Credit: WINC
We kick tonight’s show off with CM Punk, who is already sitting in the ring ready to go. He says if you don’t know by now, you should…his name is CM Punk. He’s straightedge, he’s drug-free, and he’s alcohol-free, and that means he is better than you. He asks the fans if that sounds familiar. He says inspired people, some who became straightedge, some who even sit like him. Then there’s MJF, who tries to walk and talk like him, but he can’t think like him.
Punk says you think he’d be mad about losing to MJF, but he’s proud of him. He thinks he is Bret in Calgary, Piper in Portland, and Punk in Chicago, but the fact is he’s shitty little Max from Long Island. He shouts out Jon Moxley for the assist last week, and now he gets to pick the time, date, stipulation for the match.
CM Punk says the place is AEW Revolution, which leaves us with the match. He says, maybe you put him in a cage, but he’s seen Wardlow and he can climb, and Max could still run away. He says he thought about tough matches he’s had, and when you lose you learn. So he thought about matches where he left pieces of himself in the ring. He thought about Piper in Portland, and he asks MJF if he will be his valentine, as he pulls out a dog collar.
Punk says these matches take years off your career, so he needs to tell MJF one more thing and he demands that he comes out. MJF comes to the stage, and Punk pulls out a picture of a young MJF meeting him, which Punk says was the greatest day of MJF’s life, and to him it was a Friday. At Revolution, it will be the worst day of MJF’s life, and for him, it will be Sunday. He promises the mat will be stained with MJF’s blood. MJF gets on the microphone, but he just drops it, says nothing, and leaves.
Tony Schiavone is backstage and he reveals at Revolution it will be a threeway for the AEW Tag Team Titles. Next week there will be a battle royal, and then a casino battle royal to determine the opponents. Jungle Boy says he loves threeways…and he knows a thing or two about winning battle royals, as he slaps the man he previously beat in one…Christian Cage. However, the wrestling veteran says that things will change in the tag division, but they will remain champions.
Bryan Danielson vs. Lee Moriarty
Bryan gets out of a submission attempt, and he connects with the Running Knee. However, he doesn’t go for the pinfall. Instead, he stomps down on the head of Lee. He transitions into the Triangle Sleeper and begins flexing, but Moriarty is already knocked out.
Winner: Bryan Danielson
– Bryan then gets on the microphone and says he was out here to teach Lee about violence. He wants to know if he passed or failed. Based on the fan response, he says that is why he doesn’t trust the American public with anything. Danielson says he asked Moxley to them up with him, and he wants an answer.
Moxley comes out and says a decade ago he was like Moriarty. He was like a lot of the AEW kids, he was young and poor and had nothing to lose, and he tried to take down the great American Dragon. Bryan was late due to weather, but he turned up already in his gear and got into the ring and the first time they met was right there.
Jon says he gave everything he had, but he came up short. But getting a taste of the best made him meaner and made him want it more. Over the years, Moxley had more shots, but each time he came up short, and he says he’s never beaten Bryan Danielson. Moxley says when Bryan turned up, everyone was scared, but he was excited to slay the one dragon he never could. But as it turns out, Bryan doesn’t want to fight, he wants to join forces.
Moxley heard everything Bryan said, and he admits it could be awesome. They could make a dream team of pure wrestling violence. No matter how hard he tried, Moxley couldn’t think of a single good reason to say no. But then he wonders if the only reason Bryan wants to stand side by side is that he doesn’t want to find himself standing across from Jon Moxley.
Moxley says Bryan knows he would do to him what he has done to everyone else for three years, and if that’s the case he has already beaten him. Jon asks if he wants to be partners because of what he could create, or if he doesn’t want to be destroyed. Moxley says he’s not saying yes or no, he’ll leave it to Daniel. Moxley says he doesn’t stand side by side with anybody unless he bleeds with them first.
– Keith Lee is shown backstage, saying this is an instance where you don’t save the best for last, as he will be the face of the revolution. Phase one is done, the ladder match is phase two, and after that, the TNT Title match will be his.
Wardlow w. Shawn Spears vs. Max Caster w. Anthony Bowens (Face Of The Revolution Ladder Match Qualifier)
Max Caster runs down Nashville hot chicken and calls Wardlow MJF’s b—h boy on his way to the ring. Wardlow kicks off the match by launching Caster across the ring. Outside the ring, he tries to charge into him, but Caster steps aside and he crashes into the stairs. Inside the ring, the two men go back and forth with punches and forearms.
