Tony Khan addressed his wrestlers appearing for New Japan Pro Wrestling during last night’s post-event media scrum.
“We all definitely watch a lot of New Japan in this room. I think they are a great company and a lot of my people have worked shows there and I have no problem with guys – as long as its not interfering on a regular basis with what we do on Wednesdays and with our PPVs, guys working there. That’s some of the flexibility we have. Can’t have it all the time but I think it’s been fine for me, it doesn’t really bother me.”
Khan continued to talk more about NJPW.
“Hasn’t really been a 2-way street,” Khan continued. “Haven’t seen a lot of their guys here. Don’t hear from them often but if you guys are watching this you’re welcome for all the great stuff I’ve done for you and if you’d ever like to send somebody here to do work, I would treat them respectfully like you’ve treated my guys because generally when my people worked there you’ve done right by them. You being New Japan.”
Khan’s post-event media scrum can be viewed in its entirety in the player below:
Jon Moxley is the new AEW World Champion. He defeated Chris Jericho for the title at AEW Revolution last night from Chicago’s Wintrust Arena. Moxley spoke to reporters following last night’s event and spoke about what the win means to him.
“I’m feeling pretty f***ing about it, to be honest with you,” Moxley said when asked about his decision to come to AEW to kick off the scrum.
“That feeling of satisfaction of piece of work, that artistic satisfaction. 8 weeks of beginning to end, a piece of work. It’s like popping f***ing bubble wrap, it’s so satisfying. It’s why we do this and to be standing there in an arena full of thousands of of people and they’re so happy. They’ve been on the ride, they’ve been on the journey. It’s like a painting I can hang on my wall and always look at.”
Moxley also spoke about conversations he had a year ago discussing what the goal of AEW was to be.
“Pro-wrestling, I’m telling you it works. It’s like Mac and Cheese, it always works, it’s always good and we’ve brought that back to the people.”
Moxley also suggested during the interview that he might not want Cody to adhere to the stipulation that he can never challenge for the world title again.
“I’m not playing that game, I’m not going to live in a world where ‘oh you beat everybody except for Cody because he had the thing with MJF.’ If he feels he can beat me, he better damn sure expect to get in the ring with me and we’re going to wave the little rule.”
“If he thinks he can beat me, I insist that he give it a try.”
Moxley’s full media scrum can be viewed in the player below:
Tony Khan spoke to members of the media last night following AEW Revolution from Chicago. Khan spoke on a number of issues including his role
Khan noted that while there have been reports that his role on the creative team has increased in recent weeks, he’s always been the final say. He is the filter because there are so many ideas from wrestlers that you can’t do them all.
The word “War Games” will not be used in relation to the 2-ring event on March 25th, 2020. The term they are using is “Blood and Guts Match.”
Had mixed feelings toward Cody’s neck tattoo. It could be a hindrance if he wants certain acting roles, however, but said it works great if Cody just wants to be a “badass wrestler.”
Khan would like to keep All Out in Chicago, says the market has been great for them.
They are trying to hit different markets for Dynamite but moving it internationally could be tough because of time zones and wanting to keep the show live.
Colt Cabana has signed. He is coming in as a wrestler, announcer, and coach. He also has the ability to work other places as well.
No update on negotiations with Jeff Cobb but talks are ongoing.
Awesome Kong helps to produce the women’s matches but is currently filming the final season of Netflix’s GLOW.
He checks in with TNT from time to time when there are ideas that are little “out there” but they have been very supportive.
Khan described the Dark Order has a “huge evil corporation” and said it is really developing into something he thinks fans will like. He would not speculate or comment on Matt Hardy, however.
He said everyone at AEW watches a lot of NJPW and he has no problem with his guys working there. He noted that it hasn’t been a 2-way street with them, however.
Cody Rhodes debuted a new neck tattoo before yesterday’s AEW Revolution PPV. The tattoo has drawn strong reactions, both positive and negative, from fans.
AEW posted the following closer look at Cody’s new ink:
Brandi Rhodes was asked about the tattoo during the post-event media scrum last night. The former leader of the Nightmare Collective is not a fan of Cody’s new ink.
“I’m the one person that doesn’t like the neck tattoo, I don’t like it,” Brandi said. “I’ve said it, there it is.”
“I know a lot of wives like to be really hands-on,” Brandi said. “My husband makes his own decisions. He’s allowed to make his own decisions. So, if I decided to do something crazy, he can just let me make my own decisions.”
Brian Pillman Jr. offered up an interesting reason as to why Cody put the tattoo in a hard-to-cover place.
Simple. He's wearing it on his neck so it's always visible, can't be covered up easily. It's symbolic of him going "all-in" on his brand and his company and not having a backup plan. It means he's literally got his neck on the line for AEW and his family. SKIN IN THE GAME!!! https://t.co/7MpqXPbDtw
Some feel so strongly about Cody’s tattoo that they have started a GoFundMe to have it removed.
“Cody just unveiled a horrible tattoo on AEW Revolution. The tattoo clearly was a major factor in him losing his match against MJF, and it’s just really really ugly. I’m sure Cody is embarrassed and probably regrets it. Let’s raise some money so Cody can afford to get it removed,” a description of the GoFundMe readds.
