs a chair from under the ring and hits it across Taz’s back. Then he goes to the announcer’s desk and gets the ring bell.
- He swings it toward Taz, who ducks the blow and elbows Raven in the face;
- They get into the ring again and Raven tries for the Evenflow DDT. Taz gets out of it and slips behind Raven, where he locks in a Full Nelson and suplexes Raven (Tazzmissionplex) and goes for the pin. 1…2…3! Taz beats Raven in 9:38.
Match 4 - Jon Moxley (4-3) vs. Jeff Jarrett (9-4) w/ JBL
Before the match, a tribute to the recently passed Jerry Jarrett airs.
- Jarrett spends the early part of the match staying out of reach of Moxley, who grows increasingly frustrated. Mox dives in for a double-leg takedown, but Jarrett spins around and locks in a sleeper hold.
- Mox breaks the hold with a chinbuster, then twirls behind Jarrett and hits a German suplex. Mox hits a drop-toe hold and locks in an STF. JBL pushes the rope a little closer to Jarrett, allowing him to grab it and break the hold.
- While the ref is warning JBL, Jarrett low blows Mox, then hits a DDT and a neckbreaker. Jarrett goes for the Figure Four, but Mox shoves him of, then hits a Knee Lift, followed by the Midnight Special for a nearfall.
- Jarrett gets up and goes for Mox, but gets caught in the Paradigm Shift. JBL places Jarrett’s foot on the ropes, breaking the count. The ref then expels JBL to the back.
- Mox goes for another Paradigm Shift, but Jarrett dodges it and hits The Stroke, getting the pinfall at 13:45.
Match 5 - 2-of-3 falls match: Chosen Bros (6-2) vs. Beer Money (3-1)
- The match starts slow with a lot of mat wrestling between Riddle and Roode, until Cobb tags in and hits a triple rolling gutwrench on Storm.
- The teams battle for about 10 minutes when Storm hits the Eight Second Ride on Cobb for a nearfall. After this, Beer Money gets upset and Storm gets out a case of beer from under the ring. They are warned by the ref to not use it, but they hit Cobb full-on in the face with the case of beer, drawing a DQ for the first fall at 12:20.
- Cobb is taken to the back to get checked out, and Riddle stays in to fight. He puts up a good fight, getting in a series of kicks until the numbers game catches up to him. Storm hits the Sling Blade, then Storm and Roode team up for the DWI (Powerbomb-into-neckbreaker) that sees Beer Money pick up the second fall at 18:39.
- After the 30-second waiting period between falls, Riddle surprises Roode with a Bicycle Knee Strike, then hits the Bro to Sleep on Storm, who kicks out at 2. The numbers game catches back up, however, and Storm hits a superkick. He has to shake off some cobwebs before going for the pin, and Cobb comes running back out to break up the pin!
- Cobb is back in the corner now, and Beer Money isolates Riddle until Storm goes for a powerbomb that Riddle reverses into a hurricanrana. He makes a hot tag to Storm, who runs wild and hits the Tour of the Islands on Storm. Riddle launches himself at Roode on the outside while Cobb pins Storm, and the Chosen Bros are victorious with a total match time of 26:38.
Match 6 - Lion’s Den Match: Paige VanZant (9-4) vs. Ronda Rousey (3-2) - special guest ref - Herb Dean
Dean makes the competitors shake hands before ringing the bell.
- VanZant goes straight for Rousey with a series of jabs, backing Rousey up to the side of the cage. Rousey catches her arm and drags her into the side of the cage, then spins around and hits an O-goshi judo throw to take VanZant to the ground, where she locks in a Guillotine Choke.
VanZant uses the cage wall for leverage, walking up and pushing back against Rousey to break the hold. - The two trade blows back-and-forth, with each trying to focus on the other’s arms. VanZant catches Rousey with a vicious uppercut that knocks her to the mat. Dean lets the match continue as VanZant pounces and locks in a sleeper hold; Rousey breaks it with eye to VanZant’s face, as Dean warns her.
- Rousey executes an arm drag and locks in an armbar on VanZant’s newly healed arm. VanZant is able to kip up and break the hold. She smashes Rousey face first into the cage repeatedly, breaking Rousey open before Dean pulls her off. Rousey stumbles back, and VanZant hits a Pedigree before locking in her own armbar.
- Rousey struggles for a long time, but VanZant is able to eventually lock the arm in with leg scissors and Rousey taps, giving VanZant the win in 12:11.
UWA and AEW Women’s Champion Jade Cargill comes out to the ring next, fresh off of a win over NWA Women’s Champion Mandy Rose last night. She says she is unstoppable. Unfortunately, she won’t be in action tonight. All the fans in Baton Rouge can still see her, though. She calls out Sasha Banks. Banks says Cargill is just using last night as an excuse for avoiding a Banks rematch tonight.
Cargill replies that she’s a fighting champion — but her time and talents are more limited now. She’ll gladly defend both of her belts against Banks at Dynamite March Madness in a few weeks — provided that Banks survives until then. Banks looks confused, as a mystery woman enters the ring behind her. The woman twirls her around and hits a vicious spinebuster, followed by a big running splash.
Cargill says - “I’d like to introduce you to my new associate, Willow Nightingale. Sasha, you will never touch either of these titles as long as I am in this business.” Nightingale and Cargill leave up the ramp, as Banks recovers in the ring.