However, Wardlow then slams him to the ring and looks for the Powerbomb, but Bowens pulls him out of the ring. He then passes the chain to him, and Shawn Spears gets on the apron and starts talking to the official. Wardlow goes for the Powerbomb but gets nailed with the chin, as Caster then follows up with the Mic Drop.
Despite that, Wardlow kicks out and he then kicks Caster into Bowns who falls off the apron. He connects with the Powerbomb and the symphony begins as he hits another two to win.
Winner: Wardlow
After the match, Bowens jumps Wardlow, but Spears doesn’t help at all. However, the big man is able to hit another Powerbomb anyway. After that, Spears gets in with the chair and attacks both men.
– Tony Schiavone is backstage as Britt Baker tells Mercedes Martinez not to lose, reminding her why she brought her to the company. Martinez says she knows her job, it’s to kill a b—h. John Kreese then turns up, and he tells Britt she knows what to do if Mercedes loses, take her out.
– Tony Schiavone welcomes Hangman Page to the ring and he tries to reflect on last week, but Adam Cole cuts him off. He tells the fans to give Page a warm round of applause. He puts over the match and then tells Tony to get out of his ring. Cole says he has been a World Champion everywhere he has gone, and it’s a shame Page’s run will have to come to an end at some point.
Page often wondered how Cole felt watching his friends build an empire without him, and how it is looking at his former Bullet Club teammate holding the belt he’ll never hold. Cole says he hasn’t heard The Young Bucks talk about Page in weeks, or The Dark Order. Page says he isn’t perfect, but he doesn’t think Cole has the best record in friendship either. The more Cole talks, the more he thinks this might be Cole’s biggest regret.
Cole says Page has become an unbelievable wrestler and champion. But now he is here, and now he is, or anytime they’ve been in a promotion together, he’s always been known as the, ‘other Adam.’ This leads to Hangman putting down the title and microphone, but Cole says he has nothing but love, respect, and admiration for him. He would be the guy he wants to share the ring with most in AEW, and he says someday they’ll fight for that title man to man. He says when it happens, may the best man win, and they shake hands.
However, as Cole walks away, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly jump the champion and Cole then returns and joins in. Security all ends up breaking up the fight as The Dark Order hits the ring. 10 then clears out all of the security as the groups stare each other down.
Chris Jericho and Jake Hager vs. Santana and Ortiz
Winners: Santana & Ortiz
– The Cutler Cam takes place, and The Young Bucks say they’ve been there done that when it comes to beating up Hangman. Cole tells the two teams to stop arguing. The Bucks and ReDragon argue about which team will win the battle royals. Cole tells them to get on the same page. Both teams end up walking out in different directions, leaving Cole alone.
Mercedes Martinez vs. Thunder Rosa – No DQ Match
Rosa goes to the top rope, but Martinez rocks her with two shots with a trash can lid. Shen then hits a spider German suplex from the top turnbuckle. She follows that with an Elbow Drop, but Rosa kicks out. Thunder fights back with a crucifix bomb, and then the Thunder Driver onto the pile of chairs for the win.
Winner: Thunder Rosa
– After the match the two women show some respect as Britt Baker and her crew head down to the ring, and they attack Thunder Rosa. They hold her down and give Mercedes the pipe, but they then jump her as well.
– A video package is then shown about the House Of Black with Malakai explaining violence. Brody asks who they are waiting for as someone knocks on the door. Black says history.
– Jay White is then shown saying everyone is talking about him, and if Kenny Omega would have stayed in New Japan, there’d have been no AEW. H says it is still his era.
Sammy Guevara (C) vs. Darby Allin – TNT Championship
Sammy then sets Darby on the ring apron and Guevara goes for a Senton, but the challenger moves and he crashes and burns. Allin looks for a Coffin Drop, but Andrade’s assistant Jose appears with a distraction. This leads to Sting appearing to level the playing field. Andrade then appears and smashes him in the face with a tablet, and Sammy shrugs his shoulders to hit the GTH and retain.
Winner (and still TNT Champion): Sammy Guevara
After the match, Matt Hardy then hits the ring and starts beating down on Darby. Sammy goes for the save, but Andrade drops him from behind and then poses with the TNT Titles to end the show.