The Young Bucks decided to reduce their social media presence last year. They have since left Twitter and according to the brothers, this move has helped spark creativity in them.
The duo recently had an interview with Sporting News where
they talked about things like the early success of AEW, their tag match at
Revolution and more.
Talking about their decision to leave social media, the Bucks claimed that they had been discussing it for a while and Nick Jackson then revealed a particular moment which helped solidify his decision:
“There’s one particular moment where it hit me where I was
reading stuff about the show, and my kids were playing, and they were like,
‘Daddy come play with me.’ And I wasn’t listening to them. They had to shake me
and said, ‘Daddy, come play with me.’
And then I looked at my phone and was like, ‘What am I doing? I’m wasting time on this fake thing that doesn’t matter. It doesn’t affect my life, I’m taking time doing this instead of playing with my children at home. How selfish of a human being am I to do this?’”
Speaking of the difference this move has made, Matt Jackson said that the shows have been a lot better for them.
The Young Bucks explained how negative comments on social media affect them saying that they stay in the back of your head even if you don’t believe them.
Apart from this, The Young Bucks talked about not making any money in wrestling during their initial days, adjusting into the executive roles and more. You can check out their full interview at this link.
Cody Rhodes created some buzz recently when he said that he wouldn’t mind taking Dynamite out of its current slot on Wednesday nights and move it to Monday. However, the AEW President Tony Khan doesn’t seem to be a fan of the idea and it appears that he believes that Wednesdays are the best spot for them.
The AEW CEO was asked about Cody’s comments during the post Revolution media scrum and he said that while Cody is one of his best friends, as the president he is saying that they are on Wednesday nights: (Transcription: SEScoops.com)
“I think Cody brings (a lot) to the company both on-screen and off-screen. He is one of my best friends.” said Tony Khan. “That may be his view for 5 years. As his personal view and that might even be his view as the executive vice president but as the president and CEO, I am telling you we are on Wednesday nights, I want to be on Wednesday nights.
I have no intention of moving for a variety of reasons and I am really happy with where we are (in the) the relationship with TNT. It’s a night that works great for them. We have been a top performer for them. We are doing great on Wednesdays and I want to stay there. “
Tony Khan continued by explaining how he believes Monday Night Football is the greatest franchise on cable and he never wants to compete with them. Apart from this, the AEW president also discussed Jon Moxley’s Championship win at Revolution and revealed how he feels about Cody Rhodes’ new tattoo. You can check out his full interview below:
AEW Revolution aired live from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Chris Jericho defended the AEW Championship against Jon Moxley in the main event.
AEW Revolution Results:
Jake Hager def. Dustin Rhodes
Darby Allin def. Sammy Guevara
Omega & Hangman def. the Young Bucks to retain the titles
Nyla Rose def. Kris Statlander to retain the AEW Women’s Championship
MJF def. Cody
Pac def. Orange Cassidy
Jon Moxley def. Chris Jericho to become the new AEW Champion
Here are 7 takeaways from AEW Revolution:
Jake Hager Picked Up His First WinIn AEW
Dustin Rhodes squared off against Jake Hager to start off the show. Hager kissed his wife in the front row before the match.
Match Recap: Dustin controlled the match early and beat Jake down outside the ring. Hager battled back with a Clothesline for a two count. Hager leveled Rhodes with an elbow to the face and posed in the ring as his wife cheered him on. Dustin knocked Hager to the canvas and then Rhodes kissed Hager’s wife. Jake connected with a Vader Bomb for a two count.
Dustin bounced Hager’s head off the steel steps and then unloaded some right hands in the corner. Rhodes hit a boot to the midsection and Code Red for a near fall. Dustin went for an Arm Bar but Hager countered into an Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. Dustin broke free and Hager sent him towards referee Aubrey Edwards. Hager capitalized on the distraction and hit a low blow. Hager then put Rhodes to sleep with a Standing Arm Triangle for the victory.
Darby Allin faced Sammy Guevera tonight at Revolution.
Match Recap: Allin hit a Suicide Dive right away and then Dropkicked Sammy into the barricade. Darby hung up Sammy on the barricade and went for another Suicide Dive but his foot got caught on the ropes. Sammy grabbed the skateboard and hit Allin with it before setting up a table. Guevara then set up Darby on the table and hit an absolutely insane 630 Senton off the top rope. Allin slowly made his way into the ring and the match officially started.
Sammy hit a Running Knee to the face and went for the cover but Darby kicked out at two. Allin locked in an Arm Bar while bending Sammy’s fingers back. Guevara used his legs to reach the bottom rope to break the hold. Sammy hit a Stomp off the top rope and went for the cover but Allin kicked out at two. Sammy followed it up with a Spanish Fly for another near fall. Darby sent Sammy into an exposed turnbuckle and followed it up with a Stunner. Allin then hit the Coffin Drop for the pinfall victory. After the match, Darby tried to attack Sammy with the skateboard but Hager made the save and got him out of the ring.
Opinion: Allin and Sammy had an awesome match tonight. The Coffin Drop is easily one of my favorite finishers right now and Allin’s completely fearlessness in the ring is impressive to watch.
Kenny Omega & Hangman Page defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against The Young Bucks tonight at Revolution.
