Fired-up Jon Moxley wins AEW Championship at Revolution
(thumbnail photo above courtesy AEW)
By Mike Pankow
March 5, 2020
Jon Moxley winning the All Elite Wrestling World Championship from Chris Jericho was the main course in a smorgasbord of wrestling Saturday night from a sold-out Wintrust Arena in Chicago’s South Loop.
Moxley reaching the pinnacle of AEW was the cherry on top of the sundae on a card that featured great bell-to-bell action in nearly every match of the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event with several stars making huge leaps into prominence.
Less than year ago, Moxley was biding his time in WWE as Dean Ambrose playing out the string, so the speak, as his contract was expiring. The former WWE Champion and member of the company’s top faction of the last decade in the Shield made the jump to AEW at Double or Nothing in Las Vegas last May.
Now in front of a raucous Chicago crowd, Moxley became a world champion again.
New AEW Champion Jon Moxley addressses the media after dethroning Chris Jericho in the main event of AEW Revolution in Chicago on Feb. 29. (Photo by Mike Pankow)
“Chicago has always been among the best crowds in the world,” Moxley said during a post-show media scrum. “You’re always going to get a hot atmosphere, a hot crowd, and you know it’s going to be a discerning crowd. You know that you can’t mail it in in Chicago. Top to bottom, the whole show, you’ve got to deliver a hell of a show. Looking at this card, what a stacked card, what a litany of great matches and performers, and to have to close the show on a night like tonight, I knew I had to get the job done and send everybody home on their feet with a new champion.”
Moxley came out for the main event from the Cermak Road entrance of Wintrust Arena and proceeded to walk through the crowd en route to the ring. Jericho was serenaded to the ring by choir signing his theme song, Judas.
The match quickly escalated into a brawl that went into the stands. Back in the ring, Moxley had to endure interference from Santana and Ortiz, who accompanied Jericho to the ring, and Jake Hager, who came out during the match. As referee Aubrey Edwards finally ejected the three members of the Inner Circle, Sammy Guevara, the final member of the group, blasted Moxley with the AEW Championship belt.
Jericho couldn’t finish off Moxley, who rallied behind the roars of the crowd. Moxley nailed Jericho with the Paradigm Shift DDT and scored the 3-count to end Jericho’s near-six-month run as the inaugural AEW Champion. Moxley took the mic and cut an impassioned promo, thanking the crowd and rejoicing his new heights.
“We can’t thank Chris Jericho enough for what he’s done as the champion,” AEW President/CEO Tony Khan said. “With Jon Moxley being the champion, we couldn’t have picked a better person. He couldn’t have stepped up any more in this company and earned the shot to be the champion.”
In a bit of a surprise, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) pulled off the victory over Cody Rhodes in a grudge match which featured plenty of shenanigans. It was another great performance by Cody, who continues to do his father proud with his in-ring psychology and storytelling.
Cody came hard after MJF after jumping through hoops just to get the match. MJF was Cody’s protégé and turned on him after throwing in the towel for Cody during an AEW Championship match against Chris Jericho at Full Gear in November.
MJF, center, celebrates his surprising victory over Cody after hitting him with a foreign object. (Photo courtesy AEW)
Cody agreed to multiple stipulations, including taking 10 lashes from Cody during an episode on Dynamite and facing MJF’s associate Wardlow in a cage match.
The match included Brandi Rhodes diving onto Wardlow at ringside and Cody accidentally kicking his “Coach” Arn Anderson. A fired-up Cody busted open MJF’s head and set him for his finish, Cross Rhodes, which Cody emphatically hits twice. Instead of pinning his hated foe, Cody picks up MJF in an attempt to hit Cross Rhodes for a third time, but MJF blocked the maneuver, reached into his trunks, put on his Dynamite Diamond Ring and knocked out Cody with one punch to record the pinfall.
The AEW Tag Team Championship match saw the continued elevation of Hangman Adam Page. The match itself, Page and Kenny Omega defeating The Young Bucks to retain the titles, was a very strong tag team match even with some of its improbable kickouts over the course of 30-plus minutes in the ring. But it was almost secondary to the fans’ love affair with Page.
Over the last few weeks, Page’s character has taken an interesting direction, the Virginia native has looked like sort of an irresponsible drunk, sharing beers with fans outside the ring. The Bucks and Omega played the role of concerned friends while Page shook them off, trying to distance himself from the rest of The Elite.
Page’s charisma and relatability, plus his move-set with the Buckshot Lariat, moonsaults and among other cool maneuvers, endear him to the crowd. His momentum has been obvious during the last month of AEW Dynamite television.
Page’s over-the-top popularity made the crowd viciously boo the Bucks, especially they hit a Meltzer Drive on Page on the metal rampway outside the ring. Even Page’s partner, Omega, received jeers after trying to stop Page from attacking the Bucks.
