AEW Revolution Predictions

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What has been your favorite aspect of AEW over the past few months?

David Gibb: The callbacks to old-school wrestling. Just about everything that’s built positive buzz for AEW has involved porting territory sensibilities into the 2020 approach.

Matthew Smith: The growth of Adam Page. As I’ve written before, he was pegged to be the first AEW World Champion. That didn’t come to pass, and instead of going back to the same thing, Hangman has distanced himself from the Elite and has been burning slowly to a much-needed heel turn, hopefully at Revolution.

Juan Bautista: I like that everybody has stayed focused on their goals. Nyla Rose became Women’s Champion. Cody has stayed in pursuit of MJF.

Steven Jackson: The Cody and MJF feud. The whole story arc has been so exciting and the depth of layers to the booking is excellent. This is the kind of thing that makes me want to watch pro wrestling.

Chad Gelfand: The storyline progression and how nearly all of their stories seem to be thought out in advance and that they’re building to something.

John Corrigan: Hangman Page. He went from lackluster, white bread babyface to the most interesting character in all of wrestling right now.

Jack Goodwillie: It’s the care and attention being given to all feuds on the show, up and down the match card. AEW has managed to get me hyped for Jack Swagger vs. Goldust. Think about how preposterous that may have sounded just two years ago.

What did you think of the Cody 10 lashes angle?

Gibb: I’m a little torn about how slow it was. On one hand, the pace enhanced the ordeal for the viewer, as well as Cody. On the other, it might’ve come off a little lurid and torture porn-y to the casual viewer.

Smith: It delivered everything it was supposed to. MJF is well on his way to being the biggest heel of 2020 and the future of AEW.

Bautista: The lashes were brutal, but the execution was great. It shows how much Cody wants the match. There are too many “grudge” matches that happen too easily or are one sided. MJF has ill will towards coward Cody and Cody is willing to do anything to get his hands on him.

Jackson: It was brutal and hearkened back to a time in wrestling when attitudes were different. While I understood it, the whole other context (notably the slave trade) really overshadowed this angle and made me feel quite uncomfortable. You could say I’m looking too deep into it, but that’s how I felt.

Gelfand: Great angle. Few people understand their character and how to connect to their audience more than Cody. The emotion that he was able to get out of that crowd after each lash from MJF and Wardlow was incredible.

Corrigan: I wasn’t offended by the brutality, but I still don’t understand the logic. Why did MJF get three demands? Why couldn’t Cody, as an authority figure, just make the match? If Cody’s not supposed to be an authority figure in the show, why couldn’t Tony Khan just sign the match then? I just didn’t understand why Cody was putting himself through such punishment.

Goodwillie: I loved it. This was old school, pro wrasslin’ 101. What I don’t want to see is MJF handling EVERY feud he’s in with a list of demands that have to be met before he gets in the ring. For this particular feud, it’s perfect and I’m really liking the direction. I was very critical of MJF being a “babyface” to begin with, but considering how far this feud has gone in a short amount of time, it’s made it almost worth it.

Who do you predict will be revealed as the leader of The Dark Order?

Gibb: I don’t think it will be another legend-style throwback given that they are already using Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, DDP, Dr. Luther, etc. What if it was affable, friendly Excalibur, who seems to know way more about The Dark Order than anybody else?

Smith: Matt Hardy.

Bautista: Raven. While the carrot that is Luke Harper is being dangled, his involvement may happen later than AEW Revolution or he’ll just take his own path. The goal of The Dark Order is to get the in-ring talent over and Raven doesn’t have to wrestle. He just has to lead.

Jackson: Completely out of the box, but I would really like to see Ultramantis Black of CHIKARA fame be the leader. He is one of the best workers in the industry and has ties to The Dark Order.

Gelfand: Matt Hardy seems like the obvious answer, but he might be a smokescreen for someone who has experience leading a group of lost souls in wrestling: Raven!