Match Recap: Hangman Page got a tremendous reaction when he tagged in and the crowd chanted “cowboy sh*t!”. Page and Matt went back and forth for a bit and then Matt offered a handshake. Hangman responded by spitting in Matt’s face and that pissed him off. Matt tacked Hangman and hit him with a flurry of punches to the face. Matt continued to unload punches to Hangman’s face until Nick broke it up. Nick tagged in and Hangman slapped him in the face. Matt tagged back in and levled Hangman with a Dropkick. Page hit Matt with a couple shots to his lower back.
Hangman tagged in Omega by slapping his chest and started barking orders at him. Page quickly tagged back in and leveled Nick Jackson with a cheap shot that knocked him off the apron. Page was about to Powerbomb Matt through a table but Hangman stopped him. Matt Jackson hit a double Northern Lights Suplex out of nowhere and finally was able to tag Nick in. Nick hit Hangman with a Facebuster and then Moonsaulted onto Omega outside the ring.
Matt tagged in and spit in Hangman’s face on the apron. Nick tripped up Hangman on the apron and Omega couldn’t tag out. Matt planted Omega with a massive Piledriver for a two count. Page tagged in and unloaded several Clotheslines. Hangman hit a Fallaway Slam on Matt and then Clotheslines him out of the ring. Page then Moonsaulted onto the Young Bucks outside the ring.
Hangman demanded that Matt tag in and the two started trash talking as the crowd was behind Page. Hangman and Omega took turns beating Matt down before Nick tagged in. Nick hit an awesome Destroyer for a near fall. Hangman sent Nick out of the ring then booted Matt in the knee. Page locked in the Chicken Wing as Nick climbed to the top rope. Nick broke it up with a 450 Splash and Matt went for the cover but Hangman kicked out at two.
Page planted Nick with a Blockbuster Suplex and Omega followed it up with a V-Trigger but Matt broke up the cover. Omega hit Nick with a couple Snap Dragon Suplexes and then the Tiger Driver 98 for a near fall. Matt then planted Hangman with three Northern Lights Suplexes on the entrance ramp. Young Bucks followed it up with a Meltzer Driver on Hangman Page on the ramp as the crowd booed. Matt and Nick leveled Omega with several Superkicks.
Young Bucks hit the Golden Trigger and went for the cover but Kenny kicked out at one. Matt stomped on Omega’s injured shoulder several times. Young Bucks set up for the Meltzer Driver but Hangman broke it up and Powerbombed Nick through the table. Hangman and Kenny hit the Buckshot Lariat/ V-Trigger combo on Matt but he somehow kicked out at two.
Hangman tagged in and planted Matt with the One Winged Angel (Omega’s finisher) but Nick broke it up at two. Page leveled Nick with a Buckshot Lariat outside the ring and then delivered another one to Matt in the ring for the pinfall victory. After the match, it seemed like Hangman was going to level Omega with the Buckshot Lariat but he opted not to.
Opinion: This match was everything I wanted it to and more. It was thirty minutes of flawless tag team wrestling and it is going to be pretty much impossible to follow this match tonight.
Nyla Rose defended her AEW Women’s Championship against Kris Statlander tonight at the PPV.
Match Recap: Statlander controlled the match early and connected with a Standing Moonsault for a two count. Kris went for a Spear through the ropes but Nyla avoided it and Statlander crashed on the entrance ramp.
Rose hit a Spear of her own and went for the cover but Statlander kicked out a two. Kris hit a Superkick and both women fell to the canvas. Statlander sent Nyla to the outside and hit her with a Suicide Dive. Statlander hit another one that sent Rose crashing into the barricade.
Back in the ring, Statlander hit a Dropkick and went for the cover but Rose kicked out at two. Rose hung up Statlander on the ropes but Kris broke free by doing a handstand. Statlander hit a boot to the face and followed it up with a DDT for a two count.
Nyla planted Statlander with the Beast Bomb and went for the cover but Kris kicked out at two. Rose climbed to the top rope but Kris caught her with a punch to the face. Statlander planted Rose with a Superplex and went for the cover but Rose kicked out at two. Statlander went for a Hurricanrana but Nyla caught her with a Beast Bomb of the second rope for the pinfall victory. Nyla Rose is still the AEW Women’s Champion.
Opinion: Rose and Statlander were put in an impossible position trying to follow the epic Tag Team Championship match. They did the best they could to get the crowd invested in this turned out to be a solid match. The lack of build and poor placement on the card made it pretty much impossible for the crowd to be invested in this match.
MJF and Cody finally squared off tonight at AEW Revolution. Downstait played Cody’s entrance theme live at the PPV.
Match Recap: MJF spent the beginning of the match avoiding Cody and hopped into the crowd. MJF slapped the hat off a fan’s head before Cody caught up to him. MJF poked Cody in the eye and then stomped on Cody’s broken toe.
Brandi threw a beer and Wardlow’s face and he chased after her. Cody hit Wardlow with a Suicide Dive that sent him flying into the barricade. Back in the ring, MJF battled back and locked in the Salf of the Earth (Arm Bar) in the middle of the ring. Cody was forced to bite the rope to break the hold.
MJF ripped off Cody’s boot to expose his broken toe. MJF then savagely bit the toe as the crowd chanted “you sick f*ck!”. Cody battled back and planted MJF with a reverse Superplex. Cody hit a Disaster Kick but Wardlow hopped up on the ring apron. Arn Anderson grabbed a steel chair from under the ring and walked towards Wardlow.