—
Match 7 - All-Atlantic Championship: Samoa Joe © (3-2) vs. Gable Steveson (9-1)
- Joe is methodical as he tries a variety of kicks and chops to start the match, but Steveson slips behind him and hits an Olympic Slam out of nowhere! He goes for a pin, but Joe kicks out at 2!
- Steveson goes for another Olympic Slam that Joe reverses into a Chimera-Plex.
After some mat wrestling, Steveson hits a vicious German suplex that sends Joe’s head smacking into the bottom turnbuckle. He covers Joe, but Joe’s foot is on the ropes. - Joe locks in the Coquina Clutch, but can’t get his legs scissored around Steveson, who is able to roll out of the hold. They stand and Steveson hits another Olympic Slam! He goes for the pin. 1…2…No! Joe kicks out again.
- Steveson has Joe in the corner and hits him with a series of body punches before Joe turns the tables and puts Steveson in the corner. He hits him with a series of backhand chops, then lifts Steveson to the top rope. Joe gets Steveson locked into a supersize Muscle Buster! And it hits. Joe gets the pinball at 11:49 and remains the All-Atlantic Champion.
Co-Main Event - FTW Championship: Hook © (11-3) vs. Malakai Black (10-3)
- Black is out to the ring alone as the last remaining member of the House of Black, Billy Kidman, has been released. He spends the early part of the match distracted, and Hook takes advantage with a series of strikes.
- The lights flicker, which seems to wake Black up, He hits a series of kicks to Hook’s stomach, then a hip toss and standing elbow drop.
- They spill to the outside, where they brawl at ringside. Black clotheslines Hook over the barrier and into the crowd. He hits Hook in the back with a chair; Hook smashes a can of beer in Black’s face, and it sprays everywhere;
- By the announce table, Hook lays Black out and goes to the top rope. He leaps off for an elbow drop, but Black rolls out of the way and Hook goes through the table. Pat McAfee complains that Hook spilled his drink.
- Black rolls Hook into the ring and locks in a Dragon Sleeper hold. Hook is nearly out, but rallies by standing up and elbowing Black’s midsection, but Black drops him with the inverted DDT.
- Black sits cross-legged, waiting for Hook to rise. As he does, Black pops up and spins for the Black Mass. Hook ducks it and locks in the REDRUM! Black resists, and Hook jumps up on his back, scissoring his legs around Black. Black slams back into a turnbuckle, but Hook keeps up the hold. He eventually wears Black down and they fall to the mat. Hook keeps the hold locked in and Black eventually goes out. The ref checks him and Black is out. Hook wins with the REDRUM in 16:31.
After the match, Hook walks up the ramp with the FTW belt. Taz meets him on the stage, where they embrace and head to the back.
The lights flicker and go out. The arena goes awash in red light as “What’s He Building” by Tom Waits starts playing over the speakers, giving an unsettling feeling across the arena.
A man emerges from backstage wearing a scarecrow mask and hair down to his shoulder. He’s a big man. Wearing overalls with his tattooed arms bare. He walks slowly down to the ring, where Malakai Black is now standing. Black lowers his head as the man enters the ring. The scarecrow man grabs Black by the throat and chokeslams him. He then gets out of the ring and pulls Black to the edge, tossing him on his shoulder. The man walks up the ramp and through the curtain.
—
McAfee and Coach look unsettled following a short ad promoting Double or Nothing in May. They start to hype up the AEW World Championship match between Cody Rhodes and Bill Goldberg, which is next.
Main Event - AEW World Championship: Cody Rhodes © (13-2) vs. Bill Goldberg (2-0)
- Goldberg tries to start fast, while Rhodes shows restraint, given the emotion leading up to the match. Rhodes wasn’t going to outpower Goldberg, but he was trying to outsmart and outwork him.
- Rhodes dropkicked Goldberg’s knee and took him to the mat with a bulldog, followed by an exposed kneedrop;
- Rhodes kept up the offense, working quickly but methodically and keeping Goldberg down. He locks in the Inverted Indian Deathlock and holds it in for a while, until Goldberg drags himself to the ropes. Goldberg’s legs are clearly bothering him, but he gets a second wind and shoves Rhodes away;
- Goldberg goes for a quick spear, but Rhodes drops to the side and ushers Goldberg through and makes his shoulder hit into the turnbuckle post; as Goldberg stumbles back, Rhodes locks in the CrossRhodes and hits it! He goes for the pinfall…1…2…Goldberg kicks out at 2!
- Rhodes lifts him up for a 2nd try, but Goldberg escapes the hold and bounces off the ropes into a spear! He lifts Rhodes up for a Jackhammer, but Goldberg’s legs buckle and Rhodes drops behind him. He spins Goldberg around and hits the Tiger Driver ‘98! Another pinfall attempt nets a 2-count, and Rhodes gets Goldberg into the corner.
- Goldberg reverses positions and drives his shoulder repeatedly into Rhodes’ gut. He lifts Rhodes onto the top turnbuckle and hits a superplex off the top rope! Both men struggle to stand. As they do, they exchange punches until Goldberg shoves him off and then explodes into another spear. Goldberg lifts Rhodes up for a Jackhammer again and hits it. Goldberg goes for the pin — 1…2…3! Bill Goldberg gets the win in 14:58 to become the new AEW Men’s World Champion to a mixed reaction of cheers and boos. He holds the belt high over his head. Rhodes sits up and looks on, distraught, before walking off as the show ends, showing a triumphant Goldberg in the ring.