9 Match Star Ratings For AEW Revolution 2021

9. BUY-IN: Dr. Britt Baker & Rebel Vs. Thunder Rosa & Riho

The least telegraphed and most popular surprise - AEW should probably learn from that - Maki Itoh replaced the "injured" Reba.

She was a star in this match. Able to draw a reaction from the crowd just by asking them to with her doe eyes - before revealing the imp within by standing on Thunder Rosa's feet - she was quickly bent into a delightfully nasty shape by Rosa, who in turn instantly flipped off Britt Baker. Rosa was a star in this match, working a tight and vicious ground game and conveying an authentic, barely-contained hatred with her baleful expressions. Riho, who thumbs-upped Rosa's heinous forearms with a look of innocent approval wonderfully dissonant to what she was approving of, was a star in this match.

And Baker is the star of a division that increasingly feels loaded with them: lancing the cutesy overtones with a vile neck crank applied to Riho, she offered the middle finger right back at Rosa. This was such a fun, confident and expressive match that felt miles and miles removed from the obligatory pre-show fare it might have been a year earlier.

Highlighted by the eventual Baker Vs. Rosa clash, the old takes can be formally pronounced dead. There was no awkward hesitation informed by visible memory recall here: this was a scrap very capably worked by two women who are quite brilliant at conveying a mutual hatred.

Star Rating: ★★★½