Cody bounced MJF’s face off the steel steps and busted him open. MJF planted Cody with a Piledriver and went for the cover while using the ropes for leverage. The ref caught it as Brandi went for a Crossbody on Wardlow. Wardlow caught and dropped her and Cody went for a big boot. Wardlow got out of the way and Cody accidentally hit Arn Anderson with a boot to the face.
Back in the ring, MJF hit Cody with low blow and went for the cover but Cody kicked out at two. In an insane spot, Cody went for a Suplex but MJF held on and both men fell to the floor. Back in the ring, MJF whipped Cody with his own belt before the ref ripped it away. Cody hit MJF with a low blow and slammed him to the mat for a two count.
Cody whipped MJF with the belt before the referee grabbed it. Cody shouted let me have one more and referee Paul Turner let him have do it. Cody launched the belt into the crowd as MJF cowered to the corner of the ring. MJF crawled to Cody’s foot and started crying. MJF then hugged Rhodes in the ring before spitting in his face. Cody hit MJF with two Cross Rhodes and set up for a third but MJF used the Dynamite Diamond Ring and punched Cody in the face. MJF fell onto Cody for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I don’t think this match lived up to the hype but it still was very solid and felt old school. I liked the finish and it was the right decision to have MJF get this win. MJF is going to be a huge star in AEW for years to come and a victory over Cody will only that.
Match Recap: Orange Cassidy threw Pac to the mat and put his hands in his pocket. Pac and Cassidy traded lazy kicks before Pac shoved him to the mat. The crowd chanted “fight forever” as Cassidy leveled Pac with a Dropkick. Cassidy rolled up Pac for a two count and Pac rolled out of the ring to regroup.
Pac planted Cassidy with a Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker and sent Cassidy to the outside. Pac launched Cassidy into the ring post and rolled him back into the ring. He climbed to the top rope and hit a massive Dropkick. Pac followed that up with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Cassidy kicked out at two.
Pac perched Cassidy up on the top turnbuckle and planted him with a Brainbuster. Pac went for the cover but pulled Cassidy up at two. Pac went back up to the top rope but Cassidy rolled out of the ring as the crowd jokingly chanted “holy sh*t!”. Pac rolled Cassidy back in the ring but Cassidy rolled to the outside to a thunderous reaction from the crowd. Cassidy then smired at Pac and hit him with a Suicide Dive and then a DDT for a two count as the crowd was going insane.
Orange Cassidy hit a Superman Punch and then a Stunner. Cassidy climbing to the top rope but Pac tripped him up with a Dropkick. Cassidy hit Pac with a DDT and followed it up with a diving DDT but Pac rolled out of the ring. Trent threw Pac into the ring and Cassidy connected with an Air Raid Crash for a two count. Lucha Bros then rushed the ring and brawled with Best Friends. Pac then locked in the Brutalizer and Cassidy tapped out.
Opinion: This match was fun as hell and the crowd added so much to it. There are plenty of people that cannot stand Orange Cassidy’s shtick but I find it hilarious.
Chris Jericho defended the AEW Championship against Jon Moxley in the main event of AEW Revolution. Santana and Ortiz accompanied Jericho to the ring as a choir sang Judas (Jericho’s theme) on the entrance ramp. Aubrey was the referee for the match.
Match Recap: Moxley went right after Jericho to start things off and sent him over the barricade and into the crowd. Jericho and Moxley battled through the crowd as Aubrey elected not to end the match in a DQ. Jericho grabbed a camera and filmed himself giving the middle finger to Moxley.
Jon responded by biting Jericho’s face where the stitches were from the headbutt on Wednesday night. Jericho slammed Moxley’s face into the ring post as Santana and Ortiz cackled in his face. Moxley was busted open and Jericho capitalized with a few punches to the face. Jericho Powerbombed Moxley onto the timekeeper’s table and posed in the ring.
Moxley got back into the ring and Jericho beat him down while shouting that Jon was a piece of sh*t. Jericho rang the bell and declared himself the winner before returning to the ring to stomp on Moxley in the corner. Jericho distracted the referee as Santana and Ortiz beat Moxley down outside the ring. Jericho then launched Moxley into the steel steps.
Back in the ring, Jericho perched Moxley up on the top rope. Jon battled back and sent Jericho to the canvas. Moxley followed that up with a Clothesline off the second rope and both men fell to the canvas. Jericho went for the Liontamer but Moxley quickly countered into a Heel Hook. Jericho grabbed the ropes to break the hold and turned around into a Running Knee to the face from Jon for a two count.
Ortiz hit Moxley with the madball and Jericho followed it up with the Lionsault for a two count. Jericho went for the Liontamer again but Moxley countered into a Liontamer of his own. Jake Hager rushed the ring and Moxley broke the hold to punch him in the face. Jericho planted Moxley with a Codebreaker and went for the cover but Jon kicked out at two.
Jericho then locked in the Liontamer in the middle of the ring but Moxley battled through the pain and reached the ropes to break the hold. Jericho shoved Aubrey Edwards in an effort to get disqualified but she let it go. Moxley hit a Back Drop and followed it up with a massive Clothesline. Jake Hager leveled Moxley with a right hand but Aubrey saw it and kicked Inner Circle out from ringside. Sammy Guevara hit Moxley with the AEW Championship while the referee wasn’t looking but Moxley survived.