After many high spots and plenty of near falls, Page hit the Buckshot Lariat on Matt Jackson to finally cap the epic match. During the post-match celebration, Page didn’t want to shake hands with the Bucks and teased for a split second hitting a Buckshot Lariat on Omega before the champions left the ring together.
Ever since the seeds were planted for AEW, Page was well-respected by his peers with Cody even calling him “the best wrestler in The Elite.” Page won a battle royal at Double or Nothing for the right to face Jericho to crown the first-ever AEW Champion at All Out in Hoffman Estates last summer.
Khan said it was the right decision to have Jericho become the first champion entering the Dynamite era on TNT, which began last October, but he sees a lot of potential for Page in the future.
Hangman Adam Page is an emerging superstar and AEW President/CEO Tony Khan had some great things to say about him following his tag team victory with Kenny Omega over The Young Bucks. (Photo by Mike Pankow)
“It was the best thing in world for Chris Jericho to lead this company going into television, (but) it was great for Hangman.” Khan said. “Certainly, nobody would’ve seen or imagined then where we are here with (Page) being one of the hottest wrestlers in the world. He’s absolutely made it happen. He’s delivered over and over again and he delivered tonight. He’s certainly taken it a different direction since the beginning of the year, but it’s an awesome direction that people are having a lot of fun with. He’s going to keep growing as a wrestler. He’s one of the greatest young stars in the business. He’s going to be here for many years to come. Just like we’re going to be on TNT for many years to come.”
Another performer who is hitting his stride with the AEW fanbase is the peculiar Orange Cassidy.
Cassidy is a unique character, usually decked out into jeans, t-shirt, denim vest and sunglasses, and generally keeps in his hands in his pockets even while executives moves within a match. In a battle that was set up just last week on Dynamite, PAC defeated Cassidy with his Brutalizer submission move after several minutes of back-and-forth action.
Cassidy’s character is not something everyone gets, but the Chicago crowd ate it up, as he playfully kicked PAC’s shins early in the match. After some close calls, the Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) came out to attack Cassidy’s friends, Chuck Taylor and Trent, and that allowed PAC to cinch his submission move.
In other action, Nyla Rose retained the AEW Women’s Championship over reigning AAW Women’s Champion Kris Statlander, hitting the challenger with a powerbomb off the top rope to get the 3-count. It seems as if Rose is set up for a lengthy title reign after defeating Riho a few weeks ago on Dynamite.
“I’m going to be a one-time champion,” Rose touted after the show.
In the opener on the main card, Jake Hager defeated veteran Dustin Rhodes with an MMA-style choke submission. Both men looked good in the ring as Hager (the former Jack Swagger in WWE) making his AEW debut. At one point, Rhodes popped the crowd by grabbing a quick smooch from Hager’s wife, who was sitting ringside. After the match, Rhodes and QT Marshall announced they will form a tag team called “The Natural Nightmares.”
In a showcase of young, emerging athletes, the enigmatic Darby Allin defeated the slick Sammy Guevara with the Coffin Drop. The fans appreciated the work both men put in. Allin reminds many of Jeff Hardy while Guevara elicits thoughts of the legendary Eddie Guerrero.
On the pre-show, The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) stole a victory from SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) as Grayson rolled up Sky following a clothesline from behind by Evil Uno after constant interference from the other members of their clique.
After the match, Chicago’s Colt Cabana charged the ring to a big pop to help Kazarian and Sky. The Dark Order was able to regain the numbers advantage as someone walked down the ramp in a robe with a hood, presumably the “Exalted One.” But it was SCU member Christopher Daniels under the hood and he flew into the ring to turn the tables back to SCU.
After the show, Khan confirmed Cabana was signed to AEW and have multiple roles with the company as a wrestler, a coach and an announcer.
In a match taped for AEW Dark, Britt Baker and Penelope Ford (with Kip Sabian) defeated Riho and Yuka Sakazaki in a tag team match. Baker got Riho to tap out with the Lockjaw submission maneuver after Sabian interfered.
Revolution may well have been the best show produced so far under the AEW banner and Moxley feels the efforts of all involved have brought a renaissance to the industry. Moxley shared some thoughts from a phone call he had with Cody last year.
“A year ago we had a conversation on the phone and said ‘Let’s bring pro wrestling back.’ ” Moxley said. “Pro wrestling that you grew up on. Not crap. Not sports entertainment. Not scripted, canned horsecrap. Pro wrestling. I’m telling you it works. It’s like mac and cheese. It always works. It’s always good. And we brought that back to the people.”
A photo gallery will be posted soon.
Catch Windy City Slam editor Mike Pankow talking local and national pro wrestling every week with Chris Lanuti on The Windy City Slam Podcast, available Tuesday mornings wherever you download podcasts or at https://windycityslam.podbean.com/.
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