Corrigan: I love Gibb’s pick of Excalibur, but just to be different, I’ll go with Brandi.

Goodwillie: While Christopher Daniels obviously makes sense in this spot, what AEW needs is someone completely new to come in and take the reins. After all, this is still The Dark Order we’re talking about. The fact that they have an unnamed leader pulling the strings from afar is the only thing keeping them interesting in any way. With that said, they should drag this out for a while. We do know that IF Matt Hardy is seriously considering leaving WWE when his deal comes up, AEW is the certain destination. There’s no way he’d go back to Impact after that dispute with Ed “The Owl” Nordholm over gimmicks. As it pertains to The Dark Order, Hardy is a fit, particularly since his days are numbered in a wrestling role. However, I’d prefer something totally out of left field. Maybe Tony Schiavone? Tony Khan? Too Russo for ya? How about Vince Russo himself??? BRO.

How do you feel about Nyla Rose beating Riho for the Women’s Championship?

Gibb: I loved it! Nyla should’ve been the champion all along.

Smith: Not sure how to feel honestly. The whole division needs a face lift. This could be a good start, but we need more challengers. AEW introduces new women week in and week out then they are gone with no reason at all. Britt Baker is the only woman on the roster with some substance and she is a heel as well. Hopefully, they get this fixed soon.

Bautista: It’s great for her to have the belt. Despite what some may have said, she has put in the work to become champion and some people may just be jealous.

Jackson: I understand why it happened, but I much preferred Riho as the AEW Women’s Champion. It is very subjective, but Riho is one of the best female wrestlers around today. I would have liked her to have a really strong reign for almost a year! But Nyla is a great talent, too, so it may have been the right decision.

Gelfand: It was the right decision. Riho wasn’t really doing anything with the title, and now the women’s division has an antagonist for them to go after, which will lead to better storylines in what has been a weak division so far.

Corrigan: Indifferent. I don’t care about either Nyla or Riho. Perhaps they’ll start investing in Nyla now to make her more interesting. Of course, it’s just a matter of time before Britt Baker, who they’ve done a great job investing in, wins the gold.

Goodwillie: I’m fine with it, but neither of these two really do it for me. I do prefer Nyla Rose to Riho, but the women’s division is a clear weakness of the show, along with the overexposure of Orange Cassidy. I keep hearing how Riho is this crazy draw with a certain demographic, and I just don’t see it at all. If someone can come over to a brand new wrestling show with name recognition amongst only the most hardcore of hardcore wrestling fans and become a big enough draw to where it’s considerably spiking ratings among teenagers in said spot every week, I’d give them all the props in the world. But I’m going to be more invested in things like what Britt Baker is going right now. The women’s division still needs more juice, for what it’s worth.

Who wins at AEW Revolution: Chris Jericho or Jon Moxley?

Gibb: Jericho. It’s not time to change that title yet.

Smith: Jericho. Jeff Cobb gets involved here somehow to keep the Mox/Cobb feud going. AEW Revolution is too soon for Jericho to drop the title. Keep using him to make that title feel important. The moment needs to be bigger for the first AEW World Title switch.

Bautista: Jericho will barely edge out Moxley. Moxley will get the belt at Double or Nothing – the one-year mark of his declaration to AEW.

Jackson: I really want Jon Moxley to win at AEW Revolution and lead the promotion, but Jericho is the true face of the brand; so, it is a really tough decision. The fan in me has to pick Jon Moxley!

Gelfand: Moxley is on fire right now, but Jericho still has more to do as the top champion in AEW. Expect outside shenanigans from the Inner Circle.

Corrigan: I’ll never bet against Le Champion!

Goodwillie: Chris Jericho. While Moxley’s time with the belt will come, there are still legs in him as a challenger and legs in Jericho as champion. It’s always possible they do a title change at AEW Revolution and quickly put the belt back on Jericho to continue the feud outright, but smart money has to be on Le Champion.