Moxley and Jericho then traded shots in the middle of the ring. Jericho raked Moxley’s eyes and followed it up with a boot to the face. Jericho pulled down his knee pad and hit a Knee Drop to Moxley’s face off the second turnbuckle. Jericho went for the Judas Effect but Moxley dodged it and hit the Paradigm Shift. Jon took off the eye patch to reveal that his eye was fine. Moxley hit another massive Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory. Jon Moxley is the new AEW Champion.
After the match, Jon Moxley grabbed a microphone and said he loved this sh*t. Jon added that it has been a hell of a year and said that the wrestling fans have been driving AEW forward. Moxley added that the crowd is the energy that drives AEW forward and they are bring pro wrestling back to the people. Jon said that the title belongs to everyone in Chicago and all the AEW fans around the world. Moxley thanked the fans that have stuck with him through the all the ups and downs. Moxley’s music played and Jon told them to shut it off. Jon said that he fight anyone at any time but right now it is time to knock back some whiskey.
Opinion: Jericho and Moxley had a very good match tonight and it is great to see Jon rewarded with the AEW Championship. I enjoyed the storyline of Moxley getting one over on Jericho by pretending his eye was still injured. Omega, Page, and the Young Bucks completely stole the show but the rest of the card was great as well. Overall, AEW Revolution was a great PPV and I’m already looking forward to Dynamite this Wednesday night.
Jon Moxley is the top star of All Elite Wrestling, joining the company after working for WWE for almost a decade. As Dean Ambrose, he was also at the top of the game in WWE too and achieved a lot of success.
Moxley has been very vocal about the creative process in WWE and how much frustrated he was with the company regarding this. Especially in the final years of his WWE tenure, Moxley was done with the company’s system and wanted to get out.
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Jon Moxley talked about the creative freedom AEW offers its wrestlers. There’s no bookers or writers writing scripts, everyone is allowed to be themselves which means the characters feel more genuine.
“Best thing about AEW is that guys are just allowed to be themselves. You know I don’t have anybody writing scripts for me. I don’t have anybody putting words in my mouth. I don’t have to wonder what my motivations are or be confused about – ‘what are we even doing here? This doesn’t make any sense.’ It’s whatever I want it to be,” said Moxley.
Moxley says that young talent who started wrestling in AEW have no idea how good they have it in the company. He enjoys the fact that others are able to go out and do the same thing as him, be themselves and love what they’re doing. Moxley likens it to being a free wild animal, as opposed to being one put in a cage.
“It’s great for me to watch these young guys especially, that don’t even understand how good they have it. Don’t even understand the opportunity that they have, because they’ve never been put in a cage or put in a box. They’ve only been free wild animals. They don’t even know about captivity yet,” Moxley said.
Jon Moxley was the wrestler to dethrone Chris Jericho as AEW World Heavyweight Champion.
Jericho didn’t successfully retain the title over Moxley but rather Moxley ended the reign of Jericho in the headliner of the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center. Up to this point, Moxley had been portrayed as a top star and now he’s a champion.
AEW set up this contest on the January 22nd episode of Dynamite when Moxley faced off with PAC in the headliner with the winner challenging Jericho for the title at Revolution. Moxley ended up winning the match to earn the opportunity.
Moxley has been the #1 contender in the men’s rankings for quite some time now and also been feuding with Jericho over the last few months.
In fact, at first, Jericho tried to recruit Moxley to his Inner Circle group. The faction consists of Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana, Ortiz, and Jeff Cobb.
Jericho became the inaugural AEW World Heavyweight Champion when he beat Hangman Page in the headliner of the All Out pay-per-view event back in August at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago.
What are your thoughts on Jon Moxley winning the AEW World Heavyweight Title? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.
All Elite Wrestling has announced the next special themed episode of AEW Dynamite.
During the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL, it was revealed that the March 25th episode of Dynamite will carry a special theme, Blood & Guts, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
It was also revealed in the announcement through the way of a video package that one giant covered cage with two rings for WarGames-like match.
The theme of the show is a reference to what WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon had to say during an earnings call with media outlets when questioned about AEW last July.
At the time, McMahon stated that WWE will not “do blood and guts and things of that nature, such as what is being done on our new potential competitor.”
The first-ever Steel Cage match under the AEW banner came earlier this month when Cody Rhodes beat Wardlow as part of his stipulations set out by Chris Jericho.
Rhodes didn’t go over MJF as he got his revenge at Saturday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL. The finish saw MJF counter a third Cross Rhodes by hitting Cody in the face with a diamond ring for the win.
The promotion finally announced the match after the February 19th episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT in Atlanta, GA when Rhodes beat Wardlow in a Steel Cage match.
This comes after Rhodes completed all of the stipulations that MJF demanded. These stips included lashing Cody and Rhodes beating Wardlow.
After months of MJF acting like he was Rhodes’ friend, he turned on the fan-favorite last November.
Chris Jericho retained as AEW World Heavyweight Championship over Rhodes in the main event of the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view event.
The stipulation coming into this title match last November was the fact that if Cody didn’t beat Jericho then he would never allow himself to challenge for the AEW World Title again.
MJF threw in the towel while Jericho had Cody in the Walls of Jericho, which resulted in the finish. After the match, MJF kicked him in the nuts and stood over Cody. Since then, the two had been exchanging words to build to this moment.
Chris Jericho, who is set to defend his AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley at AEW Revolution, talked about the difference between working in WWE and AEW.
Jericho talked with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and discussed a variety of topics, among which the subject of difference working between the two wrestling companies came up.
Jericho said that if he’d be in WWE he would still be doing “The List!” gimmick, even though it’s “archaic and outdated”. Jericho said that since he left WWE he has reinvented himself and tried out different things like the Painmaker, his work in Japan and now in AEW.
Jericho revealed that there are no bookers and writers in AEW as opposed to WWE. “There’s no bookers, no writers. I’m coming up with these ideas and bouncing them off of a couple guys. These are all our ideas,” Jericho said.
Jericho noted that he’s not the only one involved in the process. He can lay down the groundwork and a basic idea for the storyline, and the rest of it goes from there. Jericho added that this way of working is something new for him.
“Also, it’s not like I’m coming up with every single thing. But the basic skeletons, like, ‘Here’s what I’ve got for the first six weeks for Jericho-Moxley.’ Then each week we tighten it up and focus it. I’ve never been in that position before.”
While working for WWE, Chris Jericho’s process involved getting a phone call Sunday night from a writer who would tell him the plan for the next day’s Raw. Jericho said that he would do as directed if he liked the idea, but if he didn’t, then he would have to wait three hours outside Vince McMahon’s office to explain to him why it would work better in a different way. “We don’t have that. All that stress is gone. It’s fun, it’s creative freedom,” said Jericho.
Jericho said that he loved working in WWE, and anyone who signs a contract with them knows what they’re getting into. They’ll have to work in Vince’s way. Jericho didn’t want to work Vince’s way anymore and that’s why left.
Kenny Omega and Adam Page will, in fact, keep the AEW Tag Team Titles.
Omega and Page took on The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event. This is where Omega and Page successfully retained the titles over the fan-favorite tag team.
AEW booked a Tag Team Battle Royal on the February 19 episode of Dynamite in Atlanta, GA. The stipulation going into the match was that the winners would become the new #1 contenders for the straps.
The Young Bucks vs. SCU vs. Private Party vs. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz vs. The Butcher & The Blade vs. Jack Evans & Angelico vs. Alex Reynolds & John Silver vs. Cima & Michael Nakazawa were featured in the match.
The Young Bucks ended up winning the contest. Thus, earning the right to challenge for the AEW Tag Team Titles against Page and Omega at AEW Revolution.
Page and Omega beat SCU for the titles on the January 22nd episode of AEW Dynamite that was taped the night in the Bahamas on the Ship of Jericho on TNT.
What are your thoughts on Kenny Omega and Adam Page retaining the AEW Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Joey Janela had a match with Kenny Omega on AEW Dark which received positive reception from fans. The match took place on the 10/15 episode of Dark and while Omega came out the victor, Janela still received a lot of praise for his performance. He would then have another match with Omega but this time on Dynamite’s 4th episode. This match got a great response from fans and is considered one of the best early AEW matches.
Janela talked about this match while appearing for an interview with The Wrestling Inc Daily, where he spoke about the match with Omega on Dynamite and revealed how important it is to him.
Janela said that the match was a big deal for him and that it was almost not going to take place.
“It was great. I just wanted to show everyone that I could go. That match almost didn’t happen so for them to let it happen was a big deal for me. Some of my friends from home came up to watch it so maybe my career peaked at that point. “ joked Janela.
Janela also revealed that the match was originally supposed to be against Jack Evans instead of Kenny Omega.
“Where the segment was – me and Jack Evans never wrestled on TV. That would have been his and my TV debut and they didn’t want to put us out there cold. I said, ‘Well, you advertised the match already.’ They said, ‘We’re just gonna put Jack in there with Kenny.’ I was depressed as I was just coming off the big match with Kenny the week before. I felt like things were going right and I really wanted to have that match with Jack Evans on TV. 15 years in the making – I needed that moment,” said Janela.
Janela added that Tony informed him about Jack wrestling with Omega, which got him really upset. But the match was changed later with Janela facing Omega and that’s how it came to be.
As seen at Saturday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL, Hager beat Rhodes in this contest that marked his in-ring debut with All Elite Wrestling.
In order to build up to this match, AEW had to lay some back story between Rhodes and Hager, formerly known as Jack Swagger from his time in WWE.
During the build-up for the AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho-Cody Rhodes match last year heading into Full Gear, Rhodes took a beat down from Hager.
AEW did an angle where Rhodes’ arm was broken after Hager smashed it in a car door.
It was revealed that Hager had signed with the promotion when he made his on the October 2, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite from Washington, D.C., at the famed Capital One Arena on TNT.
On this show, Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz beat The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega in a six-man tag team match. After the contest, Hager walked out and helped the heels beatdown the babyfaces.
He’s been aligned with the heel group, named The Inner Circle, on television since then.
The AEW Revolution pay-per-view event will take place tonight (February 29, 2020) from Chicago, IL from the Sears Center and has already sold out.
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley will headline the show. In what is being hyped as the co-headliner, Cody Rhodes vs. MJF in a grudge match is slated to go down after months of build on AEW’s weekly television show, Dynamite, on TNT.
AEW Revolution Card
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley
AEW Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Adam Page vs. The Young Bucks
Cody Rhodes vs. MJF
Jake Hager vs. Dustin Rhodes
Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara
AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose vs. Kris Statlander
PAC vs Orange Cassidy
Evil Uno and Grayson vs. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky – Pre-Show
The final betting odds for all of the matches that will take place at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event have been released.
The card for the show that takes place tonight (February 29, 2020) in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center has been finalized as only matches have been announced.
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley is expected to headline the show. The betting odds only cover the top five matches featured on the card including three title matches.
AEW Revolution Betting Odds
Make sure to join us tonight for match recaps, and our 6 takeaways from this latest pay-per-view event held by AEW.
The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds courtesy of BetOnline:
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho EVEN (1/1) vs. Jon Moxley -140 (5/7)
AEW Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega & Adam Page +176 (7/4) vs. The Young Bucks -260 (5/13)
MJF -180 (5/9) vs. Cody Rhodes +140 (7/5)
Jack Hager -320 (5/16) vs. Dustin Rhodes +210 (21/10)
AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose -210 (10/21) vs. Kris Statlander +160 (8/5)
The card for tonight’s (Saturday, February 29, 2020) AEW Revolution has been finalized.
The company has yet to officially announce the main event of this event that takes place in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center and will air on pay-per-view. The belief is that this special will be headlined by AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley.
This show marks the first special for the promotion in 2020, which features a stacked lineup. There are a total of matches booked for this show with three of them being championship matches.
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of this special later tonight. Here’s the final card:
AEW Revolution Card
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley
AEW Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Adam Page vs. The Young Bucks
Cody Rhodes vs. MJF
Jake Hager vs. Dustin Rhodes
Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara
AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose vs. Kris Statlander
PAC vs Orange Cassidy
Evil Uno and Grayson vs. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky – Pre-Show Match
What are your thoughts on this card and the feuds that AEW is presenting to their fans? Sound off in the comment section.
Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley will face each other in the main event of AEW Revolution with the world title on the line. According to comments Jericho recently made to SI.com, Jericho is the one who recruited Moxley to come to AEW.
“I recruited him,” Jericho said of Moxley. “I don’t even think he knew what AEW was at that point. He is a guy that I knew would be big for us, but I never expected he would be this different, and I mean that in a good way. This is not the guy who was Dean Ambrose. Dean Ambrose is a f—ing nothing compared to this guy. There is a fire inside of him, a creativity, he’s free.”
Jericho then said it is his job as AEW champion to help create new stars.
“This is my job as champion. I make stars. I’m already a star. Mox is a star. This company may have started on my back, but six months later it’s now on a bunch of backs, and that was the idea.”
Jericho would then continue to talk about other members of the AEW roster who he feels he has helped elevate.
“Jungle Boy. Scorpio Sky. MJF’s promo against Jericho. I heard, ‘MJF held his own! He might have even been better than Jericho!’ Gee, you think so? Who wanted it that way? Cody is another guy who’s been a completely different performer.”
Jericho also noted during the interview that while he had nothing to do with it, Hangman Page has become a different performer over the months that Dynamite has been on the air.
“I had nothing to do with this one, but look at Hangman from when we worked in August until now. He’s a totally different guy. That, to me, is why this is working so well. Everybody is starting to grow.”
The full interview with Chris Jericho can be read here.
Macaulay Culkin has been a wrestling fan for a very long time. He was shown in the live crowd at WrestleMania VII just months after Home Alone became a smash hit in movie theaters. Culkin has attended numerous other wrestling events in the nearly 30 years since as well but he won’t be attending WrestleMania 36 in Tampa Bay this year.
Culkin made a comment in reply to a Twitter thread about the Goldberg vs Fiend match at Super ShowDown that he has canceled his plans to attend WrestleMania 36 in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Culkin is the host of the Bunny Ears podcast. The podcast features notable guests such as Tony Hawk, Bob Saget, Andy Richtor, and more. Culkin has also been involved in wrestling at the independent level. He interfered in a match for Joey Ryan’s Bar Wrestling and used many tactics his character from Home Alone once did to fend off a pair of would-be burglars.
Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) took part in a panel at C2E2 on Friday where they talked about a wide range of topics.
Matt talked about how they were originally going to announce just one show on New Year’s Eve but things changed once the AEW trademarks leaked they decided to announce the whole promotion. They all recalled how miserably cold that night in Tokyo was when they filmed the announcement vignette.
Matt and Cody recalled how one of their original AEW signings took place at the TGIF.
Also, their gathering to do the Jacksonville rally was Tony Khan’s idea. Matt recalled getting ready to go to Disney World with his family but Tony told him to cut the vacation short and sent a private jet.
Originally, AEW’s weekly television show on TNT was going to be called AEW Revolution but Khan had always envisioned the show being called Dynamite so they saw through his vision. Matt added that Dynamite resonated better than Revolution, according to tests they did.
Cody brought up how AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho wanted a serious meeting with them early before he signed.
