AEW Revolution 2023: 10 Things That Must Happen
New champions crowned, fresh feuds started and...WWE callbacks on AEW pay-per-view?!
The build has been roundly mediocre for AEW's Revolution pay-per-view this year. You know it, the dude writing this knows it, Tony Khan knows it, and even those who will have that sudden rush of excitement before the show starts this weekend know it - there's no getting away from that.
Revolution can still be a winner if TK makes the right decisions though.
Look at the card on paper and you'll see some thumping offerings. MJF and Bryan Danielson going one full hour? Hell yes. The Elite and House Of Black going trios daft? Sounds fun. A claret-heavy brawl between heated rivals Jon Moxley and Hangman Page? Bring it on. Christ, even a cobbled together four-way tag could be a show-stealer on the undercard.
Why are folks so worried then? Well, maybe because Revolution is the last supershow stop before All Elite's "WrestleMania". Double Or Nothing is the tentpole event every year, and fans know AEW can't afford to give it the same lacklustre build March's PPV received.
Here's how Tony turns the booking ship around, let's his roster do their thing and makes Revolution well worth your time.
10. AEW Keep It At 7 Matches
Firstly, put the pen down.
Tony Khan must realise that "more is more" doesn't always work. Sure, it's great that the AEW main man wants to give wrestling fans unbelievable value on pay-per-views, but he shouldn't clutter the card with too many bouts that (in turn) hurt the ones already there.
Remember, All Elite will present a feature-length 60-minute beast on this card. It'd be stupid to litter Revolution with more matches than it needs then - it's utterly vital that Khan keeps things simple, lets the show build naturally towards that main event, and then showcases everything right about his promotion by beaming as he watches an in-ring classic.
There's no need to stick a useless Jade Cargill TBS Title defence on here, or anything involving Swerve Strickland, Keith Lee and Dustin Rhodes. Keep that back for next week's telly, and make sure Revolution satisfies without overstaying its welcome and trying to become 'Mania IV.