10 Best Wrestling Matches Of 2023 (So Far)
7. Jon Moxley Vs. Hangman Page - AEW Revolution
AEW overdoes a lot: stipulation matches, blood, almost everything. It's difficult, however, to say that the promotion has ruined the allure of violence. AEW is still capable of conjuring feelings of terror and anxiety when promoting and delivering plunder spectacles.
AEW has experienced mixed success when promoting gimmick matches. Everything with a 'Casino' prefix is generally a bit weird, and strangely, given the lack of limitations, the multi-man ladder matches don't hit their ceiling. In Anarchy In The Arena, Tony Khan has created his signature, drawing attraction - but he has also revived the true, definitive violence of a Texas Death match. Its two best practitioners, Hangman Page and Jon Moxley, constructed something horrifying and unforgettable at Revolution.
The commitment to violence was unreal, but it wasn't a boneheaded plunder brawl. There was a working magic to more than one set piece, particularly the spot in which Page drilled Mox with a top-rope power bomb onto two standing chairs. They just missed the most brutal point of impact, but arranged it in such a way that it was better (and far safer) for being that bit less "clean". They didn't short-change fans on the violence; everything looked disgusting, but was linked together beautifully. In a fabulous bit of continuity, Mox, recognising that Page's Buckshot lariat is a death blow in a Death match, put Page's hand between two bricks and stamped down hard.
The poetic finish was incredible; Page, who doesn't like violence but had to resort to it, didn't need the Buckshot.
A desperate Mox glorified violence and wrapped chain around his own neck, and Page punished him via hanging, tying a bow around the story and inciting the next arc of Mox's character.