Thus, they invited him to a TGIF in Japan. They got the “backstage” private room and Cody noted Jericho seemed underwhelmed by the meeting.
Arn Anderson is Cody Rhodes’ manager in AEW and has been by his side in recent weeks as Cody prepares to face MJF at Revolution. Anderson discussed the upcoming match on his podcast recently along with Conrad Thompson.
Anderson first addressed the fans who thought he would turn on Cody on the Dynamite show from Atlanta.
“Ever since day one when Cody decided he was going to solicit my services as a coach, a fair share of people have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Never trust an Anderson, Cody you know what he did to your Dad, you know what he did to your brother, you can’t trust him, God knows it’s going to go down in Atlanta and it didn’t. So, I’m very happy to say that I told people in advance, this is a new day, this is a new thought process. Cody didn’t offer me a job. He didn’t give me a job. I don’t need a job and I don’t want a job.”
During the cage match last Wednesday, it appeared as though Anderson considered closing the cage door on Cody but then hit MJF with the door instead.
Arn Anderson Talks Cody vs MJF
“One of the mistakes that Cody made is one that a lot of men make. When he agreed to the 10 lashes, he let his ego do his thinking.”
“That would have been a good time to ask me what I thought,” Anderson continued.
Anderson also spoke about what fans can expect between Cody and MJF on Saturday.
“This is just going to be a wrestling match and it’s going to be a – hey, who has more talent? Who doesn’t blow a gasket and get off his gameplan? We’ve got to account for the big guy on the outside because what we did find out in Atlanta is the guy is a monster.”
Anderson’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Cody Rhodes says that while AEW has never designated one event as its most important, Revolution may end up being the promotion’s WrestleMania level event. The AEW EVP spoke with Newsweek about the upcoming PPV.
“A lot of people ask us, ‘What’s your WrestleMania? What’s your big event?’ We’ve never designated one event as the big event out of our four pay-per-views,” said Rhodes. “But just kind of going with what my gut is feeling and seeing the marketing element, the thematic element, the staging element, I think Revolution may end up being the big one.”
Revolution marks the fourth and final pay-per-view of All Elite Wrestling’s quarterly PPV calendar. The current roster of AEW pay-per-view events includes Double or Nothing, All Out, Full Gear and Revolution. The promotion also holds occasional ‘special events’ including shows like Fyter Fest, Fight for the Fallen, Bash at the Beach and the Jericho Cruise.
Cody is scheduled to take on Maxwell Jacob Friedman Saturday night in Chicago. The relationship between the former close friends imploded at Full Gear (November 2019) when MJF threw in the towel while in Cody’s corner for his title match against Chris Jericho. The action not only cost Cody the match but also the ability to ever challenge for the AEW World title again.
“If I’m wrong,” Cody continued, “that means one of the others is the big one, so it’s OK. But I have just such a good feeling about February 29th.”
Kenny Omega is often cited as one of the best pro-wrestlers going today. Some even offer higher-praise to the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
During a discussion with Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report, the AEW World Tag Team Champion discussed his process of putting the matches together that his fanbase enjoys so much.
“A lot of wrestlers are wrestling fans at heart,” Omega said. “I’m not necessarily a fan [of wrestling] anymore. I’m a fan of TV dramas, I’m a fan of video games, and I’m a fan of movies. I like the way that those forms of media are laid out to attract the fan. That’s my study material for how I put together a storyline or a match.”
Kenny Omega On His Unique Wrestling Style
Omega continued to say his matches are more about putting together a story than doing cool moves or his athletic ability.
“Yes, I’m athletic and I can do cool moves and I try to be original with the way I perform them, but I feel the way that I put things together is different from the average wrestler because the average wrestler is just that: He’s just a wrestler. He’s a wrestler who wants to be a wrestler. I am wrestling as a job but trying to tell human stories to pull at your heartstrings.”
Omega would also continue to talk about how he is not a typical “wrestler’s wrestler” but that’s not what he’s trying to do.
“There’s no Kenny Omega copy-and-paste formula. It’s all different. It’s difficult and very mentally draining, and because I do that, maybe it makes me not a true wrestler’s wrestler. What I am trying to do is not attract the wrestler’s wrestling fan; I’m trying to open up the world to what wrestling can be and show there is no limitation to what wrestling can be.”
Omega is currently 1/2 of the AEW tag team champions along with Adam “Hangman” Page. They will take on the Young Bucks with the titles on the line at Revolution.
With Cody Rhodes having been such an instrumental part of All Elite Wrestling, some may wonder if his dad—’The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes—would have been interested in joining his son’s venture following Cody’s WWE departure.
Speaking with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards on AEW’s official podcast, AEW Unrestricted, Cody Rhodes broached the idea. He stressed how, more than anything, his father had a high regard for loyalty.
Cody Rhodes On Dusty’s Loyalty
Cody explained how “Hunter gave him that cushy, one day a week job at the Performance Center teaching promos where half the time they were watching movies and it was more like a life class which is what promo class should be.”
He continued, “It was a pretty cushy gig that he had so I don’t know if my mom would let him come work here. I think she would. He was really loyal, and he might have remained loyal. Who knows?”
Dusty’s legacy in NXT continues since his passing in 2015, with the brand hosting an annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in honor of the wrestling